Adaptive Sliceable-Bandwidth Variable Transceivers (S-BVTs) are key enabler for future optical networks. In particular, those based on Discrete MultiTone (DMT) modulation and Direct Detection (DD) can be considered a flexible solution suitable to address the cost efficiency requirement of optical metro networks. In this paper, we propose to use this cost-effective S-BVT option/implementation in optical metro networks adopting switching nodes based on Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA) technology. Bit loading (BL) and power loading (PL) algorithms are applied to the Digital Signal Processing (DSP) modules, to maximize the performance and/or the capacity as well as enhance the flexibility and adaptability of the system. Our analysis considers switching nodes based on SOAs with and without filtering elements and fiber spans of 25 km. We present the results up to 100 km, with and without SOA-based nodes. Firstly, we analyze the adaptive BVT transmission using the Margin Adaptive (MA) BL/PL algorithm at a fixed bit rate of 28 Gb/s. The possibility of controlling the SOAs current is a key factor to face the transmission impairments due to the fiber and the filtering elements. We also analyze the system considering Rate Adaptive (RA) transmission at a fixed target BER of 3.8·10⁻³, showing that a maximum capacity above 34 Gb/s can be achieved for a single span of 25 km. Although the cascading of filtering elements still constitutes a limiting factor, we show that an improvement of the net bit rate performance can be obtained thanks to the combined use of S-BVT and SOA technology at the switching nodes, resulting in a promising approach for designing future optical metro networks.

The main ideas of F-transform came from representing expert rules. It would be therefore re reasonable to expect that the more accurately the membership functions describe human reasoning, the more efficient will be the corresponding F-transform formulas. We know that an adequate description of our reasoning corresponds to complicated membership functions -- however, somewhat surprisingly, most efficient applications of F-transform use the simplest possible triangular membership functions. There exist some explanations for this phenomenon which are based on local behavior of the signal. In this paper, we supplement this local explanation by a global one: namely, we prove that triangular membership functions are the only one that provide the accurate description of appropriate global characteristics of the signal.

In this paper we obtain some inequalities of Hermite-Hadamard type for composite convex functions. Applications for AG, AH-h-convex functions, GA, GG, GH-h-convex functions and HA, HG, HH-h-convex function are given.

Invasive weeds cause significant crop yield and economic losses in agriculture. The highest in-direct impact may be attributed to the role of invasive weeds as virus reservoirs especially within the commercial growing areas. The new tobamovirus tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), recently identified in the Middle-East, overcomes the Tm-22 resistance allele in the cultivated tomato varieties grown in greenhouses. In this study, we determined the role of invasive weed species as potential hosts for ToBRFV and pepino mosaic virus (PepMV). Out of all tested weed species, the invasive species So-lanum elaeagnifolium and S. rostratum, mechanically inoculated with ToBRFV, were positive for To-BRFV in both enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and RT-PCR tests. S. rostratum was also positive for PepMV. No conspicuous phenotype was observed on ToBRFV infected S. elaeagnifolium plants suggesting a hostplant associated defense response. S. rostratum plants inoculated with either ToBRFV alone or a mixture of ToBRFV and PepMV-IL, contained high ToBRFV levels. In addition, when inoculated with ToBRFV or PepMV-IL disease symptom manifestations were observed in S. rostratum plants and the symptoms were exacerbated upon mixed infections with both viruses. The distribution and abundance of both Solanaceae species increase the risks of virus transmission between species.

In this work, Gaussian Tribonacci functions are defined and investigated on the set of real numbers $\mathbb{R},$ \textit{i.e}., functions $f_{G}$ $:$ $\mathbb{R}\rightarrow \mathbb{C}$ such that for all $% x\in \mathbb{R},$ $n\in \mathbb{Z},$ $f_{G}(x+n)=f(x+n)+if(x+n-1)$ where $f$ $:$ $\mathbb{R}\rightarrow \mathbb{R}$ is a Tribonacci function which is given as $f(x+3)=f(x+2)+f(x+1)+f(x)$ for all $x\in \mathbb{R}$. Then the concept of Gaussian Tribonacci functions by using the concept of $f$-even and $f$-odd functions is developed. Also, we present linear sum formulas of Gaussian Tribonacci functions. Moreover, it is showed that if $f_{G}$ is a Gaussian Tribonacci function with Tribonacci function $f$, then $% \lim\limits_{x\rightarrow \infty }\frac{f_{G}(x+1)}{f_{G}(x)}=\alpha \ $and\ $\lim\limits_{x\rightarrow \infty }\frac{f_{G}(x)}{f(x)}=\alpha +i,$ where $% \alpha $ is the positive real root of equation $x^{3}-x^{2}-x-1=0$ for which $\alpha >1$. Finally, matrix formulations of Tribonacci functions and Gaussian Tribonacci functions are given. In the literature, there are several studies on the functions of linear recurrent sequences such as Fibonacci functions and Tribonacci functions. However, there are no study on Gaussian functions of linear recurrent sequences such as Gaussian Tribonacci and Gaussian Tetranacci functions and they are waiting for the investigating. We also present linear sum formulas and matrix formulations of Tribonacci functions which have not been studied in the literature.

