We compare the effect on amyloid fibril formation by two homologous proteins from the family of cystatins, human stefin B (stB) and cystatin C (cysC) in presence of 3 polyphenols: curcumin, resveratrol and quercetin and 2 non-phenolic anti-oxidants: vitamin C (VitC) and N-acetyl cystein (NAC). Some of the experimental data have already been presented, here we compare, further discuss and highlight the results. The amyloid fibril formation was followed by ThT fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. Inhibitory effects on amyloid fibrillation reaction depended on anti-oxidant class and concentration. The fact that different effect of polyphenols was observed with the two cystatins; Cur acted inhibitory on stB but not on cysC fibril formation, could be explained if the 3 polyphenols would not bind to the same binding site in the fibrils core. Other differences are pointed out and discussed. Synergistic effects of VitC and chosen polyphenols on amyloid fibrilllation of human stB have been explored and are reported here for the first time.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health threat associated with serious clinical consequences worldwide. The WHO reports an estimated 58 million people globally living with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with 1.5 million new cases and over 350,000 deaths annually due to HCV-related diseases. Despite the existence of multiple diagnostic methods, the accessibility of diagnosis and treatment is often hindered across the continent by limited resources, insufficient healthcare infrastructure, and low public awareness of Hepatitis C virus Hepatitis C virus infection is a major public health concern in African countries, which have the highest prevalence rates of HCV in the world (1–26%). Egypt, African country which had the highest prevalence of Hepatitis C virus infection in the world. Its national hepatitis C elimination initiative emerges as an exemplary case of success an having screened over 60 million individuals, and treated more than 4 million, thereby markedly diminishing both the prevalence and incidence of the disease. The strategies employed by Egypt offer critical insights and adaptable frameworks for other African Countries facing analogous challenges. The Aim of this Review is to highlight the triumphs and hurdles of Egypt's approach, while also providing strategic guidance for African Countries to accelerate the journey towards the eradication of hepatitis C.

Background: Asthma is a very prevalent disease with special characteristics during pregnancy, however little is known about its relation to the psychological wellbeing of women in this period; We aimed to know whether depression and anxiety symptoms are more frequent in asthmatic pregnant women. (2) Methods: Family Apgar (week 20), Edinburgh (weeks 20 and 32) and STAI (week 32) tests were administered to 738 pregnant women (81 asthmatics) in the NELA birth cohort; (3) Results: There were no significant differences between asthmatic and non-asthmatic pregnant women in any of the different tests at any of the time points. The mean? scores for the different tests and timepoints between asthmatic and non-asthmatic pregnant women were: Apgar 20, 17.9±2.2 vs. 10.0±2.2; Edinburgh 20, 6.7±4.2 vs. 6.9±4.3; Edinburgh 32, 5.9±4.4 vs. 5.6±4.3; and STAI 32, 16.7±8.4 vs. 15.8±8.3. The proportion of pregnant women out of the normal range score for any of the tests and time points was also similar in both populations. (4) Conclusions: Asthma is not associated with the psychological wellbeing among pregnant women.

Copper-catalyzed and organocopper-involved reactions are of great significance in organic synthesis. To have a deep understanding of the reaction mechanisms, the structural characterizations of organocopper intermediates become indispensable. Meanwhile, the structure-function relationship of organocopper compounds would advance rational design and development of new Cu-based reactions and organocopper reagents. Compared to the mono-carbonic ligand, the C,N- and C,C-bidentate ligands better stabilize the unstable organocopper compounds. The bidentate ligands can chelate to the same copper atom via ?2-mode, forming a mono-cupra-cyclic compounds with at least one acute C-Cu-C angle. When the bidentate ligands bind to two copper atoms via ?1-mode at each coordinating site, the bimetallic macrocyclic compounds will form nearly linear C-Cu-C angles. The anionic coordinating sites of the bidentate ligand can also bridge two metals via ?2-mode, forming organocopper aggregates with Cu-Cu interactions and organocuprates with contact ion pair structures. The reaction chemistry of some selected organocopper compounds is highlighted, showing their unique structure-reactivity relationships.

β-Ga2O3 is a well-known semiconductor material for power devices and other applications. Recently, β-Ga2O3 has also been reported as a scintillator material with a light yield of approximately 8400 ph./MeV, scintillation decay time of <1 μs, and density of 6.44 g/cm3. In this study, 2-inch diameter β-Ga2O3 single crystals were prepared by oxide crystal growth using the cold crucible (OCCC) method under various oxygen partial pressures. In the OCCC method, as in the cold crucible method, a high frequency is applied directly to the oxide materials, which are heated and melted, and the melt is held by the outermost solid material itself that is cooled by water using a copper hearth. In the OCCC method, crystal growth is performed while rotating the seed crystal, as in the Czochralski method, to increase the crystal diameter. The optical properties and radiation responses of the crystals grown under various oxygen partial pressures were evaluated.

For the last two decades, an increasing demand for low-cost adsorbents for drinking water treatment has been challenged in the rural areas of developing countries that have problems with arsenic (As) contamination. In this work, spent bleaching earth (SBE), a residual material that is formed during the process of refining vegetable oil, has been utilized to prepare the new magnetic adsorbent Fe-SBE/C by modifying its surface area through calcination and co-precipitation with iron. The experimental results demonstrate that Fe-SBE/C exhibits a substantial adsorption capacity towards both arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)). Optimal pH conditions were found to be pH 10 for As(III) and pH 3 for As(V), resulting in adsorption percentages of 76.7% and 94.1%, respectively. Other experimental parameters such as calcination conditions, adsorbent dosage, iron-loading ratio, and the presence of co-existing ions were thoroughly investigated. The kinetic study revealed that the adsorption processes follow the Elovich and intraparticle diffusion models, suggesting a combined adsorption mechanism of boundary layer control and chemisorption. Furthermore, the isotherm followed the Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 202.61 μg g-1 for As(III) and 187.61 μg g-1 for As(V). Through thermodynamic analysis and reinforcement by activation energy data, this research validates that the observed adsorption process is indicative through chemisorption. The regeneration study revealed the potential for multiple cycles of arsenic removal, highlighting the practical applicability of Fe-SBE/C in environmental contexts. In conclusion, the findings of this study underscore the efficacy of Fe-SBE/C in arsenic removal and present it as a promising and environmentally friendly solution for mitigating arsenic pollution.

Since the discovery of transposable elements (TEs) in Maize in the 1940s by Barbara McClintock [1] transposable elements have been described as junk, as selfish elements with no benefit to the host, and more recently as major determinants of genome structure and genome evolution. TEs are DNA sequences that are capable of moving to new sites in the genome and make additional copies while doing so. To limit the propagation of TEs, host silencing mechanisms are directed at transposon-encoded genes that are required for mobilization. The mutagenic properties of TEs, the potential of TEs to form new genes and affect gene expression, together with the host silencing mechanisms shape eukaryotic genomes and drive genome evolution. While TEs constitute more than half of the genome in many higher eukaryotes, transposable elements in the nematode C. ele-gans form a relatively small proportion of genome, about 15% [2]. Genetic studies of transposon silencing and the discovery of RNAi in C. elegans, propelled C. elegans to the forefront of studies of RNA-based mechanisms that silence TEs. Here, I will review the transposable elements that are present and active in the C. elegans genome, and the host defense mechanisms that silence these elements.

L-Theanine, a unique non-protein amino acid, is an important bioactive component of green tea. Previous studies have shown that L-theanine has many potent health benefits, such as anti-anxiety effect, regulation of immune response, relaxing neural tension, reducing oxidative damage. However, little is known concerning whether L-theanine can improve the clearance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage in organisms. Here, we reported that L-theanine treatment increased ATP production and improved mitochondrial morphology to extend the lifespan of UVC-exposed nematodes. Mechanistic investigations showed that L-theanine treatment enhanced the removal of mtDNA damage and extended lifespan by activating autophagy, mitophagy, mitochondrial dynamics, and mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) in UVC-exposed nematodes. In addition, L-theanine treatment also up-regulated the expression of genes related to mitochondrial energy metabolism in UVC-exposed nematodes. Our study provided a theoretical basis for the possibility that tea drinking may prevent mitochondrial related diseases.

The article addresses the function of (post)colonial nostalgia in a context of multidirectional memory (Rothberg 2009) in contemporary Europe. How can different cultural memories of the Second Word War be put into respectful dialogue with each other? The text is based on a contrapuntal reading (Said 1994) of British and Egyptian popular narratives, using a qualitative content analysis of 10 British tv documentary films about the North Africa Campaign, and data from qualitative interviews collected during ethnographic fieldwork in Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt, during visits 2013--2015. The study highlights considerable differences between the British and Egyptian narratives, but also significant similarities regarding the use and function of nostalgia. In addition, the Egyptian narrative expresses a profound cosmopolitan nostalgia and a longing for what is regarded as Egypt’s lost, modern Golden Age, identified as the decades before the nation’s fundamental change from western-oriented monarchy to Nasser’s Arab nationalist military state. The common elements between the two national narratives indicate a possibly fruitful way to open up for a shared popular memory culture about the war years, including postcolonial aspects.

Biological neural network (BNN) is the core brain for creature to accomplish its intelligent behaviors through unique network structure and mechanisms. It also inspires controlling human-designed autonomous agents including robots to generate more advanced intelligent behaviors by mimicking the neural control mechanism of creatures at a deeper and more interactive level. Here, we constructed a whole-brain neural network model of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), which characterizes the electrochemical processes at the level of cellular synapse. The neural network simulation integrates computational programming and visualization of neurons and synapse connections of C. elegans, containing the specific controllable circuits summarization with their dynamic characteristics within the whole network. To illustrate its particular intelligent control capability in terms of robotics, we introduce the first innovative methodology for applying the BNN model to a 12-legged robot’s movement control based on the established numerical simulation platforms. We accomplished and designed two methods and corresponding encoding processes, one involving orientation control and the other involving locomotion generation, to demonstrate the intelligent control performance of BNN. Both simulation and experiment results indicate that the robot exhibits stronger autonomy and more intelligent moving performance under the control of BNN. We then summarized the contributions for digitalizing the C. elegans’ whole-brain neural network in real-time and utilizing it to control robot in a closed loop to validate its advanced intelligence control ability in terms of a scientific robot.

The doctoral defense is an important step towards obtaining the doctoral degree. As such, preparing for the event is necessary. Anecdotal evidence highlights that there is a wide variety of ways in which doctoral candidates prepare for the defense. In this work, I want to explore if there is a relation between the way in which a doctoral candidate prepares for the defense and two important aspects of the defense: the outcome of the defense, and the student perception during and after the defense. For this purpose, I first reviewed the literature on the topic of the preparation for the doctoral defense. Then, I carried out an international survey on the doctoral defense and analyzed the data of the 204 completed surveys with respect to the preparation for the defense using quantitative and qualitative methods. The methods I used included the statistical tests of the correlation between on one hand the preparation and on the other hand the defense outcome and student perception. I used inductive thematic analysis of the open-ended survey questions to gain deeper insight in the way candidates prepared for their defense. I found that candidates most often prepare by making their presentation, reading their thesis, and practicing. The most effective measure is the mock defense, followed by a preparatory course. Reading blogs, books, and chapters is a less effective preparation measure. The conclusion of this work is that doctoral candidates need to understand the format of their defense in order to be able to prepare properly, and that universities should explore either individual pathways to the defense or pilots using a mock defense and/or preparatory course to give their doctoral candidates the necessary tools to prepare for their doctoral defense.

Natural products have a significant role in the development of new drugs, being relevant the pentacyclic triterpenes extracted from Olea europaea. Anticancer effect of uvaol, a natural triterpene, has been scarcely studied. The aim of this study was to understand the anticancer mechanism of uvaol in HepG2 cell line. Cytotoxicity results showed a selectivity effect of uvaol with higher influence in HepG2 than WRL68 cells used as control. Uvaol presented anti-migratory capacity in HepG2, supported by the morphological changes and higher HSP-60 expression. This compound also induced arrest in G0/G1 phase and an increase in apoptosis rate. These results are supported by decreased Bcl-2 expression and down-regulation of AKT/PI3K signaling pathway. A reduction in reactive oxygen species levels in HepG2 cells was observed. Altogether, results showed anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effect of uvaol on hepatocellular carcinoma, constituting an interesting challenge in the development of new treatments against this type of cancer.

