Novel segmented tick-borne RNA viruses belonging to the group of Jingmenviruses (JMVs) are widespread across Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. In this work, we obtained whole-genome sequences of two Kindia tick virus (KITV) isolates and performed modeling and functional annotation of the secondary structure of 5’ and 3’ UTRs from JMV and KITV viruses. UTRs of various KITV segments are characterized by: (1) polyadenylated 3’ UTRs; (2) 5’ DAR and 3’ DAR motifs; (3) a highly conserved 5’-CACAG-3’ pentanucleotide; (4) a La protein binding site; (5) multiple UAG sites providing interactions with the MSI1 protein; (6) three homologous sequences in the 5’ UTR and 3’ UTR of segment 2; (7) the segment 2 3’ UTR of a KITV/2017/1 isolate comprises two consecutive 40 nucleotide repeats forming a Y-3 structure; (8) a 35-nucleotide deletion in the second repeat of the segment 2 3’ UTR of KITV/2018/1 and KITV/2018/2 isolates, leading to a modification of the Y-3 structure; (9) two pseudoknots in the segment 2 3’ UTR; (10) the 5’ UTR and 3’ UTR are represented by patterns of conserved motifs; (11) the 5’-CAAGUG-3’ sequence occurs in early UTR hairpins. Thus, we identified regulatory elements in the UTRs of KITV, which are characteristic of orthoflaviviruses. This suggests their functional significance for the replication of JMVs and the evolutionary similarity between orthoflaviviruses and segmented flavi-like viruses.

Pea (Pisum sativum L.), like most legumes, forms mutualistic symbioses with nodule bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. The positive effect of inoculation is partially determined by the plant genotype, thus, pea varieties with high and low symbiotic responsivity have been described, but the molecular genetic basis of this trait remains unknown. Here, we compare the symbiotically responsive breeding line ‘Triumph’ of grain pea with its parental cultivars ‘Vendevil’ (a donor of high symbiotic responsivity) and ‘Classic’ (a donor of agriculturally valuable traits) using genome and transcriptome sequencing. We show that ‘Triumph’ inherited one-fourth of its genome from ‘Vendevil’, including the genes related to AM and nodule formation, and reveal that under combined inoculation with nodule bacteria and AM fungi, ‘Triumph’ and ‘Vendevil’, in contrast to ‘Classic’, demonstrate similar up-regulation of the genes related to solute transport, hormonal regulation and flavonoid biosynthesis in their roots. We also identify the gene PsGLP2, whose expression pattern distinguishing ‘Triumph’ and ‘Vendevil’ from ‘Classic’ correlates with difference within the promoter region sequence, making it a promising marker for the symbiotic responsivity trait. The results of the study may be helpful for future molecular breeding programs aimed at creation of symbiotically responsive cultivars of pea.

Chiral semiconductor nanostructures and nanoparticles are promising materials for applications in biological sensing, enantioselective separation, photonics, and spin-polarized devices. Here, we have studied the induction of chirality in atomically thin only 2 monolayers thick CdSe nanoplatelets (NPLs) grown by a colloidal method and exchanged with L-alanine and L-phenylalanine as model thiol-free chiral ligands. We have developed a novel two-step approach to completely exchange the native oleic acid ligands for chiral amino acids at the basal planes of NPLs. We performed an analysis of the optical and chiroptical properties of the chiral CdSe nanoplatelets with amino acids, which was supplemented by an analysis of the composition and coordination of ligands. After the exchange, the nanoplatelets retain HH, LH and SO exciton absorbance and bright HH exciton luminescence. Capping with thiol-free enantiomer amino acid ligands induce pronounced chirality of excitons in the nanoplatelets, as proven by circular dichroism spectroscopy, with high dissymmetry g-factor up to 3.4 × 10−3 achieved for HH excitons in the case of L-phenylalanine.

The objective of this work is to evaluate the potential effect of cardiac stress exercise on the accumulation of [¹²³I]IAZA, a radiopharmaceutical used to image focal tissue hypoxia, in otherwise normal myocardium in healthy volunteers, and to determine the impact of exercise on [¹²³I]IAZA pharmacokinetics. The underlying goal is to establish a rational basis and a baseline for studies of focal myocardial hypoxia in cardiac patients using [¹²³I]IAZA. Three healthy male volunteers ran the ‘Bruce’ treadmill protocol, a clinically-accepted protocol designed to expose myocardial ischemia in patients. The ‘Bruce’ criterion heart rate is 85% of [220 – age]. Approximately one minute before reaching this level, [¹²³I]IAZA (5.0 mCi/0.85 mg) was administered as a slow (1–3 min) single intravenous (i.v.) injection via an indwelling venous catheter. The volunteer continued running for an additional 1 min before being transferred to a gamma camera. Serum samples were collected from the arm contralateral to the administration site at pre-determined intervals from 1 min to 45 h post injection and were analyzed by radio HPLC. Pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters were derived for [¹²³I]IAZA and total radioactivity (total[¹²³I]) using compartmental and noncompartmental analyses. Whole-body planar scintigraphic images were acquired from 0.75 to 24 h after dosing. PK data and scintigraphic images were compared to previously published [¹²³I]IAZA data from healthy volunteers rest. Following exercise stress, both [¹²³I]IAZA and total[¹²³I] exhibited bi-exponential decline profiles, with rapid distribution phases [half-lives (t_1/2α) of 1.2 and 1.4 min, respectively], followed by slower elimination phases [t_1/2β of 195 and 290 min, respectively]. Total body clearance (CL_TB) and the steady state volume of distribution (V_ss) were 0.647 L/kg and 185 mL/min, respectively, for [¹²³I]IAZA and 0.785 L/kg and 135 mL/min, respectively, for total[¹²³I]. The t_1/2β, CL_TB and V_ss values were comparable to those reported previously for rested volunteers. The t_1/2α was approximately 4-fold shorter for [¹²³I]IAZA and approximately 3-fold shorter for total[¹²³I] under exercise relative to rested subjects. The heart region was visualized in early whole body scintigraphic images, but later images showed no accumulated radioactivity in this region, and no differences from images reported for rested volunteers were apparent. Minimal uptake of radiotracer in myocardium and skeletal muscle was consistent with uptake in non-stressed myocardium. Whole-body scintigrams for [¹²³I]IAZA in exercise-stressed healthy volunteers were indistinguishable from images of non-exercised volunteers. There was no evidence of hypoxia-dependent binding in exercised but otherwise healthy myocardium, supporting the conclusion that exercise stress at Bruce protocol intensity does not induce measurable myocardial hypoxia. Effects of exercise on PK parameters were minimal; specifically, the t_1/2α was shortened, reflecting increased cardiac output associated with exercise. It is concluded that because [¹²³I]IAZA was not metabolically bound in exercise-stressed myocardium, a stress test will not create elevated myocardial background that would mask regions of myocardial perfusion deficiency. [¹²³I]IAZA would therefore be suitable for the detection of viable, hypoxic myocardium in patients undergoing stress-test-based diagnosis.

Here, we report on ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) generated by nanosecond pulsed laser (Nd:YAG, 1064 nm) through ablation of metallic Zn target in water and air and their comparative analysis as potential nanomaterials for biomedical applications. The prepared nanomaterials were carefully characterized in terms of their structure, composition, morphology and defects. It was found that in addition to the main wurtzite ZnO phase, which is conventionally prepared and reported by others, the sample laser-generated in air also contained some amount of monoclinic zinc hydroxynitrate. Both nanomaterials were then used to modify model wound dressings based on biodegradable poly-L-lactic acid. The as-prepared model dressings were tested as biomedical materials with bactericidal properties towards S. aureus and E. coli strains. The advantages of the NPs prepared in air over their counterparts generated in water found in this work are discussed.

Baggage overweight is a significant phenomenon in the air travel in- dustry which is both regulated by the governments and highly profitable for the airlines. The recent years increase in airlines' profits is attributed to so-called ancillary payments – all consumer costs excluding the actual transportation fare. Baggage overweight fees, being a part of such pay- ments, have high profit-generation potential. Is the pricing for baggage overweight positioned correctly? The rationality of policies currently used by airlines is questionable, as they lack a customer-oriented marketing ap- proach. The general purpose of this research is to explore the possibilities of rational baggage overweight pricing for airlines by developing a multi- level price optimization model aimed to maximize company revenue. The modeling is based on determining consumer Willingness-To- Pay values for baggage overweight, and providing an optimal ticket price for them to maximize company expected revenue. The total profit value is forecasted too, based on the company market share and revenue level.

The transcriptional coactivators YAP (Yes-associated protein) and TAZ (transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif) are the main downstream effectors of the evolutionary conserved Hippo signaling pathway. YAP/TAZ is implicated in the transcriptional regulation of target genes that are involved in a wide range of key biological processes affecting tissue homeostasis and play dual roles in the aging process depending on cellular and tissue context. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether pharmacological inhibitors of Yap/Taz may increase the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster. qRT-PCR was performed to measure the changes in the expression level of Yki (Yorkie, the Drosophila homolog of YAP/TAZ) target genes. We have revealed a lifespan increasing effect of YAP/TAZ inhibitors that was mostly associated with decreased expression level of wg and E2f1 genes. However further analysis is required to understand how YAP/TAZ pathway is linked with aging.

Recently, we have witnessed a booming development of composites and multi-dopant metal oxides to be employed as novel photocatalysts. Yet the practical application of photocatalysis for environmental purposes is still elusive. Concerns about the unknown fate and toxicity of nanoparticles, unsatisfactory performance in real conditions, mass transfer limitations and durability issues have so far discouraged investments in full-scale applications of photocatalysis. Herein, we provide a critical overview of the main challenges that are limiting large-scale application of photocatalysis in air and water/wastewater purification. We then discuss the main approaches reported in the literature to tackle these shortcomings, such as the design of photocatalytic reactors that retain the photocatalyst, the study of degradation of micropollutants in different water matrices, and the development of gas-phase reactors with optimized contact time and irradiation. Furthermore, we provide a critical analysis of research-practice gaps such as treatment of real water and air samples, degradation of pollutants with actual environmental concentrations, photocatalyst deactivation, and cost and environmental life-cycle assessment.

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a major embryo- and tumor-associated protein capable of binding and transporting variety of hydrophobic ligands including estrogens. AFP has been shown to inhibit estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumor growth and this can be attributed to its estrogen-binding ability. Despite AFP has long been investigated, its three-dimensional (3D) structure has not been experimentally resolved and molecular mechanisms underlying AFP-ligand interaction remain obscure. In our study we constructed homology-based 3D model of human AFP (HAFP) with the purpose to perform docking of ERα ligands, three agonists (17β-estradiol, estrone and diethylstilbestrol) and three antagonists (tamoxifen, afimoxifene and endoxifen) into the obtained structure. Based on ligand docked scoring function, we identified three putative estrogen- and antiestrogen-binding sites with different ligand binding affinities. Two high-affinity sites were located in (i) a tunnel formed within HAFP subdomains IB and IIA and (ii) opposite side of the molecule in a groove originating from cavity formed between domains I and III, while (iii) the third low-affinity site was found at the bottom of the cavity. 100 ns MD simulation allowed studying their geometries and showed that HAFP-estrogen interactions occur due to van der Waals forces, while both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions were almost equally involved in HAFP-antiestrogen binding. MM/GBSA rescoring method estimated binding free energies (ΔG_bind) and showed that antiestrogens have higher affinities to HAFP as compared to estrogens. We performed in silico point substitutions of amino acid residues to confirm their roles in HAFP-ligand interactions and showed that Thr132, Leu138, His170, Phe172, Ser217, Gln221, His266, His316, Lys453, and Asp478 residues along two disulfide bonds, Cys224-Cys270 and Cys269-Cys277 have key roles in both HAFP-estrogen and HAFP-antiestrogen binding. Data obtained in our study contribute to understanding mechanisms underlying protein-ligand interactions and anti-cancer therapy strategies based on ER-binding ligands.

The wellbeing of the honey bee colonies and the health of humans are connected in numerous ways. Therefore, ensuring the well-being of bees is a crucial component of fostering sustainability and ecological harmony. The colony collapse disorder (CCD) phenomenon was first reported in 2006 when majority of bee colonies in Europe died out, due to increase of diseases infections, contamination of hive with agrochemical pesticides and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Only 6 years after CCD intimation, about 7 million premature deaths were reported, due to the air pollution to which humans are continuously exposed. The use of insect species, such as honey bee Apis mellifera L. and air matrix inside the bee hive can be used as a tool in biomonitoring, instead of traditional monitoring methods. This may have advantages in terms of cost-effective bioindicators of the environmental health status, showing the ability to record spatial and temporal pollutant variations. In this study, we present the in-field use of the portable membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) instrument for instant and effective determination of the level of environmental pollution by analytical identification of hive atmosphere volatile organic compound (VOCs) contaminants, contained in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX) compounds and pesticides. The samples will be taken from hives which are located in urbanized and rural regions, where further differences in contamination will be highlighted. The MIMS results will be benchmarked against a conventional laboratory sampling technique such as GC-MS.