Phenotyping is the task of measuring plant attributes for analyzing the current state of the plant. In agriculture, phenotyping can be used to make decisions concerning the management of crops, such as the watering policy, or whether to spray for a certain pest. Currently, large scale phenotyping in fields is typically done using manual labor, which is a costly, low throughput process. Researchers often advocate the use of automated systems for phenotyping, relying on the use of sensors for making measurements. The recent rise of low cost, yet reasonably accurate, RGB-D sensors has opened the way for using these sensors in field phenotyping applications. In this paper, we investigate the applicability of 4 different RGB-D sensors for this task. We conduct an outdoor experiment, measuring plant attribute in various distances and light conditions. Our results show that modern RGB-D sensors, in particular, the Intel D435 sensor, provides a viable tool for close range phenotyping tasks in fields.

Rotavirus species H (RVH) has been detected in pigs, humans and bats. Moreover, porcine RVHs have been recently identified in several swine-producing countries. Despite their zoonotic impact, genome information of RVHs is still limited. This study aimed to establish a tentative complete genome-based genotyping system for RVHs, by appending genomic sequences from 12 porcine RVHs identified in Japan between 2013 and 2015 to those from human and other porcine RVHs reported in previous studies. Phylogenetic analysis of 11 RNA segments indicated that porcine RVHs could be classified into multiple genotypes. Consequently, the genotype classification for RVHs revealed the existence of genotypes 10G, 6P, 6I, 3R, 4C, 7M, 6A, 2N, 4T, 6E, 3H for the genes VP7, VP4, VP6, VP1, VP2, VP3, NSP1, NSP2, NSP3, NSP4 and NSP5, respectively. Surprisingly, two distinctive types in NSP1 and NSP3 genes were identified from among the twelve porcine RVHs. Our data suggest a potentially novel gene rearrangement event between porcine RVH and rotavirus species C in the NSP3 gene. These findings would provide a new insight in understanding for evolution of RV.

Let R be a commutative graded ring with unity, S be a multiplicative subset of homogeneous elements of R and P be a graded ideal of R such that P\bigcap S=\emptyset In this article, we introduce several results concerning graded S-prime ideals. Then we introduce the concept of graded weakly S-prime ideals which is a generalization of graded weakly prime ideals. We say that P is a graded weakly S-prime ideal of R if there exists s\in S such that for all x, y\in h(R), if 0\neq xy\in P, then sx\in P or sy\in P. We show that graded weakly S-prime ideals have many acquaintance properties to these of graded weakly prime ideals.

In the article, by applied the concept of strongly convex function and one known identity, we establish several Ostrowski type inequalities involving conformable fractional integrals. As applications, some new error estimations for the midpoint formula are provided as well.

The variation of the cationic composition in I2-II-IV-VI4 semiconductor compounds is an effective tool for altering their properties in a controlled manner. In particular, a partial substitution of Cu for Ag in kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 was proposed to suppress Cu-Zn antisite defects and the improve photovoltaic performance. However, the efficiency of this approach may substantially depend on the fabrication route. Here, we report on the synthesis of (Cu,Ag)-Zn-Sn-S (CAZTS) and Ag-Zn-Sn-S (AZTS) nanocrystals (NCs) by means of "green" chemistry in aqueous solution and their detailed characterization by Raman spectroscopy and by several complementary techniques. Through a systematic variation of the nominal composition and quantification of the constituent elements in CAZTS and AZTS NCs by XPS, we identified the vibrational Raman and IR fingerprints of both the main AZTS phase and secondary phases of Ag-Zn-S and Ag-Sn-S compounds (for the first time). The formation of the secondary phases of Ag-S and Ag-Zn-S cannot be avoided entirely for this type of synthesis. The Ag-Zn-S phase, having its bandgap in near infrared range, is the reason of the non-monotonous dependence of the absorption edge of CAZTS NCs on the Ag content, with a trend to redshift even below the bandgaps of bulk AZTS and CZTS.