Darier disease (DD) is an autosomal dominant disorder due to mutation of ATP2A2 gene causing an isolated skin manifestation based on keratinocyte disconnection and apoptosis. Systemic manifestations of DD have not been demonstrated so far although a high incidence of neuropsychiatric syndromes suggest an involvement of central nervous system. A Novel ATP2A2 Gene Mutation c.118G>A, causing keratinocyte and cardiomyocyte disconnection in Darier disease, is reported. Their common pathologic pathway, still unreported, was documented by both skin and left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy because of cardiac dilatation and dysfunction appeared several decades after skin manifestations.Keratinocyte disconnection was paralleled by cardiomyocyte separation at lateral junction. Cardiomyocyte separation was associated to cell disarray, sarcoplasmic reticulum dilatation and increased myocyte apoptosis. Clinically, hyperkeratotic skin papules were associated to chest pain, severe muscle exhaustion and ventricular arrhythmias that improved following administration of aminophylline, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor enhancing SERCA2 protein phosphorylation.Specific mutations of ATP2A2 gene may cause cardiac involvement in patients with DD. Cardiac pathologic changes are similar to those documented in the skin including cardiomyocyte disconnection that promotes precordial pain and cardiac arrhythmias. Phosphodiesterase inhibitors, enhancing SERCA2 protein phosphorylation may substantially attenuate the symptoms.

In this paper, we present a new concept of the generalized core orthogonality (called the C-S orthogonality) for two generalized core invertible matrices $A$ and $B$. $A$ is said to be C-S orthogonal to $B$ if $A^{\tiny\textcircled{S}}B=0$ and $BA^{\tiny\textcircled{S}}=0$, where $A^{\tiny\textcircled{S}}$ is the generalized core inverse of $A$. The characterizations of C-S orthogonal matries and the C-S additivity are also provided. And the connection between the C-S orthogonality and C-S partial order has been given using their canonical form. Moreover, the concept of the strongly C-S orthogonality is defined and characterized.

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.

The photosystem I (PSI) of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii associates with 10 light-harvesting proteins (LHCI) to form the PSI-LHCI complex. Binding of LHCII to PSI may also occur and is controlled by a process called state transitions. Hereby, two LHCII trimers bind to the PSAL, PSAH and PSAO side of PSI to produce the PSI-LHCI-LHCII complex. In this work, we took advantage of chemical crosslinking of proteins in conjunction with mass spectrometry to identify protein-protein interactions between the light-harvesting proteins of PSI and PSII. We detected binding of LHCBM proteins to the LHCA1-PSAG side of PSI and identified protein-protein interactions of LHCSR3 with LHCA5 and LHCA3. Our data indicate that the binding of LHCII to PSI is more versatile as anticipated and reveal that LHCSR3 likely regulates excitation energy transfer to the PSI core via LHCA5/LHCA3.

In patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), the choice of surgical strategy for histopathologic assessment is still controversial, particularly in terms of preoperative corticosteroid (CS) therapy. To provide further evidence for clinical decision-making, we retrospectively analyzed data from 148 consecutive patients who underwent surgery at our institution. Although patients treated with corticosteroids preoperatively were significantly more likely to require a second or third biopsy (p=0.049), it was only necessary in less than 10% of the cases with preoperative corticosteroid treatment. The choice of surgical procedure did not affect diagnostic accuracy (p>0.05). Preoperative CSF sampling did not provide additional information but was associated with delayed surgery (p=0.02). Surprisingly, diagnostic accuracy was significantly lower when patients were treated with anticoagulation or dual antiplatelet therapy (p=0.015). In conclusion, preoperative CS therapy can challenge the histological diagnosis of PCNSL. At the same time, our data suggest that preoperative CS treatment only presents a relative contraindication for an early surgical intervention. The standard surgical approach is stereotactic biopsy, but other approaches can be individually considered. If a definitive diagnosis cannot be made after the first surgical intervention, the timing of a repeat biopsy after discontinuation of CS remains a case-by-case decision.

Deep neural networks (DNNs), founded on the brain's neuronal organization, can extract higher-level features from raw input. However, complex intellect via autonomous decision-making is way beyond current AI design. Here we propose an autonomous AI inspired by the thermodynamic cycle of sensory perception, operating between two information density reservoirs. Stimulus unbalances the high entropy resting state and triggers a thermodynamic cycle. By recovering the initial conditions, self-regulation generates a response while accumulating an orthogonal, holographic potential. The resulting high-density manifold is a stable memory and experience field, which increases future freedom of action via intelligent decision-making.

A mild, efficient, and photocatalytic synthesis of 6-phosphorylated phenanthridines via tandem radical addition/cyclization/aromatization of 2-isocyanobiphenyls with diarylphosphine oxides is reported. The method features operational simplicity, metal-free conditions, using low-cost rose Bengal as catalyst and sustainable air as terminal oxidant at room temperature, and providing the desired products in moderate to good yields.

The overarching purpose of this review was to highlight the utility of different aerobic field tests in terms of the parameters they provide, with a specific focus on shuttle running and all-out testing. Various field tests are discussed in detail and are categorised according to linear continuous running tests (e.g. 12-minute Cooper Test, University of Montreal Track Test [UMTT], 1200/1600 m time trials, 3-minute all-out test for running [3MT]), intermittent shuttle running tests (e.g. yo-yo inter-mittent recovery test level 1 [YYIR1], 30-15 intermittent fitness test [IFT], and the intermittent all-out shuttle test [IAOST]), and continuous shuttle running tests (e.g. 1.2 km shuttle run test [1.2SRT], maximal multi-stage 20-m shuttle test [MSR], 25-m, 30 m and 50-m 3-minute all-out shuttle test [AOST]). Readers will be guided through the theoretical and practical underpinnings of the 3MT methodology, where the all-out testing methodology is stationed within the testing paradigm, and how to practically implement and interpret the results thereof.

Introduction: Lyme disease is a tickborne illness that generates controversy among medical providers and researchers. One of the key topics of debate is the existence of persistent infection with the Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, in patients who have been treated with recommended doses of antibiotics yet remain symptomatic. Persistent spirochetal infection despite antibiotic therapy has recently been demonstrated in non-human primates. We present evidence of persistent Borrelia infection despite antibiotic therapy in patients with ongoing Lyme disease symptoms. Materials & Methods: In this pilot study, culture of body fluids and tissues was performed in a randomly selected group of 12 patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms who had been treated or who were being treated with antibiotics. Cultures were also performed on a group of 10 control subjects without Lyme disease. The cultures were subjected to corroborative microscopic, histopathological and molecular testing for Borrelia organisms in four independent laboratories in a blinded manner. Results: Motile spirochetes identified histopathologically as Borrelia were detected in culture specimens, and these spirochetes were genetically identified as Borrelia burgdorferi by three distinct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Spirochetes identified as Borrelia burgdorferi were cultured from the blood of seven subjects, from the genital secretions of ten subjects, and from a skin lesion of one subject. Cultures from control subjects without Lyme disease were negative for Borrelia using these methods. Conclusions: Using multiple corroborative detection methods, we showed that patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms may have ongoing spirochetal infection despite antibiotic treatment, similar to findings in non-human primates. The optimal treatment for persistent Borrelia infection remains to be determined.

Heart failure (HF) is a growing issue in developed countries and most patients present with a reduced ejection fraction. This condition significantly impairs quality of life and represents a threat not only for patients, but also for the entire healthcare system due to its high management cost. In the last decade, new medical treatments and devices have been developed to reduce HF hospitalizations and improve prognosis, while reducing the overall mortality rate. Medical therapy does not achieve the same results in all patients and, whenever it fails, technology comes in handy: novel devices for the management of HF have reduced symptoms. They have also improved the treatment of fluid retention and life threatening arrhythmias. The present review article gives to the readers a comprehensive overview of the most recent and important findings that need to be considered in HF with reduced ejection fraction patients. Both novel medical treatments and devices have been presented and discussed.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive and biologically heterogeneous disease. Approximately 40% of patients with DLBCL will experience disease relapse or will be refractory to first line chemoimmunotherapy. In recent years there have been several new therapeutic agents approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) DLBCL. These agents include anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies (CAR T-cells) and monoclonal antibodies as polatuzumab and tafasitamab. Nevertheless, despite the high efficacy of all these new therapies, there are still patients who do not respond or relapse, representing an unmet clinical need. This review describes new promising therapies that are under investigation to treat R/R DLBCL.

The doctoral defense, which is an essential requirement for the doctoral degree, is considered to have three dimensions: the scholarly dimension, the emotional (affective) dimension, and the cultural dimension. In this work, I explore the link between sociodemographic factors and students’ perception of the doctoral defense. In particular, I focus on gender, ethnicity, and age at time of defense, as well as current position, and field of study. To address the influence of these aspects on the affective dimension of the doctoral defense, I first reviewed the literature on these socio-demographic aspects as well as the affective dimension of the defense. I then carried out an international survey on doctoral defenses, defense formats, and students’ perceptions and analyzed the 204 completed surveys for this study using quantitative and qualitative methods. The analysis included cross-correlations between students’ perceptions and the studied sociodemographic aspects. The main results of these analyses are that gender affects various aspects of the students’ perception of the doctoral defense and long-term perception, and that female candidates experience more issues with their committee. Ethnicity is important as well, although the participations of non-white respondents in this survey was limited. The influence of age at the defense is limited, and only for the youngest and oldest age groups I observe some differences in perception. There is no relation between current position and perception of the candidates during the defense. Finally, field of study is correlated for various aspects of student perception, committee issues, and long-term perception. The conclusion of this work is that socio-demographic aspects, and in particular gender, ethnicity, and field of study, influence how doctoral candidates experience their defense.

The doctoral defense is an important step in the doctoral journey and an essential requirement for obtaining the doctoral degree. Past research on the doctoral defense has focused solely on national practices. In this work, I investigate the potential link between the doctoral defense format based on its major and minor elements and the perception of the defense by the student. For this purpose, I first reviewed the different defense formats used internationally to extract the different elements of the doctoral defense, as well as the literature on students’ perceptions of the doctoral defense. Then, I carried out an international survey which received 297 responses, of which 204 completed surveys which I used for the analysis in this article. I first analyzed the outcomes of the survey using qualitative and quantitative methods, and then cross-correlated the outcomes of defense format to the outcomes of student perception. From this analysis, I observe that the defense elements that positively impact the students’ perception are: publication of the thesis before the defense, receiving committee feedback before the defense, knowing the recommendation of one or more committee members in advance, having the supervisor present in the audience or as part of the committee, using a dress code, and including a laudatio. The final conclusion of this work is threefold. The first conclusion is that the details of the defense format impact most the students’ perception. The second conclusion is that doctoral students on average value the defense as a positive experience. The third conclusion is that the defense format cannot influence two important aspects of how a student perceives the defense: the student’s inner life and lived experience during the defense, and the behavior of the committee members.

Adding steel fibers to concrete improves the capacity in tension-driven failure modes. An example is the shear capacity in steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams with longitudinal reinforcement and without shear reinforcement. Since no mechanical models exist that can fully describe the behavior of SFRC beams without shear reinforcement failing in shear, a number of empirical equations have been suggested in the past. This paper compiles the existing empirical equations and code provisions for the prediction of the shear capacity of SFRC beams failing in shear as well as a database of 487 experiments reported in the literature. The experimental shear capacities from the database are then compared to the prediction equations. This comparison shows a large scatter on the ratio of experimental to predicted values. The practice of defining the tensile strength of SFRC based on different experiments internationally makes the comparison difficult. For design purposes, the code prediction methods based on the Eurocode shear expression provide reasonable results (with coefficients of variation on the ratio of tested to predicted results of 27% - 29%). None of the currently available methods properly describe the behavior of SFRC beams failing in shear. As such, this work shows the need for studies that address the different shear-carrying mechanisms in SFRC and its crack kinematics.

Two polyurethanes (PUs) were similarly synthesized by reacting a cycloaliphatic isocyanate with 1,4 butanediol and two polyols of different nature (polyester, polycarbonate diol) with molecular weights of 1000 Da. The PU made with polycarbonate diol polyol (YCD) was the only showing intrinsic self-healing at 20 °C. For assessing the mechanism of intrinsic self-healing of YCD, a structural characterization by molecular weights determination, infrared and X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopies, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis was carried out. It was concluded that the self-healing at 20 °C of YCD was due to non-covalent dynamic exchange interactions among the carbonate groups of the soft segments. Therefore, the chemical nature of the polyol played a key role in developing PUs with intrinsic self-healing at 20 °C.

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

The importance of cognitive health for academic success is well-recognized. However, longitudinal data regarding the associations of body fatness, physical fitness and cognition are relatively scarce and mixed. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether body fatness, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular fitness (MF) in preschool are associated with cognitive skills in first grade at school. 133 South Estonian children aged 6-7 years were recruited from 13 kindergartens and again at 7-8 years when they had entered school. Body fat percentage (BF%), CRF, MF as the mean of z-scores of relative handgrip strength and standing long jump tests, and cognitive skills (verbal, conceptual, perceptual) were studied. There were no associations between BF% and CRF in pre-school with perceptual, conceptual or verbal skills in school in boys and girls. In boys, higher MF in preschool predicted higher verbal skills (β = 0.293, p = 0.021) in school after adjustment for con-founders. Cognitive skills at baseline seemed predominantly predict later cognitive performance in school. In conclusion, higher muscular fitness in preschool predicted better verbal skills in first grade at school in boys but not in girls. Body fatness and cardiorespiratory fitness in preschool were not associated with cognitive skills in school.