Novel tetragonal matrix Ba0.5Gd0.5-xNaxF2.5-x, where x = 0.05, doped by Yb3+, Ho3+, Er3+, was synthesized by molten salt synthesis (MSS) from nitrate flux. XRD data show that tetragonal phase with a = 4.122(1) Å, c = 17.672(1) Å is stable in argon atmosphere up to 960 °C. Luminescence spectra recorded in 500-900 nm and 1050-1700 nm upon 974 nm pumping demonstrated the characteristic luminescence at 1550 nm (4I13/2 → 4I15/2) for Er3+ and 1150 nm (5I6 → 5I8) for Ho3+. The relative thermal sensitivity (Sr) at 296-316 K were 0.3 %*K-1 and 5.5%*К-1 in shortwave infrared (SWIR) and visible range, respectively. Synthesized luminophores can be used as dual-range optical temperature sensors, which simultaneously operating in visible and SWIR ranges.

Bacillus licheniformis produce several classes of antimicrobial substances which are mainly either peptides or proteins. Among of them bacteriocins - peptides or proteins of different structural composition including synthesized by bacteria ribosomally; non-ribosomally synthesized peptides and cyclic lipopeptides; exopolysaccharides. Different representatives of these classes act against Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, fungal pathogens and amoebae cells. In this review, a detailed classification of antimicrobial substances produced by B. licheniformis based on their chemical structure and mode of the synthesis and activity is presented. For some (rather limited number) of secreted antimicrobials mechanism of their harmful effect on the target cells is established, however, for many of them it remains unknown. The antimicrobial activity for most substances was studied in vitro only, however some substances were characterized in vivo and are found practical applications in medicine and veterinary. The cyclic lipopeptides with surfactant properties are applied in industry. In this review, a special attention on antimycobacterials produced by B. licheniformis is made as a possible approach to combat multidrug resistant and latent tuberculosis. Indeed, a number of peptides and proteins revealed strong antimycobacterial activity. However, medical application of some bacteriocins with promising in vitro antimycobacterial activity is limited by their toxicity for animals and humans. In this connection, similarly with the enhancement of the antimycobacterial activity of natural bacteriocins using genetic engineering, reduction of the toxicity by the same approach looks feasible. A unique capability of B. licheniformis to synthesize and produce a bouquet of different antibacterial compounds allow to consider this organism as a universal natural vehicle for antibiotic substances in form of probiotic cultures strains to combat various types of pathogens including mycobacteria.

Potocki-Lupski Syndrome (PTLS) is a rare condition associated with a duplication of 17p11.2 that may underlie a wide range of congenital abnormalities and heterogeneous behavioral phenotypes. Along with developmental delay and intellectual disability, autism-specific traits are often reported to be the most common among patients with PTLS. To contribute to the discussion of the role of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the PTLS phenotype, we present a case of a female adolescent with a de novo dup(17)(p11.2p11.2) without ASD features, focusing on in-depth clinical, behavioral, and electrophysiological (EEG) evaluations. Among EEG features, we found the atypical peak-slow wave patterns and a unique saw-like sharp wave of 13 Hz that was not previously described in any other patient. The power spectral density of the resting state EEG was typical in our patient with only the values of non-linear EEG dynamics: Hjorth complexity and Fractal dimension were drastically attenuated compared with the patient’s neurotypical peers. Here we also summarize results from previously published reports of PTLS that point to the about 21% occurrence of ASD in PTLS that might be biased, taking into account methodological limitations. More consistent among PTLS patients were intellectual disability and speech and language disorders.

Sustainability in material purchasing is a growing area of research. Goods purchasing decisions strongly affect transportation path flows, vehicle consolidation, inventory levels and related obsolescence costs. Within a global sourcing context, companies experience the need of new decision making approaches capable to consider a large variety of factors, also linked with society and environment. Environmental impact assessment has become a key requirement for materials purchasing and transportation decisions since global warming is a rising concern both in academic and industrial researches. In fact, it is well known that the freight transport industry is responsible for large amounts of carbon emissions contributing to global warming. In this paper, we initially analyse and compare the environmental economic policies established by the International Governments in relation to the carbon trading systems adopted. Then, we develop a multi-objective lot sizing approach useful in practice to define the sustainable quantity to purchase when a Cap and Trade mitigation policy is present. We further analyse the model behaviour according to different carbon price values by demonstrating that carbon prices are still far too low to motivate managers towards sustainable purchasing choices.

We overview recent findings achieved in the field of model-driven development of additively manufactured porous materials for development of a new generation of bioactive implants for orthopedic applications. Porous structures produced of biocompatible titanium alloys by selective laser melting can present a promising material to design scaffolds with regulated mechanical properties and with capacity to be loaded with pharmaceutical products. Adjusting pore geometry, one could control elastic modulus and strength/fatigue properties of the engineered structures to be compatible with bone tissues, thus preventing the stress shield effect when replacing a diseased bone fragment. Adsorption of medicals by internal spaces would make it possible to emit the antibiotic and anti-tumor agents into surrounding tissues. We critically analyze the recent advances in the field featuring model design approaches, virtual testing of the designed structures, capabilities of additive printing of porous structures, biomedical issues of the engineered scaffolds and so on. A special attention is paid to highlight the current troubles in the field and the ways of their solutions.

Urban lakes, especially those of natural origin, provide ecosystem services, recreation being one of the most important and highly valued by the city dwellers. Fulfilling the needs of city residents to relax and have contact with nature has become a priority in urbanized areas and has been proved to positively affect people’s health and well-being. The recreational potential of water bodies was identified to be most important aspect of ecosystem services to the residents of the neighboring areas. An assessment of recreational ecosystem services (RES) provisioning to society based on the real time spent by the citizens and housing values in the rural-urban gradient revealed that the economic benefits of lakes differ in urbanized, suburban and rural landscapes. The growth of cities has led to an increased population density in the surroundings of ecologically valuable areas, resulting in higher pressure from visitors seeking recreational areas. Along with urbanization, the impoverishment of ecosystem functions takes place, limiting their capability to provide ecosystem services. In this work provisioning of recreational ecosystem services of 28 floodplain lakes located along the urban-rural gradient of the Warsaw agglomeration was assessed. The relationship between the ecological value of the water bodies, measured using naturalness indices, and the recreational ecosystem services they can provide was assessed. The results showed that the floodplain lakes located along the urban-rural gradient are of a great importance to the citizens due to their recreational potential. The provisioning of recreational ecosystem services is poorly connected with the ecological characteristics of the floodplain lakes. Only hemeroby, was significantly correlated with provisioning, and there was no relationship with factors such as naturalness of vegetation or water quality, demonstrating that public preference was not generally influenced by high ecological quality. These data should be available to potential buyers and be integrated in spatial planning management plans in order to shape future housing policy.

Mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) is essential for the brain glucose and neurotransmitter metabolism, dysregulated in many pathologies. Using specific inhibitors of PDHC in vivo, we determine biochemical and physiological responses to PDHC dysfunction. Dose dependence of the responses to membrane-permeable dimethyl acetylphosphonate (Ac-PMe2) is non-monotonous. Primary decreases in glutathione and its redox potential, methionine and ethanolamine are alleviated with increasing PDHC inhibition, the alleviation accompanied by physiological changes. Comparison of 39 brain biochemical parameters after administration of four phosphinate and phosphonate analogs of pyruvate at a fixed dose of 0.1 mmol/kg reveals no primary, but the secondary changes, such as activation of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (OGDHC) and decreased levels of glutamate, isoleucine and leucine. The accompanying decreases in RMSSD of ECG and freezing time are most pronounced after administration of me-thyl acetylphosphinate and dimethyl acetylphosphonate. The levels of PDHA1 expression and phosphorylation, sirtuin 3 and total protein acetylation are not significantly changed by the PDHC inhibitors that affect the brain protein succinylation and glutarylation. Thus, decreased production of the tricarboxylic acid cycle substrate acetyl-CoA by inhibited PDHC is compen-sated by increased degradation of amino acids through the cycle with activated OGDHC, increas-ing total protein succinylation and decreasing anxiety indicators.

Background The falsification of food products is a practice that has always been with mankind. Initially, it stemmed from the need to satisfy basic needs, and then from the desire for profit, at the expense of the health and sometimes the lives of consumers. Today, food safety issues are becoming a priority in consumers' daily lives. It is estimated that one in four food products is falsified. Man has lost the ability to naturally identify healthy food. He has therefore begun to prioritise the speed and ease of its preparation at the expense, often of health. The techniques currently available for detecting falsification are inaccessible to the ordinary consumer. The technique proposed by the authors is the beginning of a publicly available method for detecting falsification. Scope and approach Currently, instrumental or sensory methods are used to assess the authenticity, and therefore identification, of foods. The former are expensive and time-consuming and the latter are unobjective. The authors proposed a method using ultrasound with parameters that are neutral to the material to be tested. The technique allows results to be obtained in times measured in microseconds without destroying the material under test, saving costs. Three differently weighted groups of beers were used for the study. These were industrial, regional and domestic beers. Main findings and conclusions The results of the study indicate that the ultrasonic method is useful for the non-destructive identification of industrial and regional beers, which are produced using different technologies and differ in composition. The method analysed was not suitable for separating homebrew beers from other types of beer.

The origin and dynamics of a- 2010 pluvial flood in the valley of a large European river are described. In order to study how local people perceive this catastrophic event a small administrative unit (rural municipality) within Holocene floodplain (thus flooded to 90%) was chosen. Using a questionnaire a human-research survey was performed in the field among 287 people living on flood-prone area. Almost half of the interviewees feel safe and do not expect a flood recurrence (interpreted as a levee effect). 17% believe the levee was intentionally breached due to political issues. 6% of interviewees link the breach with small mammals using leeves as a habitat, eg. beavers, moles, foxes. Spatial distribution of the survey results are analyzed. Maps presenting: inundation height, economic loss, attitude to geohazards and perception of possible flood recurrence were drawn. Causes of the flood as viewed by local inhabitants and in the context of the riverine geological setting and its processes are discussed. Particular attention is paid to processes linking the levee breach location with specific geomorpic features of the Holocene floodplain. A wide perspective of fluvial geomorphology where erosive landforms of crevasse channels (and associated depositional crevasse splays) are indicators of geohazards was adopted. This distinct geomorphological imprint left by overbank flow is considered as natural flood marks. Such an approach is completely neglected by interviewees who overestimate a role of hydraulic structures.

The video images captured at long range usually have low contrast floating objects of interest on a sea surface. A comparative experimental study of the statistical characteristics of reflections from floating objects and from the agitated sea surface showed the difference in the correlation and spectral characteristics of these reflections. The functioning of the recently proposed modified matched subspace detector (MMSD) is based on the separation of the observed data spectrum on two subspaces: relatively low and relatively high frequencies. In the literature the MMSD performance has been evaluated in generally and moreover using only a sea model (additive Gaussian background clutter). This paper extends the performance evaluating methodology for low contrast object detection and moreover using only the real sea dataset. This methodology assumes an object of low contrast if the mean and variance of the object and the surrounding background are the same. The paper assumes that the energy spectrum of the object and the sea are different. The paper investigates a scenario in which an artificially created model of a floating object with specified statistical parameters is placed on the surface of a real sea image. The paper compares the efficiency of the classical Matched Subspace Detector (MSD) and MMSD for detecting low-contrast objects on the sea surface. The article analyzes the dependence of the detection probability at a fixed false alarm probability on the difference between the statistical means and variances of a floating object and the surrounding sea.

Aphelids are a holomycotan group, represented exclusively by parasitoids infecting algae. They form a sister lineage to Fungi in the phylogenetic tree and represent a key group for reconstruction of the evolution of Holomycota and for analysis of the origin of Fungi. The newly assembled genome of Aphelidium insullamus (Holomycota, Aphelida) with a total length of 18.9Mb, 7820 protein-coding genes and a GC percentage of 52.05% was obtained by a hybrid assembly based on Oxford Nanopore long reads and Illumina paired reads. In order to trace the origin and the evolution of fungal osmotrophy and its presence or absence in Aphelida, we analyzed the set of main fungal transmembrane transporters, which are proteins of the Major Facilitator superfamily (MFS), in the predicted aphelid proteomes. This search has shown an absence of a specific fungal protein family Drug:H+ antiporters-2 (DAH-2) and specific fungal orthologs of the sugar porters (SP) family, and the presence of common opisthokont's orthologs of the SP family in four aphelid genomes. The repertoire of SP orthologs in aphelids turned out to be less diverse than in free-living opisthokonts, and one of the most limited among opisthokonts. We argue that aphelids do not show signs of similarity with fungi in terms of their osmotrophic abilities, despite the sister relationships of these groups. Moreover, the osmotrophic abilities of aphelids appear to be reduced in comparison with free-living unicellular opisthokonts. Therefore, we assume that the evolution of fungi-specific traits began after the separation of fungal and aphelid lineages, and there are no essential reasons to consider aphelids as a prototype of the fungal ancestor.