Current therapeutic protocols for the treatment of HIV infection consist of the combination of diverse anti-retroviral drugs in order to reduce the selection of resistant mutants and to allow for the use of lower doses of each single agent to reduce toxicity. However, avoiding drugs interactions and patient compliance are issues not fully accomplished so far. In this respect the identification of single agents with multitarget potential might represent the ideal solution. Accordingly, a small library of biphenylhydrazo 4-arylthiazoles derivatives has been synthesised and evaluated to investigate the ability of the new derivatives to simultaneously inhibit both associated functions of HIV reverse transcriptase. All compounds were active towards the two functions, although at different concentrations. The substitution pattern on the biphenyl moiety appears relevant to determine the activity.

Recently, the properties of bouncing oil droplets, also known as `walkers', have attracted much attention because they are thought to offer a gateway to a better understanding of quantum behaviour. They indeed constitute a macroscopic realization of wave-particle duality, in the sense that their trajectories are guided by a self-generated surrounding wave. The aim of this paper is to try to describe walker phenomenology in terms of de Broglie-Bohm dynamics and of a stochastic version thereof. In particular, we first study how a stochastic modification of the de Broglie pilot-wave theory, à la Nelson, affects the process of relaxation to quantum equilibrium, and we prove an H-theorem for the relaxation to quantum equilibrium under Nelson-type dynamics. We then compare the onset of equilibrium in the stochastic and the de Broglie-Bohm approaches and we propose some simple experiments by which one can test the applicability of our theory to the context of bouncing oil droplets. Finally, we compare our theory to actual observations of walker behavior in a 2D harmonic potential well.

Critical care of neonates involves substantial usage of antibiotics and exposure to multidrug resistant (MDR) nosocomial pathogens. These pathogens are often exposed to sub-MIC doses of antibiotics which might result in a range of physiological effects. Therefore, to understand the outcome of sub-inhibitory dosage of antibiotics on Staphylococcus populations, nasal swab specimens were collected from 34 neonates admitted to the Sick Newborn Care Unit between 2017-2018, a total of 41 non-repetitive isolates were included in this study. Staphylococcus haemolyticus was the prevalent species (58.54%) with high non-susceptibility to cefotaxime (CTX) (79.16%), gentamicin (87.50%), and meropenem (54.17%). Biofilm forming abilities of S. haemolyticus isolates in the presence of sub-optimal CTX (30μg/mL), the predominantly prescribed β-lactam antibiotic, were then determined by crystal violet assays and extracellular DNA (eDNA) quantitation. CTX was found to significantly enhance biofilm production among the non-susceptible isolates (p-valueWilcoxin test- 0.000008) with increase in eDNA levels (p-valueWilcoxin test- 0.000004). Additionally, no changes in non-susceptibility were observed among populations of two MDR isolates, JNM56C1 and JNM60C2 after >500 generations of growth in the absence of antibiotic selection in vitro. These findings demonstrate that sub-MIC concentration of CTX induces biofilm formation and short-term non-exposure to antibiotics does not alter non-susceptibility among S. haemolyticus isolates.

The hypoxia signalling pathway enables adaptation of cells to decreased oxygen availability. When oxygen becomes limiting, the central transcription factors of the pathway, hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), are stabilised and activated to induce the expression of hypoxia-regulated genes, thereby maintaining cellular homeostasis. Whilst hydroxylation has been thoroughly described as the major and canonical modification of the HIF-α subunits, regulating both HIF stability and activity, a range of other post-translational modifications decorating the entire protein play also a crucial role in altering HIF localisation, stability, and activity. These modifications, their conservation throughout evolution and their effects on HIF-dependent signalling are discussed in this review.

This single-blind and cross-sectional study evaluated the role of Rho-kinase (ROCK) as a biomarker of the cardiovascular remodelling process assessed by echocardiography in competitive long-distance runners (LDR) during the training period before a marathon race. Thirty-six healthy male LDR (37.0±5.3 years; 174.0±7.0 height; BMI: 23.8±2.8; VO2-peak: 56.5±7.3 mL·kg-1·min-1) were separated into two groups according to previous training level: high-training (HT, n=16) ≥100 km·week-1 and low-training (LT, n=20) ≥70 and <100 km·week-1. Also, twenty-one healthy nonactive subjects were included as a control group (CTR). A transthoracic echocardiography was performed and ROCK activity levels in circulating leukocytes were measured at rest (48-hr without exercising) the week before the race. HT group showed higher left ventricular mass index (LVMi) and left atrial volume index (LAVi) than other groups (p<0.05, for both), also higher levels of ROCK activity were found in LDR (HT=6.17±1.41 vs CTR=1.64±0.66 (p<0.01); vs LT=2.74±0.84; (p<0.05)). In LDR a direct correlation between ROCK activity levels and LVMi (r=0.83; p<0.001), and LAVi (r=0.70; p<0.001) were found. In conclusion, in male competitive long-distance runners, the load of exercise implicated in marathon training is associated with ROCK activity levels and the left cardiac remodelling process assessed by echocardiography.