Negative temperature coefficient (NTC) materials are usually based on ceramic semiconductors and electrons are involved in their transport mechanism. A new type of NTC material, adequate for alternating current (AC) applications, is represented by zeolites. Indeed, zeolites are single-charge carrier ionic conductors with a temperature-dependent electrical conductivity. In particular, electrical transport in zeolites is due to the monovalent charge-balancing cations, like K⁺, capable of hopping between negatively charged sites in the aluminosilicate framework. Owing to the highly non-linear electrical behavior of the traditional electronic NTC materials, the possibility to have alternative types of materials, showing linearity in the electrical behavior, is very desirable. Among different zeolites, the natural clinoptilolite has been selected for investigating the NTC behavior since it is characterized by high zeolite content, convenient Si/Al atomic ratio, good mechanical strength, due to its compact microstructure, and low toxicity. Clinoptilolite has shown a rapid and quite reversible impedance change under heating, characterized by a linear dependence on temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) has been used to identify the natural zeolite, to establish all types of crystalline phases present in the mineral, and to investigate the thermal stability of these phases up to 150°C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis has been used for the chemical characterization of the natural clinoptilolite sample, providing important information on the cationic content and framework composition. In addition, since electrical transport takes place in the zeolite free-volume, a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis of the mineral has been also performed.

Concrete contributes 8% of all global carbon emissions making the need to find substitute critical for environmental sustainability. Research has indicated the potential for recycled plastics to be used as concrete substitutes. This study extends existing research by investigating the use of polycarbonate (PC) in plastic sand bricks as a mechanical equivalent to concrete. PC has high compressive strength, durability, impact strength, thermal resistivity, clarity, fatigue resistance, and UV resistance. This work provides a method and mold to produce a matrix of sand-plastic sample compositions with dimensions adhering to ASTM D695 standard for compressive properties of rigid-plastic. Compositions of 0% (control), 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% sand by weight were tested. Samples were tested for compressive strength until yield and stress-strain behaviors plotted. The results for 100% PC demonstrated an average and maximum compressive strength of 71 MPa and 72 MPa, respectively. The 50% PC and 50% sand composition yielded an average and maximum compressive strength of 71 MPa and 73 MPa respectively with an increase in compressive stiffness, and transition to shear failure resembling cement. With a composite density of 1.86 g/cm3 against concrete’s average 2.4 g/cm3, and a compressive strength exceeding commercial concrete demands of 23.3 MPa to 30.2 MPa, this lightweight alternative meets the strength demands of concrete, reduces the need for new construction materials, and provides an additional recycling opportunity for nonbiodegradable waste plastic.

Experimental and clinical data indicates that the initiation and progress of atherosclerosis, and its clinical manifestations, are caused first by circulating apoB-100 lipoproteins that enter and are retained in the arterial intima. Extracellular sulfated proteoglycans (PGs) of the intima are the retention agents. The PGs also initiate physical and biochemical lipoprotein degradation with the production of bioactive, lipid products that trigger an inflammatory response that leads to atherosclerosis. There are many simple methods for measuring abnormalities of circulating lipoproteins and their relation to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD). However, limited research has been aimed to evaluate procedures that could report quantitatively about the contribution of the apo-100 lipoprotein-arterial intima PGs interaction to clinical manifestation of ACVD. In the present review we will discuss observations indicating that simple ex vivo evaluation of the affinity of apoB-100 lipoproteins for arterial PGs and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) can give indication of its association with clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis. In addition, we will discuss molecular and cellular aspect of the apoB-100 lipoproteins association with arterial PGs that are related to atherogenesis and that support the experimental framework behind the current “Response-to-Retention” hypothesis of atherosclerosis

The α(1,2)fucosyltransferase (Se enzyme) encoded by FUT2 is involved in the secretor status of ABH(O) blood group antigens. The sedel2 allele is one of the non-functional FUT2 (se) alleles in which 9.3 kb containing the entire coding region of FUT2 is deleted by Alu-mediated nonhomologous recombination. In addition to this allele, three SNPs of FUT2, c.375A>G, c.385A>T, and c.571C>T, appear to be prevalent in certain Oceanian populations such as Polynesians. Recently, we developed an endpoint genotyping assay to determine the sedel2 zygosity, using a FAM-labeled probe for detection of the sedel2 allele and a VIC-labeled probe for detection of FUT2. In this study, instead of the VIC probe, a HEX-labeled probe covering both c.375A>G and c.385A>T and a Cy5-labeled probe covering c.571C>T were added to the sedel2 allele assay mixture to allow simultaneous detection of these four variations by endpoint genotyping for the sedel2 zygosity and fluorescence melting curve analysis for c.375A>G, c.385A>T, and c.571C>T genotyping. The results obtained from 24 Samoan subjects with this method were identical to those obtained with previous methods. Therefore, it appears that present method can accurately determine these four variations simultaneously.

The treatment of the bulky Rind-based dibromosilanes, (Rind)2SiBr2 (2) [Rind = 1,1,7,7-tetra-R1-3,3,5,5-tetra-R2-s-hydrindacen-4-yl: EMind (a: R1 = Et, R2 = Me) and Eind (b: R1 = R2 = Et)], with two equivalents of tBuLi in Et2O at low temperatures resulted in the formation of blue solutions derived from the diarylsilylenes, (Rind)2Si: (3). Upon warming the solutions above −20 °C, the blue color gradually faded, accompanying the decomposition of 3 and yielding the cyclic hydrosilanes (4) via intramolecular C−H bond insertion at the Si(II) center. The molecular structures of the bulky Eind-based 3b and 4b were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Thus, at −20 °C, blue crystals were formed (Crystal-A), which were identified as mixed crystals of 3b and 4b. Additionally, colorless crystals of 4b as a singular component were isolated (Crystal-B), whose structure was also determined by an X-ray diffraction analysis. Although the isolation of 3 was difficult due to their thermally-labile nature, their structural characteristics and electronic properties were discussed based on the experimental findings complemented by computational results. We also examined the hydrolysis of 3b to afford the silanol, (Eind)2SiH(OH) (5b).

The performance of the presurgical test (preSurg) for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) was evaluated via video-electroencephalography (VEEG), electroencephalography (EEG), 99mTc-HmPAO single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) and 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a group of 112 men (37.0 ± 1.1 years) and 106 women (39.7 ± 1.1 years) operated on for TLE. The epileptic zone (EZ) was adequately identified to determine whether the patient reached an Engel I grade (EI) at least one year postop. Accuracy was evaluated by the coefficient α, ranging from 3 (when result = EZ) to 2 (result in the same hemisphere as the EZ), 1 (noninformative result) or 0 (EZ in the contralateral hemisphere). The simplicity of diagnosis was defined as the number of preSurg surgeries needed to identify the EZ. EI was obtained in 85.8% of patients even though 42.2% of patients had noninformative MRI results. For preSurg α was (mean ± SEM) = VEEG (2.83 ± 0.04) > MRI (2.14 ± 0.08) > EEG (1.87 ± 0.09) > SPECT (1.71 ± 0.09). The accuracy (combination of sensitivity and specificity) was calculated as follows: VEEG (0.797) > MRI (0.518) > EEG (0.446) > SPECT (0.360). The likelihood positive ratio was greater, and the likelihood negative ratio was lower for VEEG. The most relevant factor for the regression model was VEEG (3.106) > MRI (2.558) > EEG (1.905), and the factors were not significantly related to SPECT. EZs in EI patients with low simplicity were identified mainly by VEEG. A very good postoperative outcome can be obtained even in TLE patients with no lesions on MRI. The VEEG is the most reliable preSurg test and may be the only reliable test for patients with very low simplicity (i.e., difficult).single paragraph of about 200 words maximum. For research articles, abstracts should give a pertinent overview of the work. We strongly encourage authors to use the following style of structured abstracts, but without headings: (1) Background: Place the question addressed in a broad context and highlight the purpose of the study; (2) Methods: briefly describe the main methods or treatments applied; (3) Results: summarize the article’s main findings; (4) Conclusions: indicate the main conclusions or interpretations. The abstract should be an objective representation of the article and it must not contain results that are not presented and substantiated in the main text and should not exaggerate the main conclusions.

A series of dinuclear copper(I) N,C,N- and P,C,P-carbodiphosphorane (CDP) complexes using multidentate ligands CDP(Py)2 (1) and (CDP(CH2PPh2)2 (13) have been isolated and characterized. Detailed structural information was gained by single crystal XRD analyses of nine representative examples. The common structural motive is the central double ylidic carbon atom with its characteristic two lone-pairs involved into binding of two geminal L-Cu(I) fragments at Cu-Cu distances in the range 2.55 – 2.67 Å. In order to enhance conformational rigidity within the characteristic Cu-C-Cu triangle, two types of chelating side arms were symmetrically attached to each phosphorus atom: two 2-pyridyl functions in ligand CDP(Py)2 (1) and its dinuclear copper complexes 2-9 and 11, as well as two diphenylphosphinomethylene functions in ligand CDP(CH2PPh2)2 (13) and its di- and mononuclear complexes 14-18. Neutral complexes were typically obtained via reaction of 1 with Cu(I) species CuCl, CuI, and CuSPh or via salt elimination reaction of [(CuCl)2(CDP(Py)2] (2) with sodium carbazolate. Cationic Cu(I) complexes were prepared upon treating 1 with two equivalents of [Cu(NCMe)4]PF6, followed by the addition of either two equivalent of an aryl phosphine (PPh3, P(C6H4OMe)3) or one equivalent of a bisphosphine ligands DPEPhos, XantPhos or dppf. For the first time carbodiphosphorane CDP(CH2PPh2)2 (13) could be isolated upon treating its precursor [CH(dppm)2]Cl (12) with NaNH2 in liquid NH3. A protonated and a deprotonated derivative of ligand 13 were prepared and their coordination was compared to neutral CDP ligand 13. NMR analysis and DFT calculations reveal, that the most stable tautomer of 13 does not show a CDP (or carbone) structure in its uncoordinated base form. For most of the prepared complexes, photoluminescence upon irradiation with UV light at room temperature was observed. Quantum yields (PL) were determined to 36% for dicationic [(CuPPh3)2(CDP(Py)2)](PF6)2 (4) and to 60% for neutral [(CuSPh)2(CDP(CH2PPh2)2] (16).

In this paper, several two-dimensional clustering scenarios are given. In those scenarios, soft partitioning clustering algorithms (Fuzzy C-means (FCM) and Possibilistic c-means (PCM)) are applied. Afterward, VAT is used to investigate the clustering tendency visually, and then in order of checking cluster validation, three types of indices (e.g., PC, DI, and DBI) were used. After observing the clustering algorithms, it was evident that each of them has its limitations; however, PCM is more robust to noise than FCM as in case of FCM a noise point has to be considered as a member of any of the cluster.

This paper is focused on the analysis of methods used to assess effectiveness and efficiency of the occupational safety and health management system (OSHMS) in a company. It reviews current Russian and international occupational safety and health standards. The paper details the method outlined in International Standard GOST 12.0.230.3-2016 “Occupational safety standards system. Management systems for occupational safety. Evaluation of effectiveness and efficiency” based on the data collected during the external audit of OSHMS function efficiency in a Russian mining company. Effectiveness and efficiency indicators were determined, and a generalized desirability coefficient was calculated. Weaknesses of the method proposed in GOST 12.0.230.3-2016 were identified and mathematical and linguistic solutions were proposed to improve it. Harrington function was used to determine a numerical and linguistic score. The performed calculation demonstrated that the company needed strategic management decisions to improve the current situation. Practical approaches were offered to enhance the company's systems-based occupational safety and health performance..

The aim of this paper is to study changes in land use and the evolution of vegetation in Cacheu River Mangroves Natural Park in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau. To do this, we will study variations in the NDVI, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. In order to perform the calculations and subsequent analysis, images from three years— 2010, and 2017—were used, all corresponding to the same time of year so that the phenological stage is the same. To perform a more reliable analysis, the park was divided into five classes based on the main use of the land: mangals, palm forest, paddy fields, savannahs and others. Using a statistical sample, same areas were selected for each class and the corresponding NDVIs were calculated for the years in which ASTER images were available. The study made it possible to conclude that at present, management of the park is not the most suitable, given that the changes in land use observed represent a decrease in mangrove swamps, despite the fact that these forests constitute the most important ecological area of all those that make up the park. Mangals are being replaced by other land uses.