This study is follow-up of the steel shot transformation under the influence of environmental factors research (Lisin et al., 2022) and is the initial stage of investigating the iron behavior in soils during steel shot corrosion under a number of factors: the metallic lead in soils, atmospheric precipitation, excess organic matter. The results obtained show that corrosion of steel ammunition is a continuous process, including the formation of a poorly soluble rust crust on the surface of the steel and the mineralization of the metal until it is destroyed. As a result, the metal transformed into rust form, is a constant source of iron ions and dispersed rust particles migrating in soil waters and accumulating in soils. In addition, the aggregation of corrosion products of steel ammunition is the cause of a change in physical and mechanical properties of soils, which leads to a violation of the air and water migration regime of soils and an increase in surface runoff from the territories of shooting activity. The highest environmental risks are observed when steel ammunition is used on shooting areas where metallic lead intensifies steel shot corrosion rate, while the deposited steel shot activates the deterioration of previously encapsulated metal and — if steel and lead ammunition are used at the same time — slows down the encapsulation of newly deposited metallic lead, which catalyses the accumulation and migration of lead in environmental components.

Bioinformatics analysis of the sequences of orthologous zinc-containing peptidases of the M15_C subfamily revealed the presence of a conserved tryptophan residue near the active site, which is not involved in the formation of the protein core. Site-directed mutagenesis of this Trp114/109 residue using two representatives of the family, L-alanoyl-D-glutamate peptidases of bacteriophages T5 (Calcium-activated EndoT5) and RB49 (EndoRB49, without ion regulation) as an example, and further analysis of the 1H NMR spectra of the mutants showed that a decrease in the volume of the W → F → A residue leads to changes in the hydrophobic core and active center of the protein, and also decreased affinity for regulatory Ca2+ in the EndoT5 mutants. The inactive T5W114A mutant lacks the ability to bind the substrate. In general, the conserved Trp114/109 residue, due to the spatial restrictions of its side chain, significantly affects the formation of the catalytically active form of the enzyme and is critical for catalysis.

Treatment of bladder cancer remains a critical unmet need and requires advanced approaches, particularly the development of local drug delivery systems. The physiology of the urinary bladder causes the main difficulties in the local treatment of bladder cancer: regular voiding prevents the maintenance of optimal concentration of the instilled drugs, while poor permeability of the urothelium limits the penetration of the drugs into the bladder wall. Therefore, much research effort is spent to overcome these hurdles, thereby improving the efficacy of available therapies. The explosive development of nanotechnology, polymer science and related fields has contributed to the emergence of a number of nanostructured vehicles (nano- and micro scale) applicable for intravesical drug delivery. Moreover, the engineering approach has facilitated the design of several macro-sized depot systems (centimeter scale) capable of remaining in the bladder for weeks and months. In this article, the main rationales and strategies for improved intravesical delivery are reviewed. Here, we focused on analysis of colloidal nano- and micro-sized drug carriers, and indwelling macro-scale devices which were evaluated for applicability in local therapy of bladder cancer in vivo.

Every land plant exists in close relationship with microbial communities of several niches: rhizosphere, endosphere, phyllosphere, etc. The growth and yield of potato – a critical food crop worldwide – highly depend on the diversity and structure of bacterial and fungal communities with which the potato plant coexists. The potato plant has a specific part – tubers, and the soil near the tubers as sub-compartment is usually called “geocaulosphere”, which is associated with storage process and tare soil microbiome. Specific microbes can help the plant to adapt to particular environment conditions and resist to pathogens. There is a number of approaches to modulate the microbiome that provides organisms with desired traits during inoculation. The mechanisms of plant–bacterial communication remain understudied, and for the further engineering of microbiomes with particular features the knowledge on potato microbiome should be summarized. The most recent approaches to microbiome engineering include construction of a synthetic microbial community or management of plant microbiome using genome engineering. In this review, the various factors that form the microbiome of potato and the role of these factors in overcoming the negative impact of drought and pathogens are surveyed.

The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is one of three major pathways involved in glucose metabolism, regulated by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), controlling NADPH formation. NADPH, in turn, regulates the balance of oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. G6PD dysfunction, affecting PPP, is implicated in neurological disorders, including epilepsy. However, PPP's role in epileptogenesis and ROS production during epileptic activity remains unclear. To clarify these points, we conducted electrophysiological and imaging analyses on mouse hippocampal brain slices. Using the specific G6PD inhibitor G6PDi-1, we assessed its effects on mouse hippocampal slices, examining intracellular ROS, glucose/oxygen consumption, and ROS production during synaptic stimulation and in the 4AP epilepsy model. G6PDi-1 increased basal intracellular ROS levels and reduced synaptically induced glucose consumption but had no impact on ROS production from synaptic stimulation. In the 4AP model, G6PDi-1 didn't significantly alter spontaneous seizure frequency or H2O2 release amplitude but increased the frequency and peak amplitude of interictal events. These findings suggest that short-term PPP inhibition has a minimal impact on synaptic circuit activity.

Although working memory (WM) is crucial for intellectual abilities, not much is known about its brain underpinnings, especially the structural connectivity. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to look across the whole brain for the white matter integrity correlates of the individual differences in the reading span (verbal WM capacity during reading) in healthy adults. Right-handed healthy native Russian speakers (N = 67) underwent DTI on a 3T Philips Ingenia scanner. Verbal WM was assessed with the Daneman-Carpenter reading span test (Russian version). Fractional anisotropy maps from each participant were entered into the group tract-based spatial statistics analysis with the reading span as a covariate; the results were TFCE-corrected. After taking into account effects of age, sex, education and handedness, reading span positively correlated with the white matter integrity in multiple sites: the body, the genu and the splenium of corpus callosum; bilateral corona radiata (anterior, posterior, and superior); bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus; several tracts in the right hemisphere only, including the internal and external capsule; bilateral superior parietal and frontal white matter. Although the left hemisphere is central for verbal processing, we revealed the important role of the right hemisphere white matter for the verbal WM capacity. Our finding indicates that larger verbal working memory span may originate from additional processing resources of the right hemisphere.

Triphenylphosphonium (TPP) derivatives of a decapeptide related to sequences of bactenecin 7 (Bac7) and oncocin (Onc112) were synthesized and studied as potential antimicrobial compounds using various biochemical and microbiological assays. It was shown that while the reduction of the Bac7 length to 10 a.a. residues dramatically decreases the affinity to bacterial ribosomes, the modification of peptide with alkyl-TPP moieties leads to an increase in the affinity. New analogs which structure combines a decapeptide related to Bac7 and Onc112 — Bac(1-10, R/Y) — and TPP, attached to the C-terminal amino acid residue through alkylamide linkers, inhibit translation in vitro and are found to be more selective inhibitors of bacterial translation as compared with eukaryotic translation, than Onc112 and Bac7. Triphenylphosphonium analogs of a decapeptide related to Bac7 and Onc112 suppress the growth of both gram-negative bacteria, similar to Onc112 and Bac7, and gram-positive ones as alkyl-TPP derivatives, and also act against some resistant laboratory strains. Bac(1-10, R/Y)-C2-TPP, containing a short alkylamide linker between the decapeptide and TPP, is transferred into the E. coli cells via the SbmA transporter protein. TPP derivatives of the decapeptide Bac(1-10, R/Y) containing either decylamide or ethylamide linker cause B. subtilis membrane depolarization, similar to alkyl-TPP. The Bac(1-10, R/Y)-C2-TPP analog is proved to be non-toxic for mammalian cells by MTT-test.

Sulfite and kraft pulping are two principal methods of industrial delignification of wood. In recent decades, those have been considered as possibilities to pretreat recalcitrant wood lignocellulosics for enzymatic hydrolysis of polysaccharides and subsequent fermentation of obtained sugars to valuable bioproducts. Current work compares chemistry and technological features of two different cooking processes in the preparation of polysaccharide substrates for deep sacchari-fication with P. verruculosum glycosyl hydrolases. Bleached kraft and sulfite pulps were subjected to hydrolysis with enzyme mixture of high xylanase, cellobiohydrolase and β-glucosidase activities at a dosage of 10 FPU/g of dry pulp and fiber concentration of 2.5, 5 and 10%. HPLC was used to analyze soluble sugars after hydrolysis and additional acid inversion of oligomers to monosaccharides. Kraft pulp demonstrated higher pulp conversion after 48 h (74-99%), mostly resulted from deep xylan hydrolysis. Sulfite-pulp hydrolysates, obtained in similar conditions, due to higher hexose concentration (more than 50 g/L), had higher fermentability for industrial strains producing alcohols, microbial protein or organic acids. Along with saccharification, enzymatic modification of non-hydrolysed residues occurred, which led to decreased degree of polymerization and composition changes in two industrial pulps. As a result, crystallinity of kraft pulp increased by 1.3%, which opens possibilities for obtaining new types of cellulosic products in pulp and paper industry. The high adaptability and controllability of enzymatic and fermentation processes creates prospects for the modernization of existing factories.

Clinical trials, by contributing to the development of diagnostics and to the search for modern, more effective, and safer therapies, have become one of the most important elements of the healthcare system. The aim of this study was to assess Poles' knowledge and beliefs about clinical trials. Methods: The survey was conducted among Poles aged 18 and over with the help of external company, Ariadna, which is an independent research panel. The questionnaire contained 22 questions, of which 13 questions concerned beliefs and attitudes towards clinical trials. Results: One thousand and seventy-nine participants took part in the study (N = 1079). The mean age of respondents was 44.96 years (SD = 16.30). Slightly more women (N = 568, 52.6%) than men (N = 511, 47.4%) took part in the study. Among the respondents, 86.5% (N = 933) were aware of clinical trials. The main sources of information about clinical trials were the media (53.8%) including the Internet (N= 355, 32.9%), TV (N = 175, 16.2%), press (N = 30, 2.8%) and radio (N = 21, 1.9%). 43.2% (N = 466) of respondents reported little knowledge of clinical trials, while more than three quarters (N = 805, 75.2%) said they would like to learn more about clinical trials. Most respondents (N = 879, 81.4%) agreed with the statement that participation in a clinical trial is completely voluntary, and more than half (N = 580, 53.7%) agreed with the statement that hospitals participating in clinical trials provide better healthcare. The statement that the results of clinical trials are made available to the public was disagreed with by 37.2% (N = 402) of participants. Only 30.3% (N = 327) of participants agreed that clinical trials should be conducted with children. Conclusions: Poles rate their knowledge of clinical trials as low and would like to learn more. To reach the largest possible group of Polish patients, parallel educational activities on multiple levels may have the best effect. Poles' knowledge of clinical trials is mainly based on commercial sources. Further studies in different groups, i.e., clinical trial patients and investigators, are needed.

This paper presents the results of an experimental study of the patterns of steel and lead shot transformation under the impact of environmental factors (two types of shot exposed alone and in combination with each other). The analyzed environmental factors include atmospheric precipitation of various acidity and soil solutions with a higher content of organic acids. This research demonstrated that steel shot is characterized by a high transformation rate that is an order of magnitude higher on average than the transformation rate of lead under the same conditions. The prevalence of the suspended iron form (excluding the interaction with organic acids) presents risks for such environmental components as soils and sediments and may be hazardous to the ambient air and natural waters in case of wind erosion and surface runoff from the catchment area. Furthermore, the joint presence of steel and lead shot mutually accelerates the corrosion of both metals, thus increasing the environmental risks.

Since streptomycin discovery, actinomycetes were the main source for new antibiotics, but after the Golden age (1950-1960^th) the discovery rate significantly decreased. The high probability to rediscover well-known antibiotics led to a reduction in interest in soil bacteria as a source for new antibiotics. At the same time, actinomycetes remain a very promising reservoir for searching for new active molecules. In this work, we present several reporters containing eye-visible fluorescent protein genes, which can be used to increase the efficiency of determining the mechanism of antibiotics at the very initial stage of screening. Presented reporters and the following pipeline were optimized given the involvement of citizen scientists without specialized skills and equipment in order to utilize the reservoir of soil bacteria in the search for new antibiotic producers. The combination of mechanism-based approaches and civil science has proved its effectiveness in practice revealing a significant increase in the screening rate. Two new strains Streptomyces sp. KB-1 and BV113 were found to produce antibiotics pikromycin and chartreusin, respectively, demonstrating the efficiency of the pipeline.