The most common form of mixed dementia (MixD) is constituted by abnormal protein deposits associated with Alzheimer´s disease (AD) that coexist with vascular disease. Although olfactory dysfunction is considered a clinical sign of AD-related de-mentias, little is known about the impact of this sensorial impairment in MixD at molecular level. To address this gap in knowledge, we have assessed olfactory bulb (OB) proteome-wide expression in MixD subjects (n=6) respect to neurologically intact controls (n=7). Around 9% of the quantified proteins were differentially expressed, pinpointing aberrant proteostasis involved in synaptic transmission, nucleoside monophosphate and carbohydrate metabolisms and neuron projection regeneration. In addition, net-work-driven proteomics revealed a modulation in cell-survival related pathways such as ERK, AKT and PDK1-PKC axis. Part of the differential OB protein set was not specific of MixD, being also deregulated across different tauopathies, synucleinopathies and tardopathies. However, the comparative functional analysis of OB proteome data between MixD and pure AD pathologies deciphered commonalities and differences between both related phenotypes. Finally, olfactory proteomics allowed to propose serum Prolow-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) as a candidate marker to differentiate AD from MixD phe-notypes.

(R)-1-(4-Amino-3,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-bromoethan-1-ol has been synthesised in 93% enantiomeric excess (ee) by asymmetric reduction of the corresponding ketone catalysed by a ketoreductase and NADPH as the co-factor in DMSO. (S)-N-(2,6-Dichloro-4-(1-hydroxyethyl)phenyl)acetamide has been synthesised in >98% ee by the same system. Both synthons are potential precursors for clenbuterol enantiomers. Clenbuterol is a β₂-agonist used in veterinary treatment of asthma in several countries. The drug is listed on the World Anti-doping Agency’s Prohibited list due to its effect on increased protein synthesis in the body. However, racemic clenbuterol has recently been shown to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. In order to reveal which one (or both) of the enantiomers that cause this effect, the pure enantiomers need to be studied separately. Our biocatalytic approach in order to obtain enantiopure clenbuterol should be applicable to industrial scale.

Ethylene is a plant hormone controlling physiological and developmental processes such fruit maturation, hairy root formation and leaf abscission. Its effect on regeneration systems, such as organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis (SE), has been studied and progresses in molecular biology techniques have contributed to unveil mechanisms behind its effects. This compound affects regeneration differently, depending on the species, genotype and explant. In some species, ethylene seems to revert recalcitrance in genotypes with low regeneration capacity. However, its effect is not addictive, since in genotypes with high regeneration capacity this ability decreases in the presence of ethylene precursors, suggesting that regeneration is modulated by ethylene. Several lines of evidence have shown that the role of ethylene on regeneration is markedly connected to biotic and abiotic stresses as well as to hormonal-crosstalk, in particular with key regeneration hormones and growth regulators of the auxin and cytokinin families. Transcriptional factors of the ethylene response factor (ERF) family are regulated by ethylene and strongly connected to SE induction. Thus, an evident connection between ethylene, stress responses and regeneration capacity is markedly established. In this review the effect of ethylene and the way it interacts with other players during organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis is discussed.

Abstract The present work was designed to investigate antiviral potential of novel mono and oligomeric Chitosan derivatives through in-silico approaches to find potent broad-spectrum anti-viral and promising drug candidates against SARS-CoV-2 and augmentation of their mode of action. Chitosan biopolymer and its derivatives were screened virtually against spike glycoprotein and human ACE2 receptor of nCoV-19. HTCC a polymeric Chitosan has been reported to interact with the corona viral Spike (S) protein and blocks its interaction with ACE2 receptor. Better biocompatibility, structural correlations, variation in degree of decetylation and molecular weight of modified Chitosan derivatives are the key attributes for enhancement of anti-viral activity. The Chitosan derivatives constructively interact with viral S protein. N-Carboxy methyl Chitosan (NCMC) among the Chitosan derivatives displayed efficient binding affinity. NCMC, when compared to mHTCC, a monomeric Chitosan for its interaction with the S protein, RBD site and ACE2 receptor, displayed efficient binding affinity with binding energy of -7.9, -6.3 and -7.4; -6.2, -4.8 and -5.5 Kcal/mol respectively. The interaction of S protein with ACE2 and ligand mHTCC-S protein complex and NCMC-S protein complex with ACE2 was calculated through flexible docking resulted in efficient reduction of binding energy from -901.2kJ/mol to -765.06kJ/mol and-814.72kJ/mol respectively, elucidated that the binding affinity of the viral S protein for its receptor ACE2 decreases in the presence of NCMC/mHTCC. The computational study envisages the antiviral efficiency of NCMC, mHTCC and biocompatible Chitosan derivatives for the first time,as preventive intervention against Covid-19.