This paper is introducing KABADA (Knowledge Alliance of Business Idea Assessment: Digital Approach) unique tool, together with opinions of young people about entrepreneurship, their skills and experience with this tool. The focus is on non-business students who study natural sciences, engineering and other areas at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology at Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic. KABADA tool has been developed and tested by a team of international experts. It can be used to improve forester management. This structured, Web-based, platform which is based on theoretical research, relevant statistics, and artificial intelligence insights, guides entrepreneurs through every step of the way including what challenges and opportunities lie ahead. The research included survey answers from 60 university students before and after using KABADA tool. The results show that students are interested in entrepreneurship but do not have the knowledge, experience and support from curriculum. Majority of students had no or very low experience with entrepreneurship nor any entrepreneurship training or study course before. After using the tool, students declared to have higher knowledge of entrepreneurship and the number of students who intended to become an entrepreneur increased. The tool is available on-line, free of charge.

Eccentric punching shear can occur in concrete slab-column connections when the connection is subjected to shear and unbalanced moments. Typically, this situation results in edge and corner columns and is thus a common practical case. However, most punching experiments in the literature are concentric punching shear. This paper presents a developed database of eighty-eight experiments of flat slabs under eccentric punching shear, including a summary of the testing procedure of each reference and a description of the slab specimens. Additionally, a linear finite element analysis of all the specimens is included to determine the relevant sectional shear forces and moments. Finally, the ultimate shear stresses from the database experiments are compared to the shear capacities determined with ACI 318-19, Eurocode 2 NEN-EN 1992-1-1:2005, and the Model Code 2010. The comparison shows that the Model Code 2010 is the most precise in the predictions with an average tested over predicted ratio of 0.96 and a coefficient of variation of 27.96%. It can be concluded that this study represents the inconsistencies of the currently used design methods and the lack of experimental information.

DNA Topoisomerase IIa (Top2A) is a nuclear enzyme that is a cancer drug target, and there is interest in identifying novel sites on the enzyme to inhibit cancer cells more selectively and to reduce off-target toxicity. The C-terminal domain (CTD) is one potential target, but it is an intrinsically disordered domain, which prevents structural analysis. Therefore, we set out to analyze the sequence of Top2A from 105 species using bioinformatic analysis including the PSICalc algorithm, entropy analysis, and other approaches. Our results demonstrate that large (10th-order) interdependent clusters are found including non-proximal positions across the major domains of Top2A. Further, CTD-specific clusters of 3rd, 4th, and 5th-order were identified that included positions that had been previously analyzed via mutation and biochemical assays. Some of these clusters coincided with positions that when mutated either increased or decreased relaxation activity. Finally, sites of low entropy (i.e., high information content) were identified and mapped as key positions in the CTD. Included in the low entropy sites are phosphorylation sites and charged positions. Together, these results help to build a clearer picture of the critical positions in the CTD and provide potential sites/regions for further analysis.

Using a safe subset of C++ is a promising direction for increasing the safety of the programming language while maintaining its performance and productivity. In this paper, we examine how close existing C/C++ code is to conforming to a safe subset of C++. We examine the rules presented in existing safe C++ standards and safe C++ subsets. We analyze the code characteristics of 5.8 million code samples from the Exebench benchmark suite and 5 modern C++ applications using a static analysis tool. We find that raw pointers, unsafe casts, and unsafe library functions are used in both C++ code at large and modern C++ applications. In general, C++ code at large does not differ much from modern C++ code, and continued work will be required to transition from existing C/C++ code to a safe subset of C++.

Low-intensity noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (nGVS) can improve static and dynamic postural deficits in patients with bilateral vestibular loss (BVL). In this study, we aimed to explore the neurophysiological and neuroanatomical substrates underlying nGVS treatment effects in a rat model of BVL. Regional brain activation patterns and behavioral responses to repeated 30-min nGVS treatment in comparison to sham stimulation were investigated by serial whole-brain [18F]-FDG-PET measurements and quantitative locomotor assessments before and at 9 consecutive time points up to 60 days after chemical bilateral labyrinthectomy (BL). [18F]-FDG-PET revealed a broad nGVS-induced modulation on regional brain activation patterns encompassing biologically plausible brain networks in the brainstem, cerebellum, multisensory cortex and basal ganglia during the entire observation period post-BL. nGVS broadly reversed brain activity adaptions occurring in the natural course post-BL. Parallel behavioral locomotor assessment demonstrated a beneficial treatment effect of nGVS on sensory-ataxic gait alterations, particularly in the early stage of post-BL recovery. Stimulation-induced locomotor improvements were finally linked to nGVS brain activity responses in the brainstem, hemispheric motor and limbic networks. In conclusion, combined [18F]-FDG-PET and locomotor analysis discloses the potential neurophysiological and neuroanatomical substrates that mediate previously observed therapeutic nGVS effects on postural deficits in patients with BVL.

This paper aims to provide a systematic review of the literature on school effectiveness, with a focus on identifying the main factors that contribute to successful educational outcomes. The research question that this paper aims to address is: What are the main factors of school effectiveness? The research was interested in several descriptors such as school, effectiveness/efficiency theories, effectiveness/efficiency research, and factors. Studies were reviewed through two databases: JSTOR and ERIC (published within the 2016-2022 period). The paper defines several categories that are exposed within school effectiveness research. Within these categories, various factors that affect the students’ outcomes and the defined effectiveness at school are listed. As the results show, the issue of school effectiveness is a multifaced challenge as the effectiveness of schools is a complex concept that can be measured through various indicators such as academic achievement, student engagement and teacher satisfaction. The review of school effectiveness has revealed that several factors contribute to effective schools, such as strong leadership, effective teaching practices, a positive school culture and parental involvement. Additionally, school resources, such as funding and facilities, can impact school effectiveness, particularly in under-resourced communities.

Background: Identity diffusion plays a central role in the onset of borderline personality and disorders. The Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) is a treatment program for adolescents with emotional instability and dysregulation. The interest of this study is to examine the influence of a standardized and certified DBT-A therapy program on identity development of adolescents with emotion dysregulation in an inpatient setting. Methods: 138 adolescents aged 13 to 18 years with symptoms of emotional instability were assessed before and after a curricular 12-weeks in-patient DBT-A program with standardized instruments for the assessment of identity (AIDA), emotion regulation (FEEL-KJ, SEE) and general psychopathology (SCL-90-R, DIKJ). Results: The results indicate a significant change in identity development, emotion regulation and general symptoms of psychopathology after treatment with DBT-A. A connection between identity scales and psychopathological symptoms of adolescents with diagnosed borderline disorders and impaired emotion regulation could be established. Conclusion: In this large sample of adolescents, DBT-A significantly improved identity and reduced identity diffusion. As identiy disturbance is a core symptom of borderline personality disorder, our results may become clinically relevant for the prevention of personality disorders in emotionally unstable adolescents

We create a model universe by equipping a topological surface (system) with compact dimensions insulated by an information blocking horizon. The insulated compact WF can produce entanglement independent of distance. Interaction between the system and the WF changes the curvature of the first and the quantum state (frequency) of the second in an interconnected relationship. Thus, the field curvature measures the evolution of the particle WF as time. Positive field curvature creates pressure, whereas negative field curvature generates a vacuum, satisfying the Borsuk-Ulam Theorem and the Page and Wootters mechanism of static time. The accumulation of pressure or vacuum generates poles with contrasting dimensionalities, two-dimensional black hole horizons (time infinite), and four-dimensional cosmic voids (time zero). The orthogonality of the field and the compact WF give rise to global self-regulation that fine-tunes the cosmic parameters and can promote fractal topology. The four-dimensional vacuum in cosmic voids can produce an accelerating expansion without dark energy. When gravity effects are eliminated, we find a new, so far unexplored, order-increasing side of entropy. The verifiable and elegant hypothesis satisfies Mach's principle.

Weight loss solutions are on the rise, and there is growing interest in natural alternatives to the pharmaceuticals in the market, which are not devoid of relevant side effects. To this end, the objective of the current study is to assess the effects of a botanical-based blend comprised of lemon verbena and hibiscus extracts in weight management, body fat, appetite, lipid, and glucose profiles, in an overweight population, for 90 days. As a result, the volunteers presented significant weight loss in absence of diet, which coincided with decreased body fat. Body fat was assessed by anthropometry, electrical bioimpedance and DEXA scan. Cholesterol levels were also significantly decreased. Satiety assessment revealed that the product contributed to increased feeling of fullness and satisfaction after a meal, compared to the placebo group, which could contribute to the weight loss observed. Blood glucose and blood pressure levels remained unchanged, which was expected as the volunteers were normoglycemic and their blood pressure was in the healthy range. In conclusion, daily supplementation of a botanical-based blend contributes to weight loss in overweight individuals, in absence of diet, while not affecting other parameters that are in the healthy range. This product could be a candidate alternative or add-on to other weight loss products, as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Two series of novel [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]- and [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]quinazoline fluorophores with 4’-amino[1,1′]-biphenyl residue at position 5 have been prepared via Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling Suzuki-Miyaura reactions. The treatment of 2-(4-bromophenyl)-4-hydrazinoquinazoline with orthoesters in solvent-free conditions or in absolute ethanol leads to the formation of [4,3-c]-annulated triazoloquinazolines, whereas [1,5-c] isomers are formed in acidic media as a result of Dimroth rearrangement. 1D-NMR and 2D-NMR spectroscopy as well as single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis unambiguously confirmed the annelation type and determined the molecular structure of p-bromophenyl intermediates and target products. Photophysical properties of the target compounds were investigated in two solvents and solid state and compared with those of related 3-aryl-substituted [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]quinazolines. The excluding of aryl fragment from triazole ring has been revealed to improve fluorescence quantum yield in solution. Most of the synthesized structures show moderate to high quantum yields in solution. Additionally, the effect of solvent polarity on the absorption and emission spectra of fluorophores has been studied and considerable fluorosolvatochromism was stated. Moreover, electrochemical investigation and DFT calculations have been performed, their results are consistent with the experimental observation.

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

For shear-critical structural elements where the use of stirrups is not desirable, such as slabs or beams with reinforcement congestion, steel fibers can be used as shear reinforcement. The contribution of the steel fibers to the shear capacity lies in the action of the steel fibers bridging the shear crack, which increases the shear capacity and prevents a brittle failure mode. This study evaluates the effect of the amount of fibers in a concrete mix on the shear capacity of steel fiber reinforced concrete beams with mild steel tension reinforcement and without stirrups. For this purpose, twelve beams were tested. Five different fiber volume fractions were studied: 0.0%, 0.3%, 0.6%, 0.9%, and 1.2%. For each different steel fiber concrete mix, the concrete compressive strength was determined on cylinders and the tensile strength was determined in a flexural test on beam specimens. Additionally, the influence of fibers on the shear capacity is analyzed based on results reported in the literature, as well as based on the expressions derived for estimating the shear capacity of steel fiber reinforced concrete beams. The outcome of these experiments is that a fiber percentage of 1.2% or fiber factor of 0.96 can be used to replace minimum stirrups according to ACI 318-14 and a 0.6% fiber volume fraction or fiber factor of 0.48 to replace minimum stirrups according to Eurocode 2. A fiber percentage of 1.2% or fiber factor of 0.96 was observed to change the failure mode from shear failure to flexural failure. The results of this presented study support the inclusion of provisions for steel fiber reinforced concrete in building codes and provides recommendations for inclusion in ACI 318-14 and Eurocode 2, so that a wider adoption of steel fiber reinforced concrete can be achieved in the construction industry.

Ctenophores are marine organisms attracting significant attention from evolutionary, molecular biology and ecological research. Here we describe an easy and affordable set-up to maintain a stable culture of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi. The challenging delicacy of the lobate ctenophores can be met by monitoring the water quality, providing the right nutrition, and adapting the handling and tank set-up to their fragile gelatinous body plan. Following this protocol allows stable laboratory lines, a continuous supply of embryos for molecular biological studies, and independence from population responses to environmental fluctuations.

Developmental hazard evaluation is an important part of assessing chemical risks during pregnancy. Toxicological outcomes from prenatal testing in pregnant animals result from complex chemical-biological interactions, and while New Approach Methods (NAMs) based on in vitro bioactivity profiles of human cells offer promising alternatives to animal testing, most of these assays lack cellular positional information, physical constraints, and regional organization of the intact embryo. Here, we engineered a fully computable model of the embryonic disc in the compucell3d.org modeling environment to simulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition of epiblast cells and self-organization of mesodermal domains (chordamesoderm, paraxial, lateral plate, posterior/extraembryonic). Cell fate in the model is determined by an autonomous homeobox (HOX) clock driven by morphogenetic signals (e.g., FGF, WNT, ATRA, CDX). Executing the model renders a quantitative cell-level computation of mesodermal subpopulations and consequences of perturbation based on known embryogeny. For example, synthetic perturbation of the control network rendered altered phenotypes (cybermorphs) mirroring experimental mouse embryology, with 50% reductions in FGF4, FGF8 and BMP4 signaling resulting in 86%, 98% and 59% reductions, respectively in the posterior mesodermal population, while ATRA exposure also resulted in a 78% decrease in this population. This model enables integration of in vitro chemical bioactivity data for specific molecular targets with known embryology to test mechanistic veracity and quantitative prediction of altered development.