Radiative budget is one of the key factors influencing climate change. The aim of this study is to analyze radiative regime in Moscow using the MSU-RAD(BSRN) instrumentation complex and to estimate radiative effects of the main atmospheric factors during the 2021-2023 period. Due to variations in aerosol content, the loss of global shortwave irradiance (Q) varies from 37 to 186 W/m2 (or about 18-22%) at different solar elevations with a significant decrease in direct irradiance and increase in diffuse irradiance due to multiple scattering. In winter, we observed the increase in Q of about 45 W/m2 (or 9%) at h=30° due to high surface albedo, smaller aerosol and water vapor content. At the same time, net shortwave irradiance (Bsh) demonstrates a significant decrease due to prevailing effects of snow albedo. A nonlinear dependence of Q and Bsh cloud transmittance on relative sunshine duration (Sd) is observed. Mean changes in Q against the 1955-2020 period are characterized by negative anomalies (-22%) in winter and positive anomalies in summer (+3%) due to the changes in cloudiness, reflected in Sd variations. This is in line with global tendencies in long-term changes of shortwave irradiance in moderate climate in Europe during the last years.

Image analysis is widely applied in plant science for phenotyping and monitoring botanic and agricultural species. Although a lot of software is available, tools integrating image analysis and statistical assessment of seedling growth in large groups of plants are limited or absent, and do not cover the needs of the researchers. In this study, we developed Morley, a free, open-source graphical user interface written in Python. Morley automates the following workflow: (1) group-wise analysis of a few thousand seedlings from multiple images; (2) recognition of seeds, shoots and roots in seedling images; (3) calculation of shoot and root lengths and surface areas, (4) evaluation of statistically significant differences between plant groups, (5) calculation of germination rates, (6) visualization and interpretation. Morley is designed for laboratory studies of biotic effects on seedling growth, when molecular mechanisms underlying morphometric changes are analyzed. Performance was tested using cultivars of T. aestivum, P. sativum on seedlings of up to 1 week old. Accuracy of the measured morphometric parameters was comparable with the ones obtained using ImageJ and manual measurements. Dose-dependent laboratory tests for germination affected by new bioactive compounds and fertilizers, assuming extraction of seedlings from a substrate and/or dissection are among the suggested applications.

Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to simulate five glacierized river basins that are global in coverage and vary in climate. The river basins included the Narayani (Nepal), Vakhsh (Central Asia), Rhone (Switzerland), Mendoza (Central Andes, Argentina), and Central Dry Andes (Chile) with a total area of 85,000 km2. A modified SWAT snow algorithm was applied in order to consider spatial variation of associated snow melt /accumulation by elevation band across each subbasin. In the previous studies, melt rates varied as a function of elevation resulting from an air temperature gradient while the snow parameters were constant throughout the entire basin. A major improvement of the new snow algorithm is separating the glaciers from seasonal snow based on their characteristics. Two SWAT snow algorithms were evaluated in simulation of monthly runoff from glaciered watershed: 1) the snow parameters are lumped (i.e. constant throughout the entire basin) and 2) the snow parameters are spatially variable based on elevation band-subbasin (i.e. modified snow algorithm). Applying the distributed SWAT snow algorithm improved the model performance in simulation of monthly runoff with snow-glacial regime, so that mean RSR decreased to 0.49 from 0.55 and NSE increased to 0.75 from 0.69. Improvement of model performance was negligible in simulation of monthly runoff from the basins with monsoon runoff regime.

Extensive genome structure variation, such as copy number variations (CNVs) and presence/absence variations, is the basis for the remarkable maize genetic diversity; however, the effect of CNVs on maize herbivory defense remains largely underexplored. Here, we report that the naturally occurring duplication of the maize 9-lipoxygenase gene, ZmLOX5, leads to increased resistance of maize to herbivory by fall armyworms (FAW). Previously, we showed that ZmLOX5-derived oxylipins are required for defense against chewing insect herbivores and identified several inbred lines, including Yu796, that contained duplicated CNVs of ZmLOX5, referred to as Yu796-2×LOX5. To test whether introgression of the Yu796-2×LOX5 locus into the herbivore-susceptible B73 background that contains a single ZmLOX5 gene is a feasible approach to increase resistance, we generated a series of near-isogenic lines that contained either 2, 1 or 0 copies of the Yu796-2×LOX5 locus in the B73 background by six back crosses (BC6). Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) confirmed the successful introgression of the Yu796-2×LOX5 locus in B73. The resulting B73-2×LOX5 inbred line displayed increased resistance against FAW associated with increased expression of ZmLOX5, increased wound-induced production of its primary oxylipin product, the α-ketol, 9-hydroxy-10-oxo-12(Z),15(Z)-octadecadienoic acid (9,10-KODA), and the downstream defense hormones regulated by this molecule, 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (12-OPDA) and abscisic acid (ABA). Surprisingly, wound-induced JA-Ile production was not increased in B73-2×LOX5, resulting from the increased JA catabolism. Furthermore, B73-2×LOX5 displayed enhanced drought tolerance likely due to increased ABA and 12-OPDA content. Taken together, this study revealed that the duplicated CNV of ZmLOX5 quantitively contributes to maize antiherbivore defense and presents proof-of-concept evidence that the introgression of naturally occurring duplicated CNVs of a defensive gene into the productive, but susceptible, crop varieties is a feasible breeding approach for enhancing plant resistance to herbivory and tolerance to abiotic stress.

Soil-borne Trichoderma spp. have been extensively studied for their biocontrol activities against pathogens and growth promotion ability with plants. However, the beneficial effect of Trichoderma on inducing resistance against insect herbivores has been considered only recently. Among diverse Trichoderma species, consistent with previous reports, we showed that root colonization by T. virens triggered induced systemic resistance (ISR) to leaf-infecting fungal pathogens. Whether T. virens induces ISR to insect pests has not been tested before. In this study, we investigated whether T. virens affects jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis and defense against fall armyworm (FAW) and western corn rootworm (WCR). Unexpectedly, the results showed that T. virens colonization of maize seedlings grown in autoclaved soil suppressed wound-induced production of JA, resulting in reduced resistance to FAW. Similarly, the bacterial endophyte Pseudomonas chlororaphis 30-84 suppressed systemic resistance to FAW due to reduced JA. Further comparative analyses of the systemic effects of these endophytes when applied into sterile or non-sterile field soil showed that both T. virens and P. chlororaphis 30-84 triggered ISR against hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen Colletotrichum graminicola in both soil conditions, but only suppressed resistance to FAW in sterile soil. In contrast to the effect on FAW defense, T. virens colonization of maize roots suppressed WCR larvae survival and weight gain. This is the first report suggesting the potential role of T. virens as a biocontrol agent against WCR.

A hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are the proteinaceous aggregates formed by the amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) that is deposited inside the brain as amyloid plaques. The accumulation of aggregated Aβ may initiate or enhance pathologic processes in AD. According to the amyloid hypothesis any agent that has the capability to inhibit Aβ aggregation and/or destroy amyloid plaques represents a potential disease modifying drug. In 2023, a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody (lecanemab) against the Aβ soluble protofibrils was approved by US FDA for AD therapy thus providing compelling support to the amyloid hypothesis. To acquire a deeper insight on the in vivo Aβ aggregation, various animal models, including aged herbivores and carnivores, non-human primates, transgenic rodents, fish and worms are widely exploited. This review is based on the recent data obtained using transgenic animal AD models and presents experimental verification of the critical role in Aβ aggregation seeding of the interactions between zinc ions, Aβ with the isomerized Asp7 (isoD7- Aβ) and the α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

We present a very computationally light and fast approximation algorithm and then verify it with genetic algorithm and simulated annealing. We show that our algorithm is on par with GA and SA in terms of output produced while having a tightly bounded time complexity. Our algorithm works best when there is a strong positive correlation between the reliability of a component and its cost. We present two algorithms with the same essence. One of them is system cost bounded and the other is target reliability bounded. Our proposed algorithm works on a subsystem level redundancy instead of component level redundancy.

The aims of this study are to measure the technical efficiency (TE) of Cambodian household’s rice production and trying to determine its main influencing factors using the stochastic frontier production function. The study utilized primary data collected from 301 rice farmers in three selected districts of Battambang by structured questionnaires. The empirical results indicated the level of household rice output varied according to differences in the efficiency of production processes. The mean TE is 0.34 which means that famers produce 34% of rice at best practice at the current level of production inputs and technology, indicates that rice output has the potential of being increased further by 66% at the same level of inputs if farmers had been technically efficient. Furthermore, between 2013-2015 TE of household’s rice production recorded -14.3% decline rate due to highly affected of drought during dry season of 2015. Moreover, evidence reveals that land, fertilizer, and pesticide are the major influencing input factors of household’s rice production, while disaster, education of household head, family size and other crops’ cultivated area are core influencing factors decreasing TE. Conversely, the main influencing factors increasing TE are irrigated area, number of plot area and sex of household head.

The aims of this study are to measure the technical efficiency (TE) of Cambodian household’s rice production and trying to determine its main influencing factors using the stochastic frontier production function. The study utilized primary data collected from 301 rice farmers in three selected districts of Battambang by structured questionnaires. The empirical results indicated the level of household rice output varied according to differences in the efficiency of the production processes. The mean TE is 0.34 which means that famers produce 34% of rice at best practice at the current level of production inputs and technology, indicates that rice output has the potential of being increased further by 66% at the same level of inputs if farmers had been technically efficient. Furthermore, between 2013-2015, TE of household’s rice production recorded -14.3% decline rate due to highly affected of drought during dry season of 2015. Moreover, evidence reveals that land, fertilizer, and pesticide are the major influencing input factors of household’s rice production, while disaster, education of household head, family size and other crops’ cultivated area are core influencing factors decreasing TE. Conversely, the main influencing factors increasing TE are irrigated area, number of plot area and sex of household head.

The present study aims to measure the technical efficiency and establish core factors effecting rice production in Cambodia. Four-years dataset generated from the central government document “Profile on Economics and Social” of entire 25 provinces between 2012-2015 and the stochastic production frontier model (SFA) was applied. The results indicated that the level of output (quantity) of Cambodian rice production varied according to the different level of capital investment in agricultural machineries, total rice actual harvested area, and technically fertilizers application within provinces. Furthermore, evidence revealed the overall mean efficiency of rice production is 78.4% implies that there is still room to further improve technical efficiency by given the same level of inputs and technology. More importantly, the findings revealed that irrigation, production technique and amount of agricultural supporting staffs are being as the most important influencing factors of rice production’s technical efficiency in Cambodia. In conclusion, present study strongly recommends the development of irrigation systems and good water management practices to be considered and bring into more effective actions by the central government as well as related agencies for improving rice production in Cambodia in addition to capital investment and improving technical skills of supporting staffs and rural farmers.

Interpolyelectrolyte complexes Eudragit® EPO/L100 received in different pH were characterized by different degree of swelling in mimicking fasted stomach medium (0.1 M HCl) and saved their shape during 6 hours of the experiment. The microenvironmental changes in IPECs structure during swelling testing were inves-tigated using FT-IR spectroscopy, thermal and elemental analysis. Both samples of IPECs during swelling were transformed to a similar structure with approximately the same composition. IPEC samples showed bioadhesive properties that was not significantly different from the positive control (Carbopol) in the test with the mucin compacts. The release rate of metronidazole (class I BCS) from IPEC matrices increased with the increasing degree of swelling. IPEC 1 provided 49.62 ± 6.20% and IPEC 2 – 87.69 ± 5.15 % of metronidazole release after 6 hours in mimicking fasted stomach medium (0.1 M HCl). Total amount of released acyclovir (class III BCS) from IPEC 1 was 25.76 ± 5.67 % and from IPEC 2 was 21.48 ± 5.00 %. Release of both drugs was controlled by relaxation of polymeric chains in matrices according to the Peppas-Sahlin model. According to the received results, investigated interpolymer complexes are perspective for further evalua-tion as carriers for gastroretentive bioadhesive systems.