The signal transduction pathways of estrogen receptors (ER) mainly includes gene pathway and non-gene pathway. Studies have shown that the gene pathway of ER is related with the expression of nuclear proteins, and this is the key issue for our current research. With the GEO database analysis, Human centromere protein F (CENPF) is highly expressed in adenocarcinoma of lung (LUAD), and the co-expression of CENPF and ERβ was found in the nucleus of LUAD cells. Meanwhile, CENPF and ERβ2/5 were related with T stage and poor prognosis (P<0.05). Knockdown of CENPF gene significantly inhibited the biological effects of LUAD cells, the tumor growth of mice and the expression of ERβ2/5 (P<0.05). Further, group experiments showed that knockdown CENPF inhibits biological effects of LUAD cells mediated by ERβ pathway. All the results indicated that both CENPF and ERβ2/5 play important roles in the progression of LUAD, and knockdown of CENPF can inhibit the progression of LUAD by inhibiting the expression of ER2/5. Thus, the development of inhibitors against ERβ2/5 subtype and CENPF remained more effective in improving the therapeutic effect of LUAD.

The extended finite element method (XFEM) is now widely used in crack simulations and the direction of propagation of the XFEM crack in SS-304 has been quite interesting. This paper discusses the direction,θ(+ve in anti-clockwise direction), of the XFEM crack (under mode-I) propagation based on the von Mises stress-field around the crack-tip for static loading under the light water reactors (LWRs) conditions. The Mises core region from the crack-tip is chosen for β=〖90〗^o, the angle between the load and the initial crack. Experimental data for LWRs’environment is obtained and the simulations have been carried out applying three different static loads and results for the direction of the crack are calculated by measuring the stress-field around the crack-tip. It has been found that the direction of the XFEM varies inversely as the stress-field around the crack tip is increased. The computational results have been compared with the numerical results based on the minimum strain energy density criterion[S-criterion].

In many application problems, F-transform algorithms are very efficient. In F-transform techniques, we replace the original signal or image with a finite number of weighted averages. The use of weighted average can be naturally explained, e.g., by the fact that this is what we get anyway when we measure the signal. However, most successful applications of F-transform have an additional not-so-easy-to-explain feature: the partition requirement, that the sum of all the related weighting functions is a constant. In this paper, we show that this seemingly difficult-to-explain requirement can also be naturally explained in signal-measuring terms: namely, this requirement can be derived from the natural desire to have all the signal values at different moments of time estimated with the same accuracy.

Macromolecules with well-defined structures in terms of molar mass and monomer sequence became interesting building blocks for modern materials. The precision of the macromolecular structure makes fine-tuning of the properties of resulting materials possible. Conjugated macromolecules exhibit excellent optoelectronic properties that make them exceptional candidates for sensors construction. The importance of chain length and monomer sequence is particularly important in conjugated systems. The sequence lengths, monomer sequence and structural modification often influence the energy bang gap between HOMO and LUMO orbitals of the molecules that reflect in their properties. Moreover, the supramolecular aggregation that is often observed in oligo-conjugated systems is usually strongly affected by even minor structural changes that are used for sensor designs. This review summarizes the examples of well-defined conjugated macromolecules based on oligo(arylene ethynylene)s skeleton used for sensor applications. The sensing mechanisms and importance of uniformity of structure are discussed.

Protein oligomerzation is key to countless physiological processes, but also to abnormal amyloid conformations implicated in over 25 mortal human diseases. Angiogenin (h-ANG), a ribonuclease A family member, produces RNA fragments that regulate ribosome formation, the creation of new blood vessels and stress granule function. Too little h-ANG activity leads abnormal protein oligomerization resulting in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Parkinson’s disease. While a score of disease linked h-ANG mutants has been studied by X-ray diffraction, some elude crystallization. There is also debate regarding the structure that RNA fragments adopt after cleavage by h-ANG. Here, to better understand the beginning of the process that leads to aberrant protein oligomerization, the solution secondary structure and residue-level dynamics of WT h-ANG and two mutants: H13A and R121C, are characterized by multidimensional heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy under near physiological conditions. All three variants are found to adopt well folded and highly rigid structures in solution, although the elements of secondary structure are somewhat shorter than those observed in cystallography studies. R121C alters the environment of nearby residues only. By constrast, the mutation H13A affects local residues as well as nearby active site residues residues K41 and H119. The conformation characterization by CD and 1D 1H NMR spectroscopies of tRNAAla before and after h-ANG cleavage reveals a retention of most duplex structure and little or no G-quadruplex formation.