Misuse of measurement units and orientations leads to errors in scientific applications, Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), and IoT C/C++ programs. Standard type system are inadequate in preventing such errors. Although dimensional and orientational analysis in physics can manually detect these errors in equations, analyzing complex code with intricate physical computations is impractical. To overcome this challenge, we propose an advanced type system that incorporates units and orientations as integral components within a specialized type library. Our enhanced type system automatically detects potential errors during compile time by representing physical quantities as types and utilizing dimensional analysis, orientational analysis, and metaprogramming techniques. Our improved type system enables formal verification of C++ software, successfully verifying programs with extensive codebases. We also employ it for runtime verification of dynamic linking and pointer operations in C++ programs. The integration of compile-time verification, dimensional analysis, orientational analysis, and advanced type system enhances the robustness and accuracy of scientific applications, CPS, and IoT C/C++ programs. By leveraging these approaches, we ensure precise calculations and prevent errors related to measurement units and orientations, resulting in substantial improvements in reliability and accuracy.

Suzuki cross-coupling reaction has developed one of the furthermost effectual approaches for the synthesis of biaryls or substituted aromatic moieties from aryl halides and arylboronic acids with a palladium-catalyst in the past two era’s. Herein, Pd-free layered double hydroxide containing nickel catalysts were prepared by co-precipitation method under ultrasonic irradiation and N2 atmosphere with different molar ratios of Ni: Mg: Al and coded as (1NiLDHs-Dr), (1.5NiLDHs-Dr) and (2NiLDHs-Dr). A series of reduced catalysts under 5%H2/N2 at different temperatures were coded as 1NiLDHs-R200, 1.5NiLDHs-R200 and 2NiLDHs-R200. As-synthesized 2NiLDHs-Dr was the superlative catalyst when coupling different aryl halides with different boronic acids derivatives. Deep investigation of all catalysts was done using different techniques such as inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) connected with energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) and N2-physisorption at -196 ℃. The results attained verified that ɑ-Ni(OH)2 was fashioned for 2NiLDHs-Dr catalyst and the enclosure of nickel ions in the cationic sheet of layered structure were responsible for the fascinating catalytic efficacy rather than the basic nature of material. The Ni-containing LDHs catalysts encourage forthcoming studies in Pd-free catalyzed C-C coupling reactions.

Planning and implementation of construction projects are difficult processes and are burdened with many risk elements. The budget spread over time, which is developed on the basis of the schedule, presents the expected distribution of costs throughout the duration of the works, which during the implementation of the project is subject to constant changes resulting from time, cost and organizational factors. Managing construction contracts requires managers to be able to analyze on an ongoing basis the variances of production costs - from the values calculated in the offer cost estimate and assumed in the Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled. The article attempts to analyze the emerging time and cost variances using proprietary C-S and S-C monitoring, based on simple indicators of the EVM method. An example of construction of a multi-family housing development was used to study the variances of planned and incurred costs.

This study introduces and demonstrates a comprehensive, accurate, unbiased approach to robust quantitative comparison of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) appropriate for establishing substantial equivalence (or lack thereof) between tobacco products. The approach is demonstrated across a family of thirteen pen- and pod-style ENDS products. Methods employed consist of formulating a robust emissions surface regression model, quantifying the empirical accuracy of the model as applied to each product, evaluating relationships between product design characteristics and maximum emissions characteristics, and presenting results in formats useful to researchers, regulators, and consumers. Results provide a response surface to characterize emissions (total particulate matter and constituents thereof) from each ENDS appropriate for use in a computer model and for conducting quantitative exposure comparisons between products. Results demonstrate that emissions vary as a function of puff duration, flow rate, E-Liquid composition, and device operating power. Further, results indicate that regulating design characteristics of ENDS devices and consumables may not achieve desired public health outcomes; it is more effective to regulate maximum permissible emissions directly. Three emissions outcome measures (yield per puff, mass concentration and constituent mass ratio) are recommended for adoption as standard quantities for reporting by manufacturers and research laboratories. The approach provides a means of (a) quantifying and comparing maximal emissions from ENDS products spanning their entire operating envelope, (b) comparative evaluation of ENDS devices and consumable design characteristics, and (c) establishing comparative equivalence of maximal emissions from ENDS. A consumer-oriented product emissions dashboard is proposed for comparative evaluation of ENDS exposure potential. Maximum achievable power dissipated in the coil of ENDS is identified as a potentially effective regulatory parameter.

1. Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis predicts that alien species closely related to native species are less likely to naturalize because of strong competition due to niche overlap. Closely related species are likely to attract similar herbivores and to release similar plant volatiles following herbivore attack, thus could attract the same predators. However, the importance of phylogenetic relatedness on the interaction between alien and native plants has never been tested in a multitrophic context. 2. In a mesocosm experiment we grew six alien target plant species alone and in competition with nine native plant species of varying phylogenetic relatedness. To test the effects of multitrophic interactions on the performance of alien target species, we used enclosure cages to expose plants to the presence and absence of herbivorous arthropods, predatory arthropods and nematodes. 3. Surprisingly, biomass and number of flowering structures increased with presence of competitors for some of the alien species, but overall there was no consistent competition effect. Similarly, we found that none of the multitrophic-interaction treatments affected survival, biomass or number of flowering structures of the alien species. 4. We conclude there was no significant relationship between performance measures of the alien species and their phylogenetic relatedness to the native competitors.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type E (PTPRE) is a member of the “classical” protein tyrosine phosphatase subfamily and regulates a variety of cellular processes in a tissue-specific manner by antagonizing the function of protein tyrosine kinases. PTPRE plays a tumorigenic role in different human cancer cells, but its role in retinoblastoma (RB), the most common malignant eye cancer in children, remains to be elucidated. Etoposide resistant RB cell lines and RB patients display significant higher PTPRE expression levels compared to chemosensitive counterparts and the healthy human retina, respectively. PTPRE promotor methylation analyses revealed that PTPRE expression in RB is not regulated via this mechanism. Lentiviral PTPRE knockdown (KD) induced a significant decrease in growth kinetics, cell viability, and anchorage independent growth of etoposide resistant Y79 and WERI RB cells. Caspase-dependent apoptosis rates were significantly increased and a re-sensitization for etoposide could be observed after PTPRE depletion. In vivo chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays revealed decreased tumor formation capacity as well as reduced tumor size and weight following PTPRE KD. Expression levels of miR631 were significantly downregulated in etoposide resistant RB cells and patients. Transient miR631 overexpression resulted in significantly decreased PTPRE levels and concomitantly decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis levels in etoposide resistant RB cells, impacts mirroring PTPRE KD effects and indicating PTPRE regulation via this miR. Additionally, PTPRE KD led to altered phosphorylation of protein kinase SGK3 and - dependent on the cell line - also AKT and ERK1/2, suggesting potential PTPRE downstream signaling pathways. In summary, these results indicate an oncogenic role of PTPRE in chemoresistant retinoblastoma.

Introduction: Carcinoid heart disease is a rare cause of right-sided valvular dysfunction, an important complication in patients with carcinoid syndrome. Objectives: We aim to present our own experience regarding early myocardial dysfunction in patients with carcinoid syndrome. Methods: 64 patients (35-90 year old, 62,5% female, 37,5% male patients) with carcinoid syndrome were evaluated be-tween October 2017 and June 2021. All patients underwent two-dimensional echocardiography with additional tissue Doppler and speckle-tracking techniques. For all patients there were measured urinary level of 5- hydroxyindolacetic acid, serotonin and NT-proBNP values. Results: The following echocardiographic features: global longitudinal strain of both ventricles, mean systolic velocity of the left ventricle, systolic velocity of the free wall of right ventricle, correlated with high values of specific biomarkers: serotonin, and urinary 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid, and also with the presence of hepatic metastases and poorly differentiated tumors. Discussion: In this study we identified several patients with early myocardial dysfunction due to carcinoid syndrome, representing a predictive model of poor prognosis, requiring further investigations. Conclusion: Echocardiographic assessment based on the measurement of systolic velocities, as well as the global longitudinal strain of both ventricles, together with specific biomarkers may contribute to better recognition of carcinoid heart disease in clinical practice, but this needs validation through further studies enrolling larger number of patients.

Abstract: Hyperuricemia is commonly diagnosed in subjects with abnormal purine metabolism. Prolonged hyperuricemia often associated with gout, which is a vital risk factor for joint dysfunction. The current study was designed to determine the efficacy of vitamin C supplements for treatment of high serum uric acid (UA) among hyperuricemic and gouty patients, and finding-out the effect of supplementation on serum creatinine (Cr) level and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This intervention study was started in April, 2013, till two months. A convenient sample of 30 adults aged between 24-75 years of both genders was assigned into two study groups: hyperuricemic (n=15) and gouty (n=15) groups. Each participant supplemented with 500 mg/day vitamin C chewable tablets for 2 months. Serum UA, Cr, and GFR were measured before and after treatment. At the end of this study, Cr and GFR enhanced insignificantly in both groups. UA increased insignificantly in gouty group after 2 months by about 0.31 mg/dl. On the other hand, hyperuricemic group showed significant (P ≤0.05) decrease in UA (-0.78 mg/dl) after 2 months duration. In conclusion, supplementation with 500 mg/day vitamin C for 2 months significantly attenuated serum UA for hyperuricemic patients and insignificantly affected serum UA in gouty patients. The uselessness of vitamin C supplements on gouty patients could be associated to a number of possible reasons.

The recent availability of commercial platforms for behavioral analysis in zebrafish larvae based on video-tracking technologies has exponentially increased the number of studies analyzing different behaviors in this model organism to assess neurotoxicity. Among the most commonly used assays in zebrafish larvae are basal locomotor activity (BLA) and visual motor response (VMR). However, the effect of different intrinsic and extrinsic factors that can significantly alter the outcome of these assays is still not well understood. In this work we have analyzed in 143 larvae the influence of age (5-8 days post-fertilization), time of day (8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00; 16:00, 18:00, and 20:00 h), and experiment (three experiments performed at different days) on BLA and VMR results (4,004 analyses for each behavior). Results from both behaviors were adjusted to a Random-Effects linear regression model using generalized least squares (GLS), including in the model the effect of the three variables, the second-way interactions between them and the three-way interaction. The results presented in this manuscript show a specific effect of all three intrinsic factors and their interactions on both behaviors, supporting the view that the most stable time period for performing these behavioral assays is from 10:00 am to 04:00 pm, with some differences depending on age of the larva and the behavioral test.

With the latest advances in information and communication technologies, greater amounts of sensitive user and corporate information are constantly shared across the network making it susceptible to an attack that can compromise data confidentiality, integrity and availability. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are important security mechanisms that can perform a timely detection of malicious events through the inspection of network traffic or host-based logs. Throughout the years, many machine learning techniques have proven to be successful at conducting anomaly detection but only a few considered the sequential nature of data. This work proposes a sequential approach and evaluates the performance of a Random Forest (RF), a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) and a Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) on the CIDDS-001 dataset. The resulting performance measures of this particular approach are compared with the ones obtained from a more traditional one, that only considers individual flow information, in order to determine which methodology best suits the concerned scenario. The experimental outcomes lead to believe that anomaly detection can be better addressed from a sequential perspective and that the LSTM is a very reliable model for acquiring sequential patterns in network traffic data, achieving an accuracy of 99.94% and a f1-score of 91.66%.

This study analyzed the levels of mental workload and the presence of burnout on a sample of fashion retailing workers from Spain and its relationship with the actual Covid-19 pandemic by exploring Covid-19 pandemic predictors of burnout and mental workload. We established a prospective cross-sectional design. Participants (n = 360) answered an online survey including questions about sociodemographic data, perception of Covid-19, CarMen-Q questionnaire (workload), and MBI (burnout syndrome). We obtained data throughout October-November 2020. The results showed that participants exhibit deep concern about the Covid-19 pandemic and its influence at the work level. Although the mental workload was near the middle point of the scale, participants showed moderate to high burnout levels, revealing that the sample is at risk of experiencing higher burnout levels over time as the pandemic and associated economic crisis continue. The multidimensional regression analysis results indicated that environmental changes, work overload, somatic symptoms, insomnia, negative job expectations, and uncertainty constituted significant mental workload predictors. Insomnia, somatic symptoms, and negative job expectations constituted significant predictors for burnout. In conclusion, the uncertainty at work derived from the Covid-19 pandemic is harming the psychological wellbeing of fashion retailing workers in Spain.