A therapy’s outcome is determined by a tumor’s response to treatment which, in turn, depends on multiple factors such as the severity of the disease and the strength of patient’s immune response. Gold standard cancer therapies are in most cases fragile when sought to break the ties to either tumor kill ratio or patient toxicity. Lately, research has shown that cancer therapy can be at most robust when handling adaptive drug resistance and immune escape patterns developed by evolving tumors. This is due to the stochastic and volatile nature of the interactions, at the tumor environment level, tissue vasculature, and immune landscape, induced by drugs. Herein, we explore the path towards antifragile therapy control, that generates treatment schemes that are not fragile but go beyond robustness. More precisely, we describe a first instantiation of a control-theoretic method to make therapy schemes cope with the systemic variability in the tumor–immune–drug interactions and gain more tumor kill with less patient toxicity. Considering the anti-symmetric interactions within a model of the tumor–immune–drug network, we introduce the antifragile control framework that demonstrates promising results in simulation. We evaluate our control strategy against state-of-the-art therapy schemes on various experiments and discuss the insights we gained on the potential that antifragile control could have in treatment design in clinical settings.

Plants are exposed to a variety of abiotic and biotic stresses leading to increased formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plant cells. ROS are capable of oxidizing proteins, pigments, lipids, nucleic acids, and other cell molecules, disrupting their functional activity. During the process of evolution, numerous antioxidant systems were formed in plants, including antioxidant enzymes and low-molecular-weight non-enzymatic antioxidants. Antioxidant systems perform neutralization of ROS and therefore prevent oxidative damage of cell components. In the present review, we focus on the biosynthesis of non-enzymatic antioxidants in higher plant cells such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), glutathione, flavonoids, isoprenoids, including carotenoids, tocopherol (vitamin E), ubiquinone and plastoquinone. Their functioning and their reactivity with respect to individual ROS are described. The review is also devoted to the modern genetic engineering methods, which are widely used to change the quantitative and qualitative content of the non-enzymatic antioxidants in cultivated plants. These methods allow to obtain various plant lines with given properties in a rather short time. The most successful approaches for plant transgenesis and plant genome editing for the enhancement of the biosynthesis and the content of these antioxidants are discussed.

Cotton is the most ubiquitous and profitable fiber with diverse industrial and domestic applications. Grown in over 100 countries, it has a global market value of about $40 billion and employs over 350 million people from fields to textile mills, contributing about 7% of total labor-force recruitment in developing economies. Cotton has an indeterminate growth habit and an extensive tap root system affected by soil physicochemical and environmental conditions. There is a consensus among experts that conventional cotton cultivation still has a long way to attain sustainability, which is essential if cotton will maintain its competitive edge over other natural and synthetic fibers like hemp, polyesters, and rayon. Despite several efforts already committed to growing cotton sustainably, sustainability has eluded cotton cultivation globally because of the intense farm inputs (freshwater, pesticides, and heavy-duty equipment) needs, especially in developing economies. Some of the technological advancements towards achieving the goal of sustainable cotton cultivation include the development of new varieties, improved irrigation and mulching and precision agriculture techniques, application of remote sensing and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) combined with image processing, and the introduction of autonomous and multi-purpose robotic platforms for growing and harvesting cotton. This review attempts to evaluate the successes already achieved by stakeholders in moving cotton towards sustainable production and identify areas where efforts are still needed to reach sustainable production and improved profitability goals for cotton with projections for future research directions.

There are several pathologies that can change the anatomy of the otic capsule and that can distort the bone density of the bony structures of the inner ear, but otosclerosis is one of the most frequent. Similar behavior has been shown in patients affected by osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a genetic disease due to a mutation in the genes coding for type I (pro) collagen. In particular, we note that otosclerosis and OI can lead to bone resorption creating pericochlear cavitations in contact with the internal auditory canal (IAC). In this regard, in our experience we have collected 5 cases presenting this characteristic and their audiological data and clinical history were analyzed. This feature can be defined as a potential cause of a third-window effect, because it causes an energy loss during the transmission of sound waves from the OW away from the basilar membrane.

Recently, the indications for Cochlear Implant (CI) have also been extended to subjects with Single Sided Deafness (SSD) in order to restore binaural hearing. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the advantages of CI following one year of usage in SSD subjects. Secondarily we want to assess the long-term stability of the CI. 57 participants performed a complete audiological assessment (speech audiometry in quiet and in noise and localization test). For each was also evaluated subjective hearing profile (with Speech Spatial and Qualities_SSQ questionnaire) and the impact of tinnitus (with the use of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory_THI questionnaire) After one year of CI usage, we observed a significant improvement in speech-to-noise ratio, in sound localization abilities, in the Speech (p-value 0.001) and Spatial (p-value 0.001) subscales of the SSQ questionnaire and in THI questionnaire (p-value 0.001). The improvements in speech in noise and localization abilities and the reduction of the SSQ and THI questionnaires scores were maintained over time (6th to 60th month follow-up). Only eight participants did not fully utilize the CI. CI in SSD represents an effective method for improving speech recognition in noisy environments, restoring sound localization abilities, reducing tinnitus and improve subjective listening skills.

Keywords: pelvic ultrasound, follicle number per ovary, FNPO, ovarian volume, PCOM, upper normal limits, referral population

Keywords: olfactory rehabilitation; chronic pain; fMRI;

The radiosensitivity of biological systems is strongly affected by the system oxygenation. On the nanoscopic scale and molecular level, this effect is considered to be strongly related to the indirect damage of radiation. Even though particle track radiolysis has been the object of several studies, still little is known about the nanoscopic impact of target oxygenation on the radical yields. We present here an extension of the chemical module of the Monte Carlo particle track structure code TRAX, taking into account the presence of dissolved molecular oxygen in the target material. The impact of the target oxygenation level on the chemical track evolution and the yields of all the relevant chemical species is studied in water under different irradiation conditions: different linear energy transfer (LET) values, different oxygenation levels, and different particle types. Especially for low LET radiation, a large production of two highly toxic species (HO₂^• and O₂^•− ), which are not produced in anoxic conditions, is predicted and quantified in oxygenated solutions. The remarkable correlation between the HO₂^• and O₂^•− production yield and the oxygen enhancement ratio observed in biological systems suggests a direct or indirect involvement of HO₂^• and O₂^•− in the oxygen sensitization effect. The results are in agreement with available experimental data and previous computational approaches. An analysis of the oxygen depletion rate in different radiation conditions is also reported.

Revealing the spatial distribution mechanism of the coupling effect between soil water and salt is essential for managing saline-alkali farmland. This study utilized the multifractal method to analyze soil water and salt under varying water content levels in arid saline-alkali farmland. Soil samples were collected on the second (S1), fifth (S2), eighth (S3), eleventh (S4), and fourteenth (S5) days after a rainfall event. The findings showed that a significant decrease in soil water content, contrasting with an increase in soil salt content throughout the soil layers post-rainfall. As water content decreased, the spatial variability of soil water initially increased from S1-3 and then decreased, while the spatial variability of soil salt decreased. The spatial distribution between soil water and salt exhibited a high correlation at S3-4 (with relative water content of soil ranging from 0.52 to 0.75) due to their coupling effect. However, soil salt was unevenly leached by rainfall at high water content levels (S1-2) and precipitated at low water content levels (S5), resulting in low spatial variability correlations between soil water and salt. This study elucidated the coupling process of soil water and salt, identifying their spatiotemporal distribution mechanism in dryland agricultural areas.

Public access to high quality green environments has become a key issue for city managers and a matter of environmental justice. Remnants of natural ecosystems allow citizens a direct contact with nature, but conversely the presence of people contributes further to the existing disturbances. Urban pressures on ecosystem remnants may act to favour the expansion of some invasive species in cities. Whilst the negative impacts of invasive species on ecosystem function is well documented little is known how invasive species influence the use of green spaces by people. Here, we examined one of the few remnants of urban riparian forests in Europe, the Vistula river valley in Warsaw which has recently become an attractive recreation site. Despite their high ecological value, the poplar and willow forests have been increasingly taken over by the invasive tree species Acer negundo. We examined the status of the invasion process and the relationship between recreational ecosystem services and the characteristics of the tree stands – tree species, tree density and age and NDVI values. We found the willow forest to be more susceptible to invasion by A. negundo than the poplar forest, which was revealed in significantly higher share of the maple individuals and their greater volume per unit area. Presence of A. negundo affected biodiversity resulting in decreased undergrowth density and number of species. The use intensity by the public, assessed on the basis of trampling intensity and the density of existing informal tracks, were negatively correlated to the presence of A. negundo. This study highlights the need to integrate invasive species management into green infrastructure planning and management.

More than 20 years after the discovery of the first anelloviruses (AVs), they still remain a mysterious group of viruses. To date, there is no clear understanding of their impact on the host organism, although information is emerging about their participation in various pathologies. However, it is well known that AVs are an important component of the human virome. In the current study we assessed the abundance of AVs in viromes from four nasal and pharyngeal samples from children with respiratory symptoms using a metagenomic approach. It is worth noting that three patients had known respiratory viruses and one did not have any. Regarding AVs, they were detected in all samples, namely Torque teno mini virus (TTMV). The greatest abundance and diversity of AVs (Torque teno virus (TTV), TTMV and Torque teno midi virus (TTMDV)) were shown in a diseased patient with an absence of respiratory viruses, which may indicate the potential involvement of AVs in the maintenance of respiratory symptoms. An activated immune system to combat the main pathogens, against the background of which the number of AVs decreases, is discussed as a possible reason for the reduced diversity of anellome in other patients. We also compared the results of the metagenomic approach and qPCR for major respiratory viruses, which were in agreement. In addition, metagenomic sequencing made it possible to obtain additional data on viral genomes in order to establish their taxonomic identification and characterize individual viral profiles in patients from the Siberian part of Russia.

Electrospun ultrathin fibers based on binary compositions of polylactide (PLA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) with different ratios of polymer components from 0/100 to 100/0 wt. % were studied. Using a combination of thermal (DSC) and relaxation (EPR) measurements, the effect of biopolymers content on the characteristics of the crystal structure of PLA and PCL and the diffusive rotational mobility of the stable TEMPO radical in the amorphous regions of PLA/PCL compositions was shown. It was revealed that after PLA and PCL blending, significant changes in the degree of crystallinity of PLA, PCL segmental mobility, sorption capacity of the radical as well as activation energy of rotational diffusion in the amorphous regions of PLA/PCL composition are observed. The characteristic region of biopolymers’ composition from 50/50 to 30/70 % PLA/PCL blends ratio was found, where the inversion transition of PLA from dispersive medium to dispersive phase where an inversion transition is assumed when the continuous medium of the PLA transforms into a discrete phase. The performed studies made it possible for the first time to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the effect of the system component ratio on the structural and dynamic characteristics of the PLA/PCL film material at the molecular level.

We offered the circuit of a discrete analog filter (DAF) low frequencies of second-order on switchable capacitors, which differs from the known ones in that three capacitors with one terminal are connected to a common bus, and the frequency of the DAF pole depends not only on the ratio of the capacitances of the frequency-setting capacitors, but also on the ratio of resistances two additional resistors in the feedback. This allows at constant values ​​of the capacitances and a fixed switching frequency of electronic switches, control the pole frequency by changing the resistance ratio of additional resistors. Computer simulation of the developed circuit was performed in the Micro-Cap environment. It has been established that the DAF has a transmission coefficient close to minus one at very low frequencies and a transmission coefficient close to zero at higher frequencies.

In the paper we suggest an implementation of the non-commutative logic and apply its operators for decision-making in the group of autonomous agents. The suggested operators extend the uninorm and absorbing norm aggregators and use an additional asymmetry parameter that defines the “level of non-commutativity”. The value of this parameter is specified using the perception bias of humans measured in the experiments. The suggested operators and decision-making method are illustrated by simulated behavior of mobile robots in the group.

Salmonella enterica serovar Newport bacteriophage 7-11 shares 41 homologous ORFs with Escherichia coli phage phiEco32 and both phages encode a protein similar to bacterial RNA polymerase promoter specificity  subunit. Here, we investigated the temporal pattern of 7-11 gene expression during the infection and compared it to the previously determined transcription strategy of phiEco32. Using primer extension and in vitro transcription assays we identified eight promoters recognized by host RNA polymerase holoenzyme containing 7-11  subunit SaPh711_gp47. These promoters are characterized by a bipartite consensus GTAAtg-(16)-aCTA and are located upstream of late phage genes. While dissimilar from single-element middle and late promoters of phiEco32 recognized by holoenzyme formed by the phi32_gp36  factor, the 7-11 late promoters are located at genome positions similar to those of phiEco32 middle and late promoters. Two early 7-11 promoters are recognized by RNA polymerase holoenzyme containing host primary σ70 factor. Unlike the case of phiEco32, no shut off of σ70-dependent transcription is observed during 7-11 infection and there are no middle promoters. These differences can be explained by the fact that phage 7-11 does not encode a homologue of phi32_gp79, an inhibitor of host and early phage transcription and an activator of transcription by the phi32_gp36-holoenzyme.