Background: Fullerenes and metallofullerenes can be considered promising nanopharmaceuticals themselves and as a basis for chemical modification. As reactive oxygen species homeostasis plays a vital role in cells, the study of their effect on genes involved in oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory response is of particular importance. Methods: Human fetal lung fibroblasts were incubated with aqueous dispersions of C60, C70, and Gd@C82 in concentrations of 5 nM and 1.5 µM for 1, 3, 24, and 72 hours. Cell viability, intracellular ROS, NOX4, NFκB, PRAR-γ, NRF2, heme oxygenase 1, and NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 expression have been studied. Results &amp; conclusion: The aqueous dispersions of C60, C70, and Gd@C82 fullerenes are active participants in ROS homeostasis. Low and high concentrations of AFDs have similar effects. C70 was the most inert substance, C60 was the most active substance. All AFDs have both a “prooxidant” and “antioxidant” effect, but with a different balance. Gd@C82 was a substance with more pronounced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, while C70 had more pronounced “prooxidant” properties.

The paper presents data from a monthly campaign for the elemental composition of PM10 in a specific receptor Kotórz Mały (Opole Voivodeship) located in the vicinity of a moderately inhabited rural area, measured in one-hour samples with the use of the PX-375 analyzer by the Horiba company. The hourly variability of SO2, NO, NO2, CO, O3 concentrations as well as the variability of meteorological parameters were also determined. On average, during the entire measurement period, the elements related to PM10 can be arranged in the following order: As<V<Ni<Pb<Cr<Mn<Cu<Ti<Zn<K<Fe<Ca<Al<Si<S. Trace elements, including toxic elements, such as As, V, Ni, Pb, Cr, Mn, were present in low concentrations, not exceeding 10 ng/m3 (average daily value). These elements had fairly even concentrations, daily and hourly. The concentrations of the main elements in the PM10 in the receptor are subject to strong hourly changes related not only to changes in the structure of the sources identified in the statistical analysis but mainly to wind speed and direction changes (soil and sand particles pick-up and inflow of pollutants from coal combustion). It has been shown that the transport emission in the receptor can have an intense effect on PM10 in the afternoon.

The construction of carbon-carbon bonds by direct involvement of two unactivated carbon-hydrogen bonds, without any directing group, ensures an high atom economy of the entire process. Here it is described a simple protocol for the Pd(II)/Cu(II)-promoted intermolecular cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) of 5-arylimidazoles, benzimidazoles, benzoxazole and 4,5-diphenylimidazole at their C-2 position with functionalized styrenes. This specific CDC, known as Fujiwara-Moritani reaction or oxidative Heck coupling, allowed also the C-4 alkenylation of the imidazole nucleus when both 2 and 5 positions are occupied.

In this paper, we proposed a novel saddle type FinFET (S-FinFET) to effectively solve problems occurring under the capacitor node of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) cell and showed how its structure was superior to conventional S-FinFETs in terms of short channel effect (SCE), subthreshold slope (SS), and gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL). The proposed FinFET exhibited 4 times lower Ioff than modified S-FinFET called RFinFET with more improved DIBL characteristics while minimizing Ion reduction compared to RFinFET. Our results also confirmed that the proposed device showed improved DIBL and Ioff characteristics as gate channel length decreased.

In this paper, we investigate a new $q$-analogue of the higher order degenerate Changhee polynomials and numbers, which are called the Witt-type formula for the $q$-analogue of degenerate Changhee polynomials of order $r$. We can derive some new interesting identities related to the degenerate $(h,q)$-Changhee polynomials and numbers.

The search for novel brewing strains from non-brewing environments represents an emerging trend to increase genetic and phenotypic diversities in brewing yeast culture collections. Another valuable tool is hybridization, where beneficial traits of individual strains are combined in a single organism. This has been used successfully to create de novo hybrids from parental brewing strains by mimicking natural Saccharomyces cerevisiae ale x Saccharomyces eubayanus lager yeast hybrids. Here, we integrated both these approaches to create synthetic hybrids for lager fermentation using parental strains from niches other than beer. Using a phenotype-centered strategy, S. cerevisiae sourdough strains and the S. eubayanus x Saccharomyces uvarum strain NBRC1948 (also referred to as Saccharomyces bayanus) were chosen for their brewing aptitudes. We demonstrated that, in contrast to S. cerevisiae x S. uvarum crosses, hybridization yield was positively affected by time of exposure to starvation, but not by staggered mating. In laboratory-scale fermentation trials at 20°C, one triple S. cerevisiae x S. eubayanus x S. uvarum hybrid showed a heterotic phenotype compared with the parents. In 2L wort fermentation trials at 12°C, this hybrid inherited the ability to consume efficiently maltotriose from NBRC1948 and, like the sourdough S. cerevisiae parent, produced appreciable levels of the positive aroma compounds 3-methylbutyl acetate (banana/pear), ethyl acetate (general fruit aroma) and ethyl hexanoate (green apple, aniseed, and cherry aroma). Based on these evidences, the phenotype-centered approach appears promising for design of de novo lager beer hybrids and may help to diversify aroma profiles in lager beers.