Nonparametric assessments of police technical and scale efficiency is challenging because of the stochastic nature of criminal behavior and because of the subjective dependence on multiple decision criteria, which can lead to a more or less efficiency prospect depending on the regulation, necessity, or organizational objective. There is a trade-off between efficiency and effectiveness in many police performance assessments, i.e., efficient departments (producing more clear-ups with a given resource) are crime-specialized or cannot reproduce those good results effectively on more severe or complex occurrences. This study proposes a combined methodology for carrying out efficiency and effectiveness analysis of Police departments. A conditional non-parametric approach, which allows to include crime as an external factor in the analysis, is combined with a non-compensatory ranking based on the PROMETHEE II methodology for the approach illustrated on the multidimensional efficiency and effectiveness comparison of 145 Pernambuco (Brazil)'s police departments. The application results offer compelling perspectives for public administrations concerning the strategic prioritization of units for rewards or interventions.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide, and despite advances in treatment, survival rates are still low; therefore, the development of novel drugs is imperative. Acetylcorynoline (ACN) is derived from Corydalis ambigua. The effect of ACN on colon cancer is still unknown. Therefore, we investigated its potential effects. Our data showed that ACN inhibited cell viability and proliferation. Moreover, ACN induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest by inhibiting cell growth. In the present study, we hypothesized that ACN regulates c-Myc through CNOT2 or MID1IP1. ACN reduced the protein expression of oncogenic genes, decreased c-Myc half-life, and rapidly inhibited the serum stimulation response. Moreover, knockdown of CNOT2 and MID1IP1 with ACN increased apoptosis and further reduced the expression of oncogenes. In addition, ACN exhibited a synergistic effect with low-dose of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and doxorubicin (Dox). Collectively, our data demonstrates that ACN inhibited c-Myc expression through CNOT2 and MID1IP1 and induced apoptosis. These findings indicate the potential of ACN as a therapeutic agent against colon cancer.

Recently the number of studies investigating triterpenoid saponins has drastically increased due to their diverse and potentially attractive biological activities. Currently the literature contains chemical structures of few hundreds of triterpenoid saponins of plant and animal origin. Triterpenoid saponins consist of a triterpene aglycone with one or more sugar moieties attached to it. However, due to similar physico-chemical properties, isolation and identification of a large diversity of triterpenoid saponins remain challenging. This study demonstrates a methodology to screen saponins using hyphenated analytical platforms, GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, and LC-SPE-NMR/MS, in the example of two different phenotypes of the model plant Barbarea vulgaris (winter cress), glabrous (G) and pubescent (P) type that are known to differ by their insect resistance. The proposed methodology allows for detailed comparison of saponin profiles from intact plant extracts as well as saponin aglycone profiles from hydrolysed samples. Continuously measured 1D proton NMR data during LC separation along with mass spectrometry data revealed significant differences, including contents of saponins, types of aglycones and numbers of sugar moieties attached to the aglycone. A total of 49 peaks were tentatively identified as saponins from both plants; they are derived from eight types of aglycones and with 2–5 sugar moieties. Identification of two previously known insect-deterrent saponins, hederagenin cellobioside and oleanolic acid cellobioside, demonstrated the applicability of the methodology for relatively rapid screening of bioactive compounds.

The Munich ChronoType Questionnaire (MCTQ) has now been available for more than 15 years; its original publication has been cited 1,240 times (Google Scholar, May 2019); its online version, which was available until July 2017, has produced almost 300,000 entries from all over the world (MCTQ database). The MCTQ has gone through several versions, has been translated into 13 languages and has been validated against other more objective measures of daily timing in several independent studies. Besides being used as a method to correlate circadian features of human biology with other factors – ranging from health issues to geographical factors – the MCTQ gave rise to quantifying old wisdoms, like “teenagers are late” and has produced new concepts, like social jetlag. Some like the MCTQ’s simplicity and some view it critically; it is time to have a self-critical view on the MCTQ, to address some misunderstandings and give some definitions about MCTQ-derived chronotype and the concept of social jetlag.

Infectious as well as most non-infectious diseases share certain common molecular mechanisms. Among them, oxidative stress and the subsequent inflammatory reaction are of particular note. Metabolic disorders induced by external agents, be they bacterial or viral pathogens, excessive calorie intake, poor-quality nutrients, or environmental factors, produce an imbalance between the production of free radicals and endogenous antioxidant systems; the consequence being the oxidation of lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Oxidation and inflammation are closely related, and whether oxidative stress and inflammation represent the causes or consequences of cellular pathology, they produce metabolic alterations that influence the pathogenesis of the disease. In this review we highlight two key molecules in the regulation of these processes: Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2). PON1 is an enzyme bound to high-density lipoproteins. It breaks down lipid peroxides in lipoproteins and cells, participates in the protection conferred by HDL against different infectious agents, and is considered part of the innate immune system. With PON1 deficiency, CCL2 production increases, which induces migration and infiltration of immune cells in target tissues, and is involved in disturbing normal metabolic function. This disruption involves pathways controlling cellular homeostasis as well as metabolically-driven chronic inflammatory states. Hence, an understanding of these relationships would help improve treatments and, as well, identify new therapeutic targets.

The complete structure and connectivity of the Caenorhabditis elegans nervous system was first published in 1986. The ‘mind of a worm’ was the first organism to have its nervous system to be reconstructed at the level of synapses, and represented a critical milestone considering today it remains the only organism to be mapped to that level of connection. Recently, the extrasynaptic connectome of neuropeptides and monoamines has been described. This review discusses recent technological advances used to perturb whole-organism neuronal function, such as: whole brain imaging, optogenetics, sonogenetics and mutant analysis, which have allowed for interrogations of both local and global neural circuits, leading to different behaviors. A better understanding of a whole organism requires combining experimental datasets with biophysical neuronal modelling, and behavioral quantification. Combining these approaches will provide a complete understanding of the worm nervous system and shed light into how networks function and interact with the synaptic network to modulate information processing and behavioral output.

Dysregulation of the Cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) activity has been associated to many diseases including the colorectal and breast cancer. As usual in the CDK family, the activity of CDK8 is controlled by a regulatory protein called cyclin C (CycC). But while human CDK family members are generally activated in two steps that is, the binding of the cyclin to CDK and the phosphorylation of a residue in the CDK activation loop, CDK8 does not require the phosphorylation step to be active. Another peculiarity of CDK8 is its ability to be associated to CycC while adopted an inactive form. These specificities raise the question of the role of CycC in the complex CDK8-CycC, which appears to be more complex than for the other members of CDK family. Through MD simulations and binding free energy calculations, we investigated the effect of CycC on the structure and dynamics of CDK8 on the one hand, and the structural molecular basis of the protein-protein interaction between the two partners on the other hand. We found that CycC has a stabilizing effect on CDK8 and identified specific interaction hotspots within its interaction surface compared to other human CDK/Cyc pairs. Targeting these specific interaction hotspots could be a promising approach in terms of specificity, to effectively disrupt the interaction between CDK8. The simulation of the conformational transition from the inactive to the active form of CDK8 suggests that the residue Glu99 of the CycC may assume the role of the missing phosphorylation step in the activation mechanism of CDK8. In a more general view, these results point the importance of keeping the CycC in computational studies when studying the human CDK8 protein in both the active and the inactive form.

The occurrence of ovarian dysfunction is often due to the imbalance between the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the (in)effectiveness of the antioxidative defense mechanisms. Primary sources of ROS are the respiratory electron transfer and the activity of NADPH oxidases (NOX), while Superoxide dismutases (SOD) are the main key reg-ulators that control the levels of ROS and reactive nitrogen species intra- and extracel-lularly. Because of their central role, SODs are the subject of research on human ovarian dysfunction, but the sample acquisition is low. The high degree of cellular and molecular similarity between Drosophila melanogaster ovaries and human ovaries provides this model organism with the best conditions for analyzing the role of ROS during ovarian function. In this study, we clarify the localization of the ROS producing enzyme dNox within ovaries of Drosophila melanogaster and by a tissue specific knockdown, we show that dNox derived ROS are involved in the chorion hardening process. Furthermore, we analyze the dSod3 localization and show that reduced activity of dSod3 impacts egg laying behavior, but not the chorion hardening process.

Vitamin C status is known to be associated with several demographic and lifestyle factors. These include gender, age, ethnicity, pregnancy/lactation, body weight, smoking status and dietary habits. In the present study, our aim was to interrogate the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018 datasets to assess the impact of these factors on vitamin C dose-concentration relationships to establish if there are higher requirements for vitamin C in certain subpopulations and the possible extent of these additional requirements. The relevant data were extracted from the NHANES 2017-2018 datasets, the final cohort of which comprised 2828 non-supplementing adult males and females (aged 18 – 80+ years) with both vitamin C serum concentrations and dietary intake data available. The data was subsequently stratified by gender, age tertiles (≤36, 37-58, ≥59 years), ethnicity (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and total Hispanic), socioeconomic tertiles (poverty income ratios: >3.0, 1.36 – 3.0, ≤1.35), weight tertiles (≤72, 72-91, ≥91 kg), BMI tertiles (≤26, 26-32, ≥32 kg/m2) and smoking status. Sigmoidal (four parameter logistic) curves with asymmetrical 95% confidence intervals were fitted to the dose-concentration data. We found that males required vitamin C intakes ~1.2-fold higher than females to reach ‘adequate’ serum concentrations of 50 µmol/L. Males had both higher body weight and a higher prevalence of smoking than females. Smokers required vitamin C intakes ~2.0-fold higher than non-smokers to reach adequate vitamin C concentrations. Relative to adults in the lighter weight tertile, adults in the heaver weight tertile required ~2.0-fold higher dietary intakes of vitamin C to reach adequate serum concentrations. We did not observe any impact of ethnicity or socioeconomic status on the vitamin C dose-concentration relationship, and although no significant difference between younger and older adults was observed at vitamin C intakes > 75 mg/day, at intakes < 75 mg/day, older adults had an attenuated serum response to vitamin C intake. In conclusion, certain demographic and lifestyle factors, specifically gender, smoking and body weight, have a significant impact on vitamin C requirements. Overall, the data indicate that the general population must consume ~110 mg/day of vitamin C to attain adequate serum concentrations, smokers require ~165 mg/day relative to non-smokers, and heavier people (100+ kg) require ~155 mg/day to reach the same vitamin C concentrations. These findings have important implications for global vitamin C dietary recommendations.

Biochar is a carbonaceous material derived from the thermochemical conversion of biomass under oxygen-lean conditions. Its properties render it many applications in agriculture, environmental remediation, and catalysis. Commonly produced by pyrolysis under a nitrogen atmosphere, the biochar composition is influenced mainly by residence time, heating rate, and process temperature. The existing literature primarily assesses biochar properties, such as ultimate, proximate, calorific, porosity, and combustibility, generated under various thermo-conversion conditions. However, there is a notable lack of sufficient investigation and attention given to the practical application of biochar. This article seeks to bridge that gap by enhancing the comprehension of the necessary experimental assessment for specific biochar applications and proposing process optimization methods using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). By delving into these aspects, the study offers a concise overview of biochar production and presents a comprehensive panorama based on articles and patents. Additionally, the research explores the physicochemical characterization techniques associated with biochar and its various applications in conjunction with MCDA. This comprehensive approach aims to uncover valuable insights that could further advance the practical and sustainable utilization of biochar in a wide range of fields.

Little is known about public knowledge of meat chicken production and how it influences attitudes to birds’ welfare and consumer behaviour. We interviewed 506 members of the public in SE Queensland, Australia, to investigate this. Knowledge was assessed from 15 questions, and low scores were supported by respondents’ self-assessed report of low knowledge levels and agreement that their knowledge was insufficient to form an opinion about which chicken products to purchase. Older respondents and single people without children were most knowledgeable. There was uncertainty about whether chicken welfare was adequate, particularly in those with little knowledge. There was also evidence that lack of empathy towards chickens related to lack of knowledge, since those that thought it very acceptable that some birds are inadequately stunned at slaughter had low knowledge scores. More knowledgeable respondents ate chicken more frequently and were less likely to buy products with accredited labelling. Approximately half of the respondents thought the welfare of the chicken to be more important than the cost. It is concluded that the public’s knowledge has an important connection to their attitudes and consumption of meat chickens. Respondents with little knowledge demonstrated that they had both lack of empathy and intolerance to religious slaughter practices.

This paper investigates the transmission of educational attainment from parents to offsprings as a mediator of intergenerational class mobility in Europe. The study covers the last two decades with data drawn from a cross-national large scale sample survey, namely the European Social Survey (ESS), for the years 2002 - 2018. Interest has focused on the question of persistence of inequality of educational opportunities by examining attainment of nominal levels of education and the association between the educational attainment of the parent with the highest level of education and their descendants. The study covers also new trends in social mobility which consider education as a ‘positional good’ and a novel method of incorporating educational expansion into the transition probabilities is proposed, providing answers to whether the rising accessibility of educational qualifications attenuates the association between social origin and educational attainment. Therefore, the concept of positionality is taken into account in the estimation of intergenerational transition probabilities and to complement the analysis mobility measures are provided for both methods, nominal and positional. The proposed positional method is validated through a correlation analysis between the upward mobility scores (nominal and positional) with the Education Expansion Index (EEI) for the respective years. The upward mobility scores estimated via the positional method are higher correlated with the EEI for all years indicating a better alignment with the broader trends in educational participation and achievement.