At the molecular level, response to an external factor or an internal condition causes reprogramming of temporal and spatial transcription. When an organism undergoes physiological and/or morphological changes, several signaling pathways are activated simultaneously. Examples of such complex reactions are the response to temperature changes, dehydration, various biologically active substances, and others. Synergistic action of multiple pathways greatly complicates the experimental study of the molecular genetic mechanisms of the organism's reactions. As a result, a significant part of the regulatory ensemble in such complex reactions remains unidentified. We developed metaRE, an R package for the systematic search for cis-regulatory elements enriched in the promoters of the genes significantly changed their transcription in a complex reaction. metaRE mines multiple expression profiling datasets generated to test the same organism's response and identifies simple and composite cis-regulatory elements systematically associated with differential expression of genes. Here we showed metaRE performance for identification of cold stress-responsive cis-regulatory code in Arabidopsis thaliana. MetaRE identified potential binding sites for known as well as unknown cold response regulators. Software with source files, documentation, and example data files are freely available online at the repository (https://github.com/cheburechko/MetaRE).

The ability of S. aureus to infect humans and cause a wide range of infections so efficiently is a consequence of the many variant virulence factors that it can produce. Superantigens (SAgs) make up a group of them and include staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE). The main objective of this study was to detect enterotoxin gene cluster (EGC) in S. aureus isolates that caused infections in Paraguayan children in the year 2017, through an observational and cross-sectional study. The detection of the EGC including the seg, sei, sem, sen, seo, and seu genes, was carried out by end-point PCR. 181 S. aureus isolates were collected, most of them caused skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI, n=140, 77%) and came from children under 6 years 50% (n=90). At least one SE gene was detected in 96% (174/181) of isolates and 24% (44/181) carried the entire EGC. An association between methicillin resistance and seg, sei, seo, and seu gene carriage (p ≤0.05) was observed. A high prevalence of EGC was detected in S. aureus isolates collected from infected children attending the main health care centers in Paraguay, its importance is due to the potential of these toxins to aggravate staphylococcal infections.

This paper analyses the application of deep learning techniques for predicting wave overtopping events in port environments using sea state and weather forecasts as inputs. The study was conducted in the outer port of Punta Langosteira, A Coruña, Spain. A video recording infrastructure was installed to monitor overtopping events from 2015 to 2022, identifying 3709 overtopping events. The data collected was merged with actual and predicted data for the sea state and weather conditions during the overtopping events, creating three datasets. We used these datasets to create several machine learning models to predict whether an overtopping event would occur based on sea state and weather conditions. The final models achieved a high accuracy level during the training and testing stages: 0.81, 0.73, and 0.84 average accuracy during training and 0.67, 0.48, and 0.86 average accuracy during testing, respectively. The results of this study have significant implications for port safety and efficiency, as wave overtopping events can cause disruptions and potential damage. Using deep learning techniques for overtopping prediction can help port managers take preventative measures and optimize operations, ultimately improving safety and helping to minimize the economic impact that overtopping events have on the port's activities.

“De-[Constructing] Growth” is offered as a deeper and more useful conceptualization that avoids the negative connotations of, and resistance to, “degrowth” by decoupling profit from unsustainable consumption, production, and inequality.

In this review, the effect of colostrum on immune system development in buffalo calves was examined. The neonatal period is critical for buffalo calves and is characterized by a high mortality rate (more than 40%); the intake of colostrum improves the immune system of calves, increasing their chances of survival. Mainly in intensive farms, the availability of good quality colostrum is necessary, thus, good quality colostrum is often stored to provide newborn calves which cannot be fed by their mothers. The buffalo breeding is constantly expanding in Italy, mainly thanks to the Mozzarella cheese production that represents an excellence of the “Made in Italy” and is exported worldwide. High calf mortality rates directly affects the profitability of the business. Compared with other species, researches on buffalo colostrum are scarce; nevertheless it is fundamental to improve colostrum characteristics and management to guarantee buffalo calves health and reduce their mortality rate.

Brushless Synchronous Machines (BSM) are replacing conventional synchronous machines with static excitation in generation facilities due to the absence of sparking and lower maintenance. However, this excitation system makes challenging measuring electric parameters in the rotor. This fact highly difficult the detection of ground faults, which are the most common type of electrical fault in electric machines. In this paper, a ground fault detection method for BSM is proposed. It is based on an inductive AC/DC rotating current sensor installed in the shaft. In case of a ground fault in the rotating parts of the BSM, a fault current will flow through the rotor’s sensor, inducing voltage in its stator. Analyzing the frequency components of the induced voltage the detection of a ground fault in the rotating elements is possible. The ground faults detection method proposed covers the whole rotor and discern between DC and AC sides. To corroborate the detection method, experimental tests have been performed using a prototype of this sensor connected to laboratory synchronous machines achieving satisfactory results.

This research focusing on the environmental impact of tire and brake pad wear constitutes a significant area of transport-related studies. These two key vehicle components are not only the most frequently worn, but also generate micro and nano pollutants (i.e., rubber, metal oxides) that potentially harm the environment. Over half of the globally produced natural and synthetic rubbers, which amounted to about 30 million tons in 2022, are used for tire production. According to Wagner et al.'s research, over 1.3 million tons of such particles are released due to wear and tear in the European Union alone. This work focuses on examining snow deposits from various locations in an urban agglomeration (Poznan, Poland) in the winter season. FT-IR and NMR spectroscopic studies, optical and electron scanning microscopy SEM-EDS, and particle size studies using the DLS technique were conducted for a detailed characterization of pollutants in the environment. The conducted particle separation methods allowed for the extraction of a fraction mainly containing gum residues with particle sizes less than 2 µm. The results of these studies are crucial for understanding the impact of vehicle part exploitation on the environment.

The paper presents a method to assess the effect of electrolyte additives on the energy capacity of Pb-acid batteries. The method applies to any chemically unreactive additive, including suspensions and gels. The approach is thermodynamically based and it leads to the definition of a region of admissible concentrations –the battery’s admissible range– where the battery can undergo an indefinite number of charge/discharge cycles without suffering permanent damage. An experimental procedure to determine this range is presented. The obtained results provide a way to assess the potential of electrolyte additives to improve the energy capacity of Pb-acid batteries. The same results also provide a means to determine the additive concentration that produces the maximum energy capacity increase of the battery. The paper closes with an example of application of the proposed approach to a practical case.

Background: The practice of self-medication is common worldwide and is an important component of medical self-care. However, the practice can be dangerous and is linked to various risks for the patients and the entire community. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with self-medication among Bangladeshi adults. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between April and June 2021 among Bangladeshi adults (aged >19 years) using convenient sampling. A total of 1320 data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a standardized questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with self-medication practice (SMP). Results: Overall, 41% of adults in our survey reported SMP. The most common illnesses that prompted SMP were common cold/flu (66.4%), gastric problems (65%), and headache (64.4%). The most frequent reasons for SMP were to get better services (30.59%), perceive SMP without side effects (23.28%), and save time with effectiveness (14.56%). Potential risk factors included 10 years (AOR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.04 - 3.50) and >12 years of schooling (AOR = 5.03; 95% CI: 2.27 - 11.15), being a businessman (AOR = 4.64; 95% CI: 1.74 - 12.37), having ≤6 family members (AOR = 2.13; 95% CI: 1.40 - 3.24), being a member of a social group (AOR = 1.53; 95% CI: 1.10 - 2.12), a health status check after every six months (AOR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.08 - 2.13), and current ill-health (AOR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.06 - 1.87). Protective factors identified included ≤30 years of age (AOR = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.17 - 0.93), and practice of modern (AOR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.22- 0.69) and herbal (AOR = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.21- 0.97) healing types. Conclusion: More than one-third of the study participants reported practicing self-medication. Increasing the community’s awareness of the extreme consequences of SMP and not just the average experience might sway individuals away from SMP, and implementing strict jurisdiction could be a way to minimize the SMP.

To improve efficacy and safety of sunscreen emulsions, UV‐filter skin permeation could be kept as low as possible by reducing UV‐filter content or changing emulsion composition. In this work, different lipid phase ratio (12, 14 and 16% w/w) were assessed for their ability to affect the technological and sensory properties of O/W emulsions in which bemotrizinol (BMTZ), a broad spectrum sunscreen agent, was incorporated free or loaded into nanostructured lipid nanocarriers (NLC) to reduce its release from the vehicle and, hence, its skin permeation. The following technological properties were evaluated in vitro by suitable methodologies: spreadability, viscosity, pH, occlusion factor, BMTZ release, sun protection factor (SPF). Sensory attributes were assessed by trained panelists in three different phases: before/during pick‐up, rub‐in, after application. Raising the lipid phase ratio led to an increase of viscosity and to a corresponding drop of spreadability while the incorporation of BMTZ‐loaded NLC determined a decrease of occlusion factor and an increase of SPF. No BMTZ release was observed from all emulsions. Sensory attributes were mainly affected by lipid phase ratio. These results suggest that lipid phase ratio and BMTZ incorporation into NLC could contribute to determine technological and sensory properties of O/W emulsions.

Precise monitoring of individual crop growth and health status is crucial for precision agriculture practices. However, traditional manual inspection methods are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and often lack the spatial resolution required for detailed analysis. This research addresses the need for efficient and high-resolution crop monitoring by leveraging Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery and advanced computational techniques. The primary objective was to develop a methodology for precise identification, extraction, and monitoring of individual corn crops throughout their growth cycle. This was achieved by integrating UAV-derived data with image processing, computational geometry, and machine learning techniques. UAV imagery was ac-quired bi-weekly at altitudes of 40m and 70m, capturing the entire growth cycle of a corn crop from planting to harvest. A time-series Canopy Height Model (CHM) was generated by analyzing the differences between the Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and the Digital Surface Model (DSM) derived from the UAV data. Local spatial analysis and image processing techniques were em-ployed to determine the local maximum height of each crop. Subsequently, a Voronoi data model was developed to delineate individual crop canopies, successfully identifying 13,000 out of 13,050 corn crops in the study area. For enhanced accuracy in canopy size delineation, vegetation indices were incorporated into the Voronoi model segmentation, refining the initial canopy area esti-mates by eliminating interference from soil and shadows. The proposed methodology enables precise estimation and monitoring of crop canopy size, height, biomass reduction, lodging, and stunted growth over time, providing valuable insights for precision agriculture practices. This work contributes to the scientific community by demonstrating the potential of integrating UAV technology, computational geometry, and machine learning for accurate and efficient crop mon-itoring at the individual plant level.

Biodiversity has become an issue of global anxiety over the past decades due to its rapid decline worldwide. Bangladesh as one of the most densely populated countries in the world is no more exception. The country, although, was once very rich in biodiversity, during the last few decades as a consequence of the rapid reduction in forest area, urbanisation, habitat modification, unsustainable natural resources use and collection and overall climate change it has decreased alarmingly. Of late, the government, as a signatory of various regional and international conservation treaties, has taken various initiatives to improve country’s dwindling biodiversity. This paper reviews the present situation of biodiversity in Bangladesh, management trends and major causes of biodiversity loss. A separate statutory body is fundamental to ensure conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits arisen from biodiversity in the country.

Environmental pollution is becoming ubiquitous; it has a negative impact on the ecosystem diversity and worsens the quality of human life. This review discusses the possibility of applying the Plant Microbial Fuel Cells (PMFC) technology for concurrent processes of electricity generation, purification of water and soil ecosystems from organic pollutants, in particular, from synthetic surfactants and heavy metals. The review describes the PMFC functioning mechanisms and highlights the issues of the PMFC environmental application. Generally, this work summarizes different approaches to the PMFC development and to the potential usage of such hybrid bioelectrochemical systems for the environmental protection.

In this study, we address the formidable challenge of solving large-scale Max-Cut problems (MCP). We introduce a rapid computational procedure utilizing a hybrid 1-flip/r-flip local search heuristic. This innovative strategy significantly reduces the computational time required for MCP problems while consistently generating solutions of exceptional quality. The paper presents substantial computational insights, showcasing the effectiveness of our approach on very-large-scale Max-Cut instances with varying densities. Our proposed heuristic is rigorously evaluated by comparing its performance against a quantum annealing solver, leveraging a multi-start Tabu Search framework. The results underscore the potency of this unique combination as an efficient and effective solution for large-scale QUBO problems. Notably, our hybrid heuristic consistently delivers high-quality solutions within the stringent CPU time limits of 600 seconds, demonstrating its efficacy across Max-Cut instances ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 variables. This research contributes to advancing the state-of-the-art in large-scale QUBO problem-solving, offering a powerful and time-efficient approach with broad applicability.