In this work, we explore a the different forms of a new type of modified gravity, namely f(φ) gravity. We construct the Big Rip type for the energy density and the curvature of the universe. We show that dark energy is a result of the transformation of the field φ mass (dark matter) to energy. In addition, we provide that Ω_{m}≈0,050, Ω_{DM}≈0,2, Ω_{DE}≈0,746, is in excellent agreement with observation data. We explore a generalized formalism of braneworld modified gravity. We also construct a new field equations, which generalize the Einstein field equations. We provide a relation between the extra dimension in 3-brane with the vacuum energy density. We show that the energy density of matter depends directly on the number of dimensions. We manage to find the value of the Gauss-Bonnet coupling α=1/4 which is a good agreement with the results in the literature, this correspondence creates a passage between f(R) gravity and Gauss-Bonnet gravity, this comparison leads to a number of bulk dimensions equal to D=10¹²¹+4.

We have proposed a simple algorithm to retrieve the total ozone column and snow properties (spectral albedo and effective light absorption path) using the high spatial resolution single – view MSI/S-2 measurements over Antarctica.

The -blocker (S)-practolol ((S)-N-(4-(2-hydroxy (isopropylamino)propoxy)phenyl)acetamide) was synthesized with 96% enantiomeric excess (ee) from the chlorohydrin (R)-N-(4-(3-chloro-2 hydroxypropoxy)phenyl)acetamide, which was produced in 97% ee and with 27% yield. Racemic building block 1-((1H-indol-4-yl)oxy)-3-chloropropan-2-ol for the -blocker pindolol was produced in 53% yield and (R)-1-((1H-indol-4-yl)oxy)-3-chloropropan-2-ol was produced in 92% ee. The chlorohydrin 7-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropoxy)-3,4-dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-one, a building block for a derivative of carteolol was produced in 77% yield. (R)-7-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropoxy)-3,4-dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-one was obtained in 96% ee. The S-enantiomer of this carteolol derivative was produced in 97% ee in 87% yield. Racemic building block 5-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropoxy)- 3,4-dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-one, building block for the drug carteolol was also produced in 53% yield, with 99% ee of the R-chlorohydrin (R)-5-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropoxy)-3,4-dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-one. The yield of all four chlorohydrins increased by use of catalytic amounts of base. The reason for this was found to be less formation of the dimeric by-products compared to use of higher concentration of the base. An overall reduction of reagents and reaction time was also obtained compared to our previous reported data of similar compounds. The enantiomers of the chlorohydrin building blocks were obtained by kinetic resolution of the racemate in transesterification reactions catalyzed by Candida antarctica Lipase B (CALB) from SyncoZymes Co, Shanghai, China. Optical rotations confirmed the absolute configuration of the enantiopure drugs.

The compound, C27H23N3 (1), crystallizes in the triclinic system of the P-1 space group. The unit cell comprises a dimer of 1, in which the monomers are linked by two complementary hydrogen bonds between N1 and H1-C1 of another molecule. The dimers form chains along the a-axis through intermolecular interactions between the N2 acceptor atoms and C17 donors from molecules in the nearest neighbouring dimer. These interactions form extended sheets of the dimers of 1, along the ab plane. The quinolinylmeth-2-yl groups of 1 lie in almost orthogonal planes and their N1/2(q) donor atoms being away from the apical amino N3 atom.

The abnormal assembly of α-synuclein (α-Syn) is an initial step in the formation of Lewy bodies in the brain, which finally causes the neuronal death, being considered as a pathological hallmark in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Certain food bioactives or their metabolites at very low concentrations can trespass the blood brain barrier (BBB) that might, thereafter, act simultaneously. The aim of this work was to evaluate the inhibitory and destabilising capacities on α-Syn kinetics and the neuroprotective effects of three well-known bioactive compounds able to cross the BBB and present in foods; melatonin (MEL), protocatechuic acid (PCA) and hydroxytyrosol (HT), and their combinations. For this purpose, different in vitro techniques (Thioflavin T (ThT), Transmission Electronic Microscopy (TEM), electrophoresis and MTT assay) were used. All tested compounds and their combinations were able to abolish the toxicity induced by α-Syn. In addition, the combination of PCA (100 µM) +HT (100 µM) showed the highest inhibitory effect against α-Syn fibril formation and destabilises α-Syn fibrils (88 and 62%, respectively). This is the first time that MEL, PCA and HT prove a joint effect against α-Syn aggregation and toxicity when they are tested together.