Corporate Diagnosis is now recognized as an important tool by decision makers to predict and correct burgeoning problems that a corporation may face. Methods based on this model stem from the use of mathematics and are increasingly being applied in the analysis of production processes. The goal of this paper is to use a logistic regression to design a scoring model for non-financial corporations in industry. Based on the data obtained from the Registry of the Slovak Republic for 738 non-financial corporations, according to SK NACE 26, SK NACE 27, the proportional financial metrics, using the logistic regression method, were calculated. By applying these methods, two logistic regression models were found to reliably estimate the probability of bankruptcy for a firm.

Modified nucleobases are potentially useful building blocks when containing catalytically active functionalities and could be introduced in chiral tridimensional molecules such as nucleic acids, which creates the premises for the development of novel catalytic species. Herein we describe the synthesis of a novel β-C-nucleoside bearing a diol group at anomeric position, amenable as metal ligand or as organo-catalyst. The abasic ligand was successfully prepared and inserted into complementary DNA strand.

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), one of the largest superfamilies of cell-surface receptors, are heptahelical integral membrane proteins that play critical roles in virtually every organ system. G-protein-coupled receptors operate in membranes rich in cholesterol, with an imbalance in cholesterol level within the vicinity of GPCR transmembrane domains affecting the structure and/or function of many GPCRs, a phenomenon that has been linked to several diseases. These effects of cholesterol could result in indirect changes by altering the mechanical properties of the lipid environment or direct changes by binding to specific sites on the protein. There are a number of studies and reviews on how cholesterol modulates class A GPCRs, however, this area of study is yet to be explored for class C GPCRs, which are characterized by a large extracellular region and often form constitutive dimers. This review highlights specific sites of interaction, functions, and structural dynamics involved in the cholesterol recognition of the class C GPCRs. We summarize recent data from some typical family members to explain the effects of membrane cholesterol on the structural features and functions of Class C GPCRs and speculate on their corresponding therapeutic potential.

Injury to the peritoneum during surgery is followed by a healing process that frequently results in the attachment of adjacent organs by a fibrous mass, referred to commonly as adhesions. Because injuries to the peritoneum during surgery are inevitable, one must understand the mechanisms of adhesion formation to prevent its occurrence. This requires a thorough understanding of the molecular sequence that results in the attachment of injured peritoneum and the development of fibrous tissue. Recent data show that fibroblasts from the injured peritoneum may play a critical role in forming adhesion tissues. Therefore, identifying changes in gene expression patterns in the peritoneal fibroblasts during the process may provide clues to the mechanisms by which adhesion develops. This review presents many papers discussing genes implied in peritoneal adhesion.

Knowledge is not merely the characteristic of certain pieces of information being deemed true and justifiable, but rather a process. Within an axiomatic system, the set of information that reaches the status of knowledge forms a universe that provides an interpretation of the reality one aims to describe. Language exchanges information through communication and the process of justification (exchange of information), if it consistently justifies a particular piece of information, it elevates it to knowledge. In this paper, we provide a framework for knowledge within an axiomatic model where we define the fundamental elements of communication and grammar. As a result, the structure dictates that knowledge, to be considered as such, must be investigateable by anyone who utilizes it in its entirety, both in form and content. Ultimately, the development of knowledge processing, referred to as \emph{knowmatics}, represents a clear evolution of the computer science that processes information (subset of knowledge).

An 8-months old male American Staffordshire terrier was referred for a no weightbearing lameness of the right pelvic limb, hyperthermia, lethargy and inappetence caused by hematogenous osteomyelitis. Orthopedic, radiographic and tomographic examinations revealed a bone sequestrum of 4 x 1.4 cm and active periosteal reaction of the caudo-lateral cortical in the metaphysis and the distal third of the right femoral diaphysis, medullary osteolysis and interruption of the cranio-medial cortical profile, with involvement of the femoral trochlea leading to a secondary medial patella luxation. Once skeletally mature, after 4 months from surgical debridement and aggressive antibiotic therapy against Klebsiella oxytoca revealed by bacteriological exam, the patient underwent prosthetic surgery for the application of a custom-made patellar groove replacement (PGR) to fill the bone defect and restore the femoral trochlea surface. Despite the serious injury that afflicted the right pelvic limb, the surgery had satisfactory outcomes until the last 18-months postoperative follow up.

Background: Several kinds of research say that adjuvant blood glucose and blood pressure are usual, but an efficient solution for medical application count remains. This review analyzes the pandemic blood pressure and blood glucose to identify the publications which tell about the clinical practices and research gaps in systematic research.Methods: A study guides to identify the research of Blood Pressure (BP) and Blood Glucose. In order to analyze the recent innovations and research on BP and Blood glucose, the relevant publications and literature from journals were identified.Results: Co-morbidity of BP and Blood glucose is reported as very high. The commonness of blood pressure is thrice as high in type I diabetes patients and almost two times higher in type II diabetes patients when compared to others without Diabetes. The pervasiveness of getting depression is more in the female when compared with men. A detailed study about the linkage of BP and blood glucose tells that the relationship between them is not exactly clear.Limitations: Nearly all reviews providing the linkage of BP and blood glucose are with some limitations and they are not providing any clear conclusion.Conclusions: Present research tells that people having high blood glucose will have a greater chance of getting high blood pressure. More research is needed to state the linkage between BP, blood glucose, and the growth of diabetes mellitus issues and to provide support for managing Diabetes.

1. Heterospecific pollen interference has recently been proposed as a mechanism contributing to the success of alien invaders, as heterospecific pollen of alien plants interferes with the reproduction of natives by reducing fruit and seed set. However, no study has looked at the opposite interaction. Moreover, few studies have considered the roles of phylogenetic and trait distances between pollen donors and recipients. 2. We did a large multi-species experiment in which we used alien and native species both as pollen recipients and as pollen donors, and included phylogenetic as well as trait distance as explanatory variables. 3. We found that both alien and native recipients suffered from heterospecific pollen from donors of the opposite status in terms of seed and fruit set. Phylogenetic distance and trait distance both affected heterospecific pollen interference, but the effect depended on recipient and donor statuses. 4. We conclude that heterospecific pollen interference affects both native and alien recipients, thus indirectly altering community composition and increasing biotic resistance against invaders.

The aim of the work was to carry out an ergonomic assessment of the workload when working with a chainsaw during motor-manual tree processing. Wearable technology was used, namely Garmin, Biostrap and Whoop devices, which are generally available. The dependence of the heart rate (HR) on physical workload was examined to calculate Heart Rate Index. The case study was done with one worker, three variations of chainsaw devices cutting the poplar wood. It was proved that the use of a heavier work tool, MS 500i /90 cm 9,3 kg, significantly contributes both to the creation of a non-physiological working position and to an increase in the energy required to perform work, which was represented by an increase in heart rate. With a lighter work tool and a shorter cutting blade, both a decrease in heart rate and a reduction in the working time were performed in a non-physiological position. The results can be used in common practice for workers´ self-assessment to increase safety and health protection at work or work productivity not only in motor-manual processing in forestry related professions.

The theory of one-photon ionization and two-photon above-threshold ionization is formulated for applications to heavy atoms in attosecond science using the Dirac-Fock formalism. A direct comparison of the Wigner-Smith-Eisenbud delays for photoionization is made with delays from the Reconstruction of Attosecond Beating By Interference of Two-photon Transitions (RABBIT) method. Photoionization by an attosecond pulse train, consisting of monochromatic fields in the extreme ultraviolet range, is computed with many-body effects at the level of the Relativistic Random Phase Approximation (RRPA). Subsequent absorption and emission processes of infrared laser photons in RABBIT are evaluated using static ionic potentials as well as asymptotic properties of relativistic Coulomb functions. As expected, light elements, such as Argon, show negligible relativistic effects, while heavier elements, such a Krypton and Xenon, exhibit delays that depend on the fine-structure of the ionic target. The relativistic effects are notable close to ionization thresholds and Cooper minima with differences in fine-structure delays predicted to be as large as tens of attoseconds. The separability of relativistic RABBIT delays into a Wigner-Smith-Eisenbud delay and a universal continuum--continuum delay is studied with reasonable separability found for photoelectrons emitted along the laser polarization axis in agreement with prior non-relativistic results.

Thyroid hormones, their metabolites and synthetic analogues are potential anti-steatotic drug candidates considering that subclinical and manifest hypothyroidism is associated with hepatic lipid accumulation, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and its pandemic sequelae. Thyromimetically active compounds stimulate hepatic lipogenesis, fatty acid beta-oxidation, cholesterol metabolism and metabolic pathways of glucose homeostasis. Many of these effects are mediated by T3 receptor β1-dependent modulation of transcription. However, rapid non-canonical mitochondrial effects have also been reported, especially for the metabolite 3,5-diiodothyronine (3,5-T2), which does not elicit the full spectrum of “thyromimetic” actions inherent to T3. Most preclinical studies in rodent models of obesity and first human clinical trials are promising with respect to the antisteatotic hepatic effects, but potent agents exhibit unwanted thyromimetic effects on the heart and/or suppress feedback regulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid-periphery axis and the fine-tuned thyroid hormone system. This review focusses on 3,5-T2 effects on hepatic lipid and glucose metabolism and (non-)canonical mechanisms of action including its mitochondrial targets. Various high fat diet animal models with distinct thyroid hormone status indicate species- and dose-dependent efficiency of 3,5-T2 and its synthetic analogue TRC150094. No convincing evidence has been presented for their clinical use in prevention or treatment of obesity and related metabolic conditions.

Battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs) have emerged as an environmentally friendly and efficient alternative to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, while their single-charge driving distances under cold conditions are significantly limited due to the high energy consumption of heating systems. Heat pumps can provide an effective heating solution for EVs, but their coefficient of performance (COP) is hampered by heat transfer deterioration due to frost accumulation. This study proposes a solution to this issue by introducing a microchannel heat exchanger (MHE) with superhydrophobic surface treatment (SHST) as a heat pump evaporator. A computational-fluid-dynamics MHE model and a dynamic heat pump model are developed and rigorously validated to examine the detrimental impact of frost accumulation on heat transfer, airflow resistance, and heat pump performance. When the frost layer thickness is 0.8 mm at a given air-side velocity of 1.0 m/s, the air-side heat transfer coefficient can be reduced by about 75%, and the air-side pressure drop sharply increases by 28.4 times. As frost thickness increases from 0 to 0.8 mm, the heating effect drops from 3.97 to 1.82 kW, and the system COP declines from 3.17 to 2.30. Experimental results show that the frost thickness of the MHE with SHST reaches approximately 0.4 mm after 30 minutes, compared to that of 0.8 mm of the MHE without SHST, illustrating the defrosting capability of the superhydrophobic coating. The study concludes by comparing the performance of various heating methods in EVs to highlight the advantages of SHST technology. As compared to traditional heat pumps, the power consumption of the proposed system is reduced by 48.7% due to the defrosting capability of the SHST. Moreover, the single-charge driving distance is extended to 327.27 km, an improvement of 8.99% over the heat pump without SHST.