This paper proposes two max-pooling engines, named the RTB-MAXP engine and the CMB-MAXP engine, with a scalable window size parameter for FPGA-based convolutional neural network (CNN) implementation. The max-pooling operation for the CNN can be decomposed into two stages, i.e., a horizontal axis max-pooling operation and a vertical axis max-pooling operation. These two one-dimensional max-pooling operations are performed by tracking the rank of the values within the window in the RTB-MAXP engine and cascading the maximum operations of the values in CMB-MAXP engine. Both the RBM-MAXP engine and the CMB-MAXP engine were implemented using VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) and verified by simulations. They have been employed for and tested in our CNN accelerator targeting at the CNN model YOLOv4-CSP-S-Leaky for object detection.

This study presents the synthesis and electrochemical evaluation of nitrogen-doped vanadium oxide (N-V2O3/C) as a cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), using a hydrothermal method. Compared to undoped V2O3/C, N-V2O3/C exhibits enhanced electrical conductivity, capacity, and electrochemical kinetics, attributed to the incorporation of pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen. Initial charge-discharge cycles indicate phase transitions to amorphous vanadium oxides, enhancing conductivity. N-V2O3/C shows a high specific capacity of 168.4 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1 and remarkable reversibility, highlighted by the transient existence of intermediate species during cycling. Optimal electrochemical performance is achieved with a vanadium to nitrogen molar ratio of 2:3, indicating the significant impact of nitrogen doping concentration on the material’s efficiency. This work underscores the potential of N-V2O3/C as a superior cathode material for AZIBs.

Using density functional theory (DFT), the density of states of NH4V3O8 (NVO) was analyzed pre and post-oxygen defects (Od) formation. The findings revealed a reduced bandgap in NVO after Od introduction, emphasizing the role of Od in enhancing conductivity of the material, thus improving its electrochemical attributes. Through the water bath method, both NVO and its oxygen-deficient counterpart, (NH4)2V10O25⸱8H2O (NVOd), were synthesized as potential cathode materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Experimental outcomes resonated with DFT predictions, highlighting the beneficial role of oxygen defects in boosting electrical conductivity. Notably, the refined material displayed a remarkable capacity of 479.3 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1, underscoring its promise for advanced energy storage solutions.

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

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

A total of 473 metabolites were identified from 4 sour cherry genotypes using UPLC-TOF-MS. Untargeted metabolomics revealed the dominant chemical groups present in sour cherries. PCA showed that the diversity in sour-cherry metabolites was due to the genotype differences indicating iditol, malic acid, chlorobenzene, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, and pyroglutamic acid as the predominant contributors. The variable importance in the projection (VIP > 1.0) in partial least-squares–discriminant analysis described 20 biomarker metabolites, representing the cherry metabolome profiles. A heatmap of Pearson’s correlation analysis between the 20 biomarker metabolites and antioxidant activities identified seven antioxidant determinants that displayed the highest correlations with different types of antioxidant activities. This study of correlating metabolomics and antioxidant activities elucidated that the higher nutritional value and biological functions of select sour cherry genotypes can be useful for the development of nutraceutical and functional foods.

Meningitis is a severe disease associated with death in children under five with highest rates of infections under age of one. Vaccines for Neisseria meningitides and Haemophilus influenza are used to prevent the main causative agents of meningitis. Administration of H. influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine is recommended at 2, 4 and 6 months with a booster dose at 18 months. N. meningitidis has two commercially available vaccines, the pure polysaccharide is recommended at 24 months meanwhile the protein-conjugated vaccines at 12 months. We sought in this study to examine if coadministering the vaccines for the two main meningitis causing bacteria might be synergistic as a preliminary step towards the possibility of shuffling immunization schedule. So, we coadministered Hib vaccine with commercially available vaccines either quadrate (ACWY) polysaccharide meningococcal (Men) or conjugated meningococcal (Nim) vaccines in Balb/C mice (n = 6/group) and compared to each vaccine administered separately and controls. Thirty-five days post immunization, we measured specific antibodies titers. Hib vaccine increased Men antibody titers significantly for serotypes Y and W. When Hib vaccine was coadministrated with Nim, antibody titer for Y, W and A significantly increased. For serotype C, there was no significant difference in antibody titers among immunized groups. As for effect of meningococcal vaccines on Hib, Men significantly increased Hib antibody titers while Nim had no effect. Collectively, our data suggested that coadministration of Hib and Men or Nim vaccines was safe and had synergistic effect on immune responses elicited to both vaccines. Further studies are needed before immunization schedule modifications. Such immunization schedule recommendation should provide better protection against this life-threatening disease in young children.

High incidence of epithelial malignancies in HIV-1 infection is associated with co-infection with oncogenic viruses, such as high-risk human papillomaviruses (HR HPVs), most often HPV16. A collaboration between HIV-1 and HR HPVs in the malignant transformation of epithelial cells exposed to both viruses have long been anticipated. Here, we delineated the effects on in vitro and in vivo properties of HPV16-infected cervical cancer cells of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. Epidermoid carcinoma Ca Ski cells were made to express RT of HIV-1 clade A (RT_A) or Green Fluorescence Protein (GFP) by lentiviral transduction, subclones with one or six copies of RT_A and six copies of GFP DNA were generated. Expression by subclones of GFP was assessed by flow cytometry, and of RT_A, by Western blotting. Cells were assessed for the levels of mRNA of the RT_A, E6 and its isoforms, and cellular factors characterizing oxidative stress, and EMT by the real-time PCR. Parameters of glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration were assessed by Seahorse technology. Subclones were surveyed for the changes in cell cycle, doubling time, migration capacity, clonogenic activity and for the capacity to form tumors in nude mice. Ca Ski RT_A produced 20-55 fg of RT_A per cell. Expression of RT_A caused a proportional increase in the expression of E6*I isoform. In Ca Ski, RT_A suppressed mitochondrial respiration and oxygen consumption, and increased glycolysis. Compared to parental cells and GFP control, transcription in Ca Ski RT_A of epithelial (E-CADHERIN) state marker was increased, and of mesenchymal (VIMENTIN) decreased, indicating acquisition by cells of the hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal (E/M) phenotype. While Ca Ski GFP and Ca Ski RT_A with one gene insert had reduced migration rate, decreased clonogenic activity in vitro, and diminished capacity to form tumors in nude mice, increase in RT_A copicity/expression mitigated these effects. Altogether, expression of HIV-1 RT_A gave Ca Ski cells the plasticity required to overcome negative effects of lentiviral transduction and potentially increased their tumorigenicity.

This study reports a correlation between EEG and structural brain changes in patients after severe traumatic brain injury in a coma. The novelty of our approach was based on the combination of structural visualization (MRI) and functional neuroimaging (EEG) during tactile stimulation. The structural morphometry indicated a decrease of whole-brain cortical thickness, the gray-matter volume of the cortex, and subcortical structures in comatose patients compared to healthy subjects. In resting-state EEG, coma patients had significantly higher power of the slow-wave activity of 2-6 Hz and significantly less power of the alpha and beta rhythm. Importantly, coma patients showed a significant decrease of theta-rhythm power in tactile stimulation compared to the resting state, and this EEG pattern was not found in the control group. The decrease of the theta-rhythm power significantly correlated with the better outcome from a coma. Spectral changes in EEG in response to tactile stimuli showed no association with brain morphometric measures in healthy controls. In patients, decreasing theta-rhythm power correlated positively with the volume of whole-brain gray matter, right putamen, and insula; and negatively with the volume of damaged brain tissue. Increasing beta-rhythm power, specific tactile EEG response for a healthy brain, correlated with the cortical thickness of the somatosensory Paracentral and Precentral area. The observed decrease of gray-matter volume indicates brain atrophy in coma patients, which could be associated with neurodegeneration induced by injury. Our results also demonstrate that slow-wave desynchronization, as a nonspecific response to tactile stimulation, can serve as a sensitive index of morphometric changes after brain injury and coma outcome.

During type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) development, beta-cells undergo intense endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress that could result in apoptosis through the failure of adaptation to the unfolded protein response (UPR). Islet transplantation is considered an attractive alternative among beta-cell replacement therapies for T1DM. To avoid the loss of beta-cells that will jeopardize the transplant´s outcome, several strategies are being studied. We have previously shown that prolactin induces protection against pro-inflammatory cytokines and redox imbalance-induced beta-cell death by increasing heat shock protein B1 (HSPB1) levels. Since the role of HSPB1 in beta cells has not been deeply studied, we investigated the mechanisms involved in unbalanced protein homeostasis caused by intense ER stress and overload of the proteasomal protein degradation pathway. We tested whether HSPB1-mediated cytoprotective effects involved UPR modulation and improvement of protein degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. We demonstrated that increased levels of HSPB1: attenuated levels of pro-apoptotic proteins like CHOP and BIM, increased protein ubiquitination and the speed of proteasomal protein degradation. Our data showed that HSPB1 induced resistance to proteotoxic stress and thus enhanced cell survival via an increase in beta-cell proteolytic capacity. These results could contribute to generate strategies aiming at optimization of beta-cell replacement therapies.

Wheat is widely grown in the Mediterranean region, where plants frequently face water shortages. Recently, more attention to rationalizing irrigation water has been increased due to the adoption of sustainable agricultural systems. Therefore, two field trials were conducted at the Agriculture Research Station of Nubaria, Egypt, in two consecutive seasons (2017/2018 and 2018/2019) to examine three irrigation regimes' effects, i.e., 60, 80, and 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) combined with foliar ascorbic acid (AsA) or vitamin B2 (VB2) on yield and water productivity of wheat in two separate experiments. A split-plot design was used with three replicates. Irrigation treatments occupied the main plots, while the subplot in the first experiment was placed by ascorbic acid (AsA) and vitamin B2 in the second experiment. Results indicated that 100% ETc produced higher wheat yield and its attributes and insignificantly surpassed 80% ETc. Compared to the unsprayed plots, the foliar application of 6 mM ascorbic acid or 2.0 mM vitamin B2 significantly increased grain yield, components, and water use efficiency. The interaction between irrigation regimes (100% ETc or 80% ETc) and foliar application of 6.0 mM ascorbic acid or 2.0 mM vitamin B2 resulted in the highest values with no significant difference. Foliar application of ascorbic acid or vitamin B2 saved 20% of irrigation water while yielding a reduction that did not exceed 10%. The biplot graph of treatments x traits (TT) was a useful statistical tool for examining the impact of treatments on yield and its characteristics and identifying the links between these factors. Results suggest that riboflavin or ascorbic acid may have a potential role as an effective antioxidant for enhancing the tolerance for drought stress in wheat.

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

The flux growth of InVO4 bulk single crystals has been explored for the first time. The reported eutectic composition at a ratio of V2O5:InVO4 = 1:1 could not be used as a self-flux, since no sign of melting was observed up to 1100 °C. Crystals of InVO4 of typical size 0.5×1×7 mm3 were obtained using copper pyrovanadate (Cu2V2O7) as a flux, using Pt crucibles. XRD confirmed the orthorhombic Cmcm structure. Rests of flux material were observed on the sample surface, with occasional traces of Pt indicating some level of reaction with the crucible. X-ray absorption spectroscopy showed that oxidation states of indium and vanadium ions are +3 and +5, respectively. The size and high quality of the obtained InVO4 crystals makes them excellent candidates for the further study of their physical properties.

Air pollution is now considered to be the world’s largest environmental health threat accounting for millions of deaths globally each year. The social group that is particularly exposed to the harmful effects of air pollution is the children. A daily route to school can constitute an important component of children’s physical activity, but air pollution can pose a threat to their health. Numerous studies have proved high loads of PM can be effectively reduced by vegetation. Little is however known, whether vegetation can also reduce PM during the leaf dormancy period. In this study, we investigated the role of trees in PM removal on children’s routes to schools during winter. We investigated walking routes to selected schools in Warsaw, by examining the adjacent vegetation and PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and the presence of local black-smoke-belching stoves. We found that proximity to local CHP emitters had the strongest impact on pollution on the way to schools, while not finding a significant relationship between dense greenery and PM loads. Even more, the highest density of vegetation along walking routes tended to stimulate higher PM concentrations. The results obtained show the poor performance of tree canopy in reducing PM loads during winter.

Tissue-like phantoms are widely used as a model for mimicking the optical properties of live tissue. This paper presents the results of a diffusion reflection method as well as fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy measurements of fluorescein-conjugated gold nanorods in solution as well as inserted in solid tissue-imitating phantoms. A lack of consistency between the fluorescence lifetime results of the solutions and the phantoms raises a question about the ability of tissue-like phantoms to maintain the optical properties of inserted contrast agents.