This paper proposes a multifractal model, with the aim of providing a possible explanation for the locality phenomenon that appears in the estimation of the Hurst exponent in stationary second order temporal series representing self-similar traffic flows in current high-speed computer networks. It is shown analytically that this phenomenon occurs if the network flow consists of several components with different Hurst exponents.

Conventional chemotherapy for colorectal cancer (CRC) gives only a small increase in patient survival, since it is often diagnosed in late stages, when tumor has disseminated to other organs. Besides, it is common to observe that malignant cells acquire tumor escape mechanisms which leads to therapy resistance. Considering these facts, the discovery of new molecules with therapeutic potential has become an invaluable tool in chemoprevention. In this context, we previously evaluated two hybrids (SAC-CAFA-MET and SAC-CAFA-PENT) which exhibited selective cytotoxicity against SW480, with better results than the conventional chemotherapeutic agent (5-fluorouracil; 5-FU). Here, we investigated a little deeper in the possible mechanism of these molecules to identify potential therapeutic alternatives for the treatment of CRC. Both compounds induced cell damage and reduced ROS formation. Further evaluations showed that SAC-CAFA-MET induces cell death independent from caspases and p53, but probably mediated by the negative regulation of the proapoptotic Bcl-2. In addition, the lack of activation of caspase 8 and the positive regulation of caspase 3 induced by SAC-CAFA-PENT suggest this compound acts through an apoptotic mechanism, probably initiated by intrinsic pathway. Besides, the down regulation of IL-6 by SAC-CAFA-PENT suggests it also induces a significant anti-inflammatory process. In addition, docking studies would suggest caspase-3 modulation as the primary mechanism by which hybrids elicits apoptosis in human colorectal adenocarcinoma SW480. Meanwhile, DFT calculations suggest that hybrids would produce effects in modulation of ROS in SW480 cells via hydrogen atom transfer pathway (HAT). Finally, both, SAC-CAFA-MET and SAC-CAFA-PENT displayed a favorable pharmacokinetic profile. The current work highlights the potential of the lead compounds SAC-CAFA-MET and SAC-CAFA-PENT as potential agents for colorectal cancer chemoprevention.

The aging of the global population has increased the prevalence of neurodegenerative conditions. Bacopa monnieri (BM), an herb with active compounds, such as bacosides A and B, betulinic acid, loliolide, asiatic acid, and quercetin, demonstrates the potential for brain health. Limited research has been conducted on the therapeutic applications of BM in neurodegenerative conditions. This systematic review aims to project BM's beneficial role in brain disorders. BM has anti-apoptotic and antioxidant actions and can repair damaged neurons, stimulate kinase activity, restore synaptic function, improve nerve transmission, and increase neuroprotection. The included twenty-two clinical trials demonstrated that BM can reduce Nuclear Factor-κB phosphorylation, improve emotional function, cognitive functions, anhedonia, hyperactivity, sleep routine, depression, attention deficit, learning problems, memory retention, impulsivity, and psychiatric problems. Moreover, BM can reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory biomarkers and oxidative stress. Here, we highlight that BM provides notable therapeutic benefits and can serve as a complementary approach for the care of patients with neurodegenerative conditions associated with brain disorders. This review adds to the growing interest in natural products and their potential therapeutic applications by improving our understanding of the mechanisms underlying cognitive function and neurodegeneration and informing the development of new therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.

Helicobacter pylori is a common human pathogen that causes gastroduodenal diseases. H. pylori genome consists of numerous restriction-modification (R-M) genes. It is established that N6-adenine methylation plays a crucial role in bacterial gene regulation and virulence, but not much is known about the role of C5-cytosine methylation. In this study, we examined the influence of an orphan cytosine methyltransferase, hpyAVIBM on gastric infection in mice and cultured cells. Histopathological staining showed that the deletion of hpyAVIBM in H. pylori strain SS1 had increased damaging hemorrhagic effects on the mice stomach. The gelatin-zymography result demonstrated that the mice infected with mutant SS1ΔhpyAVIBM had significantly up-regulated pro-MMP-9 than those infected with SS1. Additionally, ELISA results of pro-inflammatory cytokines proved that mutant strain caused significantly more inflammatory effect on mice stomach than its wild-type counterpart. The immunohistochemistry data showed that