Obesity is a global public health problem and the environment as its major determinant. To identify interventions an evidence base is warranted. To this aim we investigate the relationship between the consumption of foods and eating locations (like home, school/work and others) in British adolescents, using data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling Program (2008–2012 and 2013-2016). Cross-sectional analysis of 62,523 food diary entries from this nationally representative sample then focused on foods contributing up to 80% total energy to the daily adolescent´s diet. Correspondence Analysis (CA) was first used to generate food-location relationship hypotheses and Logistic Regression (LR) to quantify the evidence in terms of odds ratios and formally test those hypotheses. The less-healthy foods that emerged from CA were chips, soft drinks, chocolate and meat pies. Adjusted Odds Ratios (99% CI) for consuming specific foods at a location “Other” than home (H) or school/work (S) in the 2008-12 survey sample were: for soft drinks 2.8 (2.1 to 3.8) vs. H and 2.0 (1.4 to 2.8) vs. S; for chips 2.8 (2.2 to 3.7) vs. H and 3.4 (2.1 to 5.5) vs. S; for chocolates 2.6 (1.9 to 3.5) vs. H and 1.9 (1.2 to 2.9) vs. S; and for meat pies 2.7 (1.5 to 5.1) vs. H and 1.3 (0.5 to 3.1) vs. S. These trends were confirmed in the 2013-16 survey sample. Interactions between location and BMI were not significant in either sample. In conclusion, our study showed that adolescents are more likely to consume specific less-healthy foods at locations away from home and school/work, irrespective of BMI. Such locations include leisure places, food outlets and “on the go”, hence public health policies to discourage less-healthy food choices in these locations is warranted for all adolescents.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a reversible cellular program that transiently places epithelial (E) cells into pseudo-mesenchymal (M) cell states. The malignant progression and resistance of many types of carcinomas depends on EMT activation, partial EMT and hybrid E/M status in neoplastic cells. EMT is activated by tumor microenvironmental TGFβ signal and EMT-inducing transcription factors, such as ZEB1/2 in tumor cells. However, reverse EMT factors are less studied. We demonstrate that transcription factor SCAND1 can revert mesenchymal and hybrid E/M phenotype of cancer cells to a more epithelial, less invasive status and inhibit their proliferation and migration. SCAND1 is a SCAN domain-containing protein and hetero-oligomerizes with SCAN-zinc finger transcription factors, such as MZF1, for accessing DNA and transcriptional co-repression of target genes. We found that SCAND1-MZF1 co-expression and interaction correlated with maintaining epithelial features, whereas the simultaneous loss of SCAND1 and MZF1 correlated with mesenchymal features of tumor cells. Overexpression of SCAND1 over endogenous MZF1 in DU-145 prostate cancer cells reverted their hybrid E/M status into cobblestone morphology with increased epithelial adhesion by E-cadherin and β-catenin relocation. Consistently, co-expression analysis in TCGA PanCancer Atlas revealed that both SCAND1 and MZF1 co-express and are negatively correlated with EMT driver genes, including CTNNB1, ZEB1, ZEB2 and TGFBR, in prostate tumor specimens. In addition, SCAND1 overexpression suppressed tumor cell proliferation by reducing the MAP3K-MEK-ERK signaling pathway. Of note, SCAND1-overexpressing DU-145 cells migrated slower than control cells with decreased lymph node metastasis of prostate cancer in a mouse tumor xenograft model. Kaplan-Meyer analysis showed high expression of MZF1 and SCAND1 to correlate with better prognoses in pancreatic cancer and head and neck cancers, although with poorer prognosis in kidney cancer. Overall, these data suggest that the combination of SCAND1-MZF1 complexes may revert the EMT mechanism in cancer to establish an epithelial phenotype. These effects seem to include co-repression of EMT-driver genes and suppression of tumor cell proliferation via inhibition of the MAP3K-MEK-ERK signaling pathway.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, which can cause skin barrier function damaged. Although co-incubation with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) exerts a positive effect in deficient skin model, there is no study to investigate the effects of topical treatment with DHA in inflammatory reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) model. The effects of DHA on monolayer normal human epidermal keratinocyte (NHEK) cells were evaluated via CCK-8, qPCR and ELISA. The skin related barrier function was assessed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, western blot (WB), Immunohistofluorescence (IF) and ELISA in normal and inflammatory RHE models. DHA upregulated filaggrin and loricrin expression at mRNA levels in addition to suppress overexpression of TNF-α，IL-1α and IL-6 stimulated by poly I:C plus LPS (stimulation cocktail) in cultured NHEK cells. After topical treatment with DHA, cocktail induced inflammatory characteristics of skin diseases including barrier morphological, differentiation proteins and TSLP secretion, which were alleviated in RHE models. Supplementation with DHA can improved related barrier function and have anti-inflammation effects in monolayer keratinocytes and RHE models, which indicated that DHA may have a potential value for the treatment of inflammation-associate skin diseases.

No system nor standardized analytical procedures at commercial laboratories exist to facilitate and accurately measure potential viable virus contamination in feed ingredients and complete feeds globally. As a result, there is high uncertainty of the extent of swine virus contamination in global feed supply chains. Many knowledge gaps need to be addressed to improve our ability to prevent virus contamination and transmission in swine feed. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge involving: 1) the need for biosecurity protocols to identify production, processing, storage, and transportation conditions that may cause virus contamination of feed ingredients and complete feed, 2) challenges of measuring virus inactivation, 3) virus survival in feed ingredients during transportation and storage, 4) minimum infectious doses, 5) differences between using a Food Safety Objective versus a Performance Objective as potential approaches for risk assessment in swine feed, 6) swine virus inactivation from thermal and irradiation processes, and chemical mitigants in feed ingredients and complete feed, 7) efficacy of virus decontamination strategies in feed mills, 9) benefits of functional ingredients, nutrients, and commercial feed additives in pig diets during a viral health challenge, and 10) considerations for improved risk assessment models of virus contamination in feed supply chains.

Using the h-index to assess individual researchers is not only unethical and unfair but also inaccurate and misleading. This index fails to offer a reliable measure of a researcher's impact based on their citation scores. Beyond statistical and conceptual considerations, authorship practices, especially in the case of multi-authored publications, give rise to significant problems that often go unnoticed. While some modifications of the h-index have been proposed to mitigate these weaknesses, the fundamental deficiencies persist. Most of these flaws have been effectively addressed by the c-score, a composite citation index. The c-score excludes self-citations, normalizes the number of citations by considering the number of authors in each paper, and takes into account first, single, and last authorship. This approach provides a more realistic measure of the impact of each individual researcher based on raw citations.

Senescence is a stable cell cycle arrest that is either tumor suppressive or tumor promoting depending on context. Epigenetic changes such as histone methylation are known to affect both induction and suppression of senescence by altering expression of genes that regulate the cell cycle and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. A conserved group of proteins containing a Jumonji C (JmjC) domain alter chromatin state, and therefore gene expression, by demethylating histones. Here, we will discuss what is currently known about JmjC demethylases in induction of senescence and how these enzymes suppress senescence to contribute to tumorigenesis.

Emerging pollutants as pharmaceuticals have been focusing international attention for few decades. Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a common drug widely found in effluents from hospitals, industrial and different wastewater treatment plants, as well as rivers. In this work, the lab-scale 3D-BER system was established, and more than 90% of the antibiotic CIP removal from the Low C/N wastewater. Best results were obtained with current intensity, and different C/N ratio significantly improve the removal of CIP and nitrates, when the ideal conditions were; C/N = 1.5-3.5, pH =7.0-7.5, and I = 60 mA. The highest removal efficiency of CIP = 94.20 %, NO3--N= 95.53 % and total nitrogen (TN) = 84.27 %, respectively. In this novel system, the autotrophic-heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria played vital role for the removal of CIP and enhanced denitrification process. Thus, autotrophic denitrifying bacteria uses CO2 and H2 as carbon sources to reduce nitrates to N2. This system has the assortment and prosperous community revealed at the current intensity of 60 mA, and the analysis of bacterial community structure in effluent samples fluctuates under different condition of C/N ratios. According to the results of LC-MS/MS analysis, the intermediate products were proposed after efficient biodegradation of CIP. Microbial community on biodegrading was mostly found at phylum, and class level was dominantly responsible for the NO3--N and biodegradation of CIP. This work can provide some new insights towards the biodegradation of CIP and the efficient removal of nitrates from low C/N wastewater treatment by the novel 3D-BER system.

Functional somatic disorders (FSD) characterized by persistent and disabling physical symptoms are common in adolescents. Diagnostic uncertainty and insufficient illness explanations are proposed perpetuating factors that may constitute barriers for treatment engagement. This study evaluates the impact of manualized assessment and psychoeducation on diagnostic certainty and various clinical outcomes in adolescents with multi-system FSD. Ninety-one adolescents (15-19 years) included in a randomized trial testing group-based therapy (AHEAD) received systematic assessment (4 hrs.) and a subsequent psychiatric consultation (1.5 hrs.). Clinical outcomes included self-reported physical health, symptom severity, illness perception, illness related behavior, and psychological flexibility assessed before and approximately two months after assessment, prior to specialized treatment. Data were analyzed using t-tests. Immediately following assessment 71 (80.7%) adolescents out of 88 reported a higher diagnostic certainty and 74 (84.1%) reported that attending assessment gave them positive expectations for future treatment. A clinically relevant improvement of physical health was not observed at two months but considerable reductions were seen on symptom severity, illness worry, negative illness perceptions, limiting illness behavior and psychological inflexibility. The results underpin the importance of systematic assessment and psychoeducation which may be effective in their own right in specialized treatment of adolescents with severe FSD.

Lymphedema refers to a group of disorders characterized by the accumulation of protein-rich fluid in the interstitial tissues, resulting from an imbalance between lymph production and it’s drainage via lymphatic vessels. More than 10 types of isolated primary LD is described, and among them CELSR1-associated lymphedema are one of the less studied. A family with two sibs, a 17-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl, both diagnosed with primary LD, presented to the clinic. Both patients were observed with primary symptoms of LD at 2-3 months of age, presented by the swelling of right foot. Lymphatic pathologies were not diagnosed in parents or close relatives. The rare c.7664A>C variant, resulting in the H2555P missense mutation in the intracellular loop of CELSR1 transmembrane domain, was discovered in a patients. The clinical signs, MRL scanning data, in silico predictors and the absence of known pathogenic mutations or rare variants of unknown significance in other genes, associated with the development of primary lymphedema, allow us to assume that c.7664A>C variant of CELSR1 may be responsible for pathogenesis of the disease in the presented family case.

Microwave absorbers with lightweight, good stability and high efficiency have attracted much attention for their applications in many contemporary fields. In this work, the 3D porous (Ni@NO-C)n/NO-C composite absorber was prepared by a wet chemistry method with Ni chains and melamine as precursors, in which NO-C (N,O-doped carbon) encapsulated Ni particles are homogenously dispersed in the 3D porous networks of NO-C in the form of (Ni@NO-C)n chains. The special microstructure of the as-prepared material is proved to be benefit for the improvement of its microwave adsorption performance. The as-synthesized (Ni@NO-C)n/NO-C composite ab-sorber exhibited an effective absorption bandwidth of 4.1 GHz and an extremely large reflection loss of -72.3 dB. The excellent microwave absorbing performances can be ascribed to the coopera-tive consequence of dielectric loss and magnetic loss along with the balance between attenuation capability and impedance match.

The central nervous system (CNS) is the final frontier in drug delivery because of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which poses significant barriers to the access of most drugs to their targets. Kynurenic acid (KYNA), a tryptophan (Trp) metabolite, plays an important role in behavioral functions and abnormal KYNA levels have been observed in neuropsychiatric conditions. The current challenge lies in delivering KYNA to the CNS owing to its polar side chain. Recently, C-3 side chain modified KYNA analogs have been shown to cross the BBB; however, it is unclear whether they retain the biological functions of the parent molecule. This study examined the impact of KYNA analogs, specifically SZR-72, SZR-104, and the newly developed SZRG-21, on behavior. The analogs were administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.), and their effects on the motor domain were compared with those of KYNA. Specifically, open field (OF) and rotarod (RR) tests were employed to assess motor activity and skills. SZR-104 increased horizontal exploratory activity in the OF test at a dose of 0.04 μmol/4 μL, while SZR-72 decreased vertical activity at doses of 0.04 and 0.1 μmol/4 μL. In the RR test, however, neither KYNA nor its analogs showed any significant differences in motor skills at either dose. Side chain modification affects affective motor performance and exploratory behavior, as the results show for the first time. In this study, we showed that KYNA analogs alter emotional components such as motor-associated curiosity and emotions. Consequently, drug design necessitates the development of precise strategies to traverse the BBB while paying close attention to modifications in their effects on behavior.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a worldwide public health problem. Chronic infection by HCV can lead to liver cirrhosis or cancer. Although some immune-competent individuals can clear the virus, others develop chronic HCV disease due to viral mutations or an impaired immune response. IFNs type I and III and the signal transduction induced by them are essential for a proper antiviral effect. Research on the viral cycle and immune escape mechanisms have generated the basis of therapeutic strategies to achieve a sustained virological response (SVR). The first therapies were based on IFN-, then IFN-α plus ribavirin (IFN-RBV); then, pegylated-IFN--RBV (PEGIFNα-RIV) to improve cytokine pharmacokinetics. However, the maximum SVR was 60%, and several significant side effects were observed, decreasing the patients' treatment adherence. The development of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) significantly enhanced SVR (> 90%); the compounds were able to inhibit HCV replication without significant side effects, even in pediatric populations. The management of coinfected patients HBV-HCV and HCV-HIV has also improved based on DAA and PEG-IFNα-RBV (HBV-HCV). CD4 cells are crucial for an effective antiviral response. IFNλ3, IL28B, TNF-α, IL-10, TLR-3, and TLR-9 gene polymorphisms are involved in viral clearance, therapeutic responses, and hepatic pathologies. Future research focuses on searching for strategies to circumvent resistance-associated substitution (RAS) to DAAs, develop new therapeutic schemes for different medical conditions, including organ transplant, and develop vaccines for long-lasting cellular and humoral responses with cross-protection to different HCV genotypes. The goal is to minimise the probability of HCV infection, HCV chronicity and hepatic carcinoma.