We report the relative humidity (R.H.) sensing response of a resistive sensor, employing sensing layers based on a ternary nanohybrid comprising holey carbon nanohorns (CNHox), potassium chloride (KCl), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) at mass ratios 7/1/2, 6.5/1.5/2, and 6/2/2 (w/w/w/w). The sensing structure comprises a silicon substrate, a SiO2 layer, and interdigitated transducer (IDT) electrodes. The sensing film is deposited on the sensing structure via the drop-casting method. The sensing layers' morphology and composition are investigated through Scanning Electron Microscopy (S.E.M.) and RAMAN spectroscopy. The ternary hybrid-based thin film resistance increases when the sensors are exposed to R.H., ranging from 0% to 100%. The manufactured devices show a room temperature response comparable to a commercial capacitive R.H. sensor and are characterized by excellent linearity, rapid response time, and good sensitivity. The presented sensors exhibit superior performance in terms of sensitivity compared to other similarly manufactured and tested sensors that employ a CNHox-based sensing layer. We explain the sensing role of each constituent of the ternary hybrid nanocomposites based on their chemical and physical properties, electronic properties, and affinity for water molecules. Different alternative sensing mechanisms are considered and discussed, such as the decreasing number of holes in the holey CNHox at the interaction with water molecules, proton conduction, and PVP swelling.

In 2023, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) estimated that there were 68,928 mustangs living on United States public lands in 10 western states. The agency uses Appropriate Management Levels to determine the number of mustangs who need to be removed from the land. Once removed and processed, mustangs are sent to adoptions or sales events or retained in short-or long-term holding facilities. Adoptions and sales are the leading avenues for rehoming mustangs; however, the number of horses the BLM can place fluctuates annually and never approaches the greater number removed from the range. To explore opportunities for increasing the number of mustang adoptions, we conducted in-depth interviews with 23 horse trainers located on the U.S. East Coast, asking about participants’ training programs, relationships with horses, perceptions of mustangs, and challenges that mustangs face in the dressage and eventing industries. Participants had varying experiences with mustangs; however, all were willing to work with a mustang in some capacity. Participants voiced the need for more satellite adoption locations on the East Coast to decrease barriers to acquiring a mustang, notably cost and time, and for expanding existing training programs to include eventing and dressage.

Annually, more than 1.5 million preventable new hepatitis B (HBV) infections continue to occur, with an estimated global burden of 296 million individuals living with chronic hepatitis B infection. This substantial health challenge results in over 820,000 annual deaths attributed to complications such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBV vaccination remains the cornerstone of public health policy to prevent chronic hepatitis B and its related complications. It serves as a crucial element in the global effort to eliminate HBV, as established by the World Health Organization (WHO), with an ambitious 90% vaccination target by 2030. However, reports on global birth dose coverage reveal substantial variability, with an overall coverage rate of only 46%. This comprehensive review thoroughly examines global trends in HBV vaccination coverage, investigating the profound impact of vaccination on HBV prevalence and its consequences across diverse populations, including both high-risk and general demographics. Additionally, the review addresses the formidable challenges and facilitating factors essential for achieving WHO's HBV vaccination coverage objectives and elimination strategies in the coming decade and beyond.

The removal of metal ions by biosorption on inexpensive materials is still a challenge for environmental engineering research. In this study, marine green algae biomass (Ulva lactuca sp.) and the biochars obtained from this biomass, at 320 C (BC-320) and 550 C (BC-550), were used as biosorbents for the removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution. In addition to comparing the biosorption capacities, the determination of the thermodynamic parameters allows the choice of the most suitable material for the biosorption processes. The experimental results, obtained for Cu(II) ions biosorption on each biosorbent (algae biomass (AB), BC-320 and BC-550), at three different temperatures (10, 30 and 50 C) were analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models, while pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order and intra-particle diffusions models were used to model the kinetic data. The biosorption of Cu(II) ions is best described by the Langmuir model and the pseudo-second kinetic model, regardless of the type of biosorbent. The maximum biosorption capacity (qmax, mg/g) depends on the temperature, but also on the type of biosorbent, and follow the order: BC-320 < AB < BC-550. Using the experimental isotherms, the thermodynamic parameters (G0, H0 and S0) for the biosorption of Cu(II) ions on each biosorbent were calculated. The analysis of the obtained values constitutes the main arguments in choosing BC-550 as the most effective biosorbent for the removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous media.

The aim of the present trial was to evaluate the growth performance of buffalo calves fed diets characterized by different forage/concentrate ratio with or without the Saccharomyces Cerevisiae supplementation (CBS 493.94, Yea-Sacc®). Twenty-four male buffalo calves (mean age 145.1 ± 16.1 days; mean weight 108.0 ± 18.7) were assigned randomly to 4 groups, homogeneous for age, fed four different diets: diet 1 F:C ratio 50:50; diet 2 F:C ratio 30:70; diet 3 F:C ratio 50:50 + Yea-Sacc® and diet 4 F:C ratio 30:70 + Yea-Sacc®. Buffalo calves were individually weighted before the start of the experiment and the data were used as a covariate, monthly until the end of the trial. Dry matter intake (DMI), daily weight gain (DWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated. The differences in diets’ composition significantly (p

This paper presents a piezoresistive pressure sensor with a shield layer for improved stability. Compared with the conventional piezoresistive pressure sensors, p-type piezoresistors are covered by an n-type shield layer, which is formed by ion implantation. The proposed pressure sensors have been successfully fabricated by bulk micromachining techniques. The impact of electrical field on piezoresistors is studied by simulation. The temperature drift of the pressure sensor has been investigated by both simulation and experimental measurement. Characteristics of developed pressure sensors are tested from -40 C to 125 C. A sensitivity of 0.022 mV/V/KPa and a maximum non-linearity of 0.085% FS are measured for the fabricated sensor in a pressure range of 1 MPa. The temperature coefficients of resistance of shielded piezoresistors are found to be smaller than those of un-shielded ones. It is demonstrated that the shield layer is able to reduce the drift caused by electrical field and ambient temperature variation.

This review focuses on the emerging evidence for the association between estimated cardiorespiratory fitness (eCRF) and metabolic risk factors. Given the challenges associated with directly measuring cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in large populations, eCRF presents a practical alternative for predicting metabolic health risks. A literature search identified six relevant cohort studies from 2021 to 2024 that investigated the association of eCRF with hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and obesity. The review findings highlight a consistent inverse relationship between higher eCRF and lower incidence of metabolic risks in line with CRF cohort studies. This review highlights the importance of low eCRF as a primordial indicator for metabolic risks and underscores the need for broader application. Future research directions should include exploring eCRF's predictive accuracy across diverse populations and health outcomes and testing its real-world applicability in healthcare and public health settings.

In this project, four of fibers Bragg gratings were fabricated by injecting different volumes of liquids (star line Glass Mechanix optical adhesive material, olive oil diluted with ethanol) into the hollow core fiber. The amplitude splitting interferometric technique with a high resolution specially designed translation stage was used for the fabrication process. The fabrication was done using ultraviolet laser operated at wavelength 405nm. The fabricated Bragg length of the four fibers is equal to 3.8 cm. The results presented fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with successful fabrication at 653.3 nm Bragg reflected wavelength.

Early discharge after childbirth has led to a rise in neonatal readmission, becoming a major concern in recent decades. Our research aimed to identify the risk factors and incidence of neonatal readmission, as well as explore preventive measures. Our study at the Clinical Hospital of Pediatrics in Ploiești, Romania included 108 neonates admitted during the neonatal period. This accounted for 2.06% of all admissions (5226). The most prevalent cases were malnutrition (25%), fever (20.3%) and bronchiolitis (17.5%). Diarrhea and infectious gastroenteritis were also observed (14.8%), along with acute rhinoconjunctivitis (9.2%) and late onset sepsis (3.7%). No deaths were recorded. The most significant characteristics identified were number of children (p<0.001) and age at maternity discharge (p<0.001). By following the prevention rules, malnutrition, feeding errors, and infections can be avoided. This includes practicing proper hand hygiene for both mothers and medical staff, as well as educating and demonstrating to mothers the benefits of breastfeeding. In addition, all newborns discharged from the maternity ward should benefit from follow-up at 7-10 days of life. Our results confirm the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary team and endorse promoting breastfeeding. Implementing quality control measures and regularly evaluating the surveillance program will help improve its effectiveness.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has proven to be effective in reducing the rate of recurrence and disease as secondary prevention (evidence-based intervention) in patients who have suffered from myocardial infarction (MI). CR is a multidisciplinary path in which the patient is followed pharmacologically, from a psychological, nutritional, nursing and physiotherapy point of view. Post-MI patients present a reduction in the performance of the diaphragm muscle, the main inspiratory muscle, and this condition can become a risk factor for further relapses or for the onset of heart failure. Despite the solidity of the international guidelines for CR, the latter are lacking in specifically indicating an evaluation and training path regarding the inspiratory muscles in post-MI patients who have not undergone cardiac surgery. The article reviews the information on the adaptation of the diaphragm post-MI and highlights the need for clearer indications for a rehabilitation process that gives importance to the diaphragm.

A facilitative transport system exists on the blood brain barrier (BBB) that has been tacitly assumed to be a path for glutamate entry to brain. But glutamate is a non-essential amino acid whose brain content is much greater than plasma, and studies in vivo show that glutamate does not enter brain in material quantities except in those small regions with fenestrated capillaries (circumventricular organs). The situation became understandable when luminal (blood facing) and abluminal (brain facing) membranes were isolated and studied separately. Facilitative transport of glutamate and glutamine exist only on the luminal membranes whereas Na+-dependent transport systems for glutamate, glutamine and some other amino acids are present only on the abluminal membrane. The Na+-dependent cotransporters of the abluminal membrane are in a position to actively transport amino acids from the extracellular fluid (ECF) into the endothelial cells of the BBB. These powerful secondary active transporters couple the energy of the Na+-gradient to move glutamate and glutamine into the ECF whereupon glutamate can exit to blood on the luminal facilitative glutamate transporter. Glutamine may also exit brain on a separate facilitative transport system that exists on the luminal membranes or glutamine can be hydrolyzed to glutamate within the BBB thereby releasing ammonia that is freely diffusible. The γ-glutamyl participate cycle participates indirectly by producing oxoproline (pyroglutamate) that stimulates almost all secondary active transporters yet discovered in the abluminal membranes of the BBB.

Establishment of protected areas (PAs) is one of the key global conservation strategies that currently cover approximately 15% of the earth’s land surface. Globally, PA networks are designed to curb the growing anthropogenic pressures in areas with high biological diversity. Despite the importance of PAs in conserving the vanishing biodiversity and unique habitats, many of them are in critical condition due to poor governance thus functioning below the expected level. Moreover, in many developing countries, the PA coverage is below the global standard. Recognizing their contemporary role in conservation, governments have recently agreed to expand the global PA coverage to 17% by the year 2020 (Aichi target 11). This book with eight chapters from different regions of the world provides an overview of the PAs governance, institutional mechanisms, conservation benefits, limitations and challenges associated with their respective policy discourse, integrated management, and functional attributes. Protected areas expect to to play an important role in the long rn in conservation and protection of biodiversity and ecosystems particularly in countries where population pressure and habitat loss are high. Regular intervention, political commitment, and effective governance are essential for the sustainability of PAs across the world. Here, we also attempted to shed some light on future development clues for the sustainable management and monitoring of PAs worldwide.

Wearable Biosensor Technology (WBT) has emerged as a transformative tool in the educational system over the past decade. This systematic review encompasses a comprehensive analysis of WBT utilization in educational settings over a 10-year span (2012-2022), highlighting both the evolution of this field and its integration to address challenges in education by integrating technology to solve specific educational challenges, such as enhancing student engagement, monitoring stress and cognitive load, improving learning experiences, and providing real-time feedback for both students and educators. By exploring these aspects, the review sheds light on the potential implications of WBT for the future of learning. A rigorous and systematic search of major academic databases, including Google Scholar and Scopus, was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Relevant studies were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The articles selected were assessed for methodological quality and bias using established tools. The process of data extraction and synthesis followed a structured framework. Key findings include the shift from theoretical exploration to practical implementation with the EEG being the predominant measurement, aiming to explore mental states, physiological constructs, and teaching effectiveness. Wearable biosensors are significantly impacting the educational field, serving as an important resource for educators and a tool for students. Their application has the potential to transform and optimize academic practices through sensors that capture biometric data, enabling the implementation of metrics and models to understand the development and performance of students and professors in an academic environment, as well as to gain insights into the learning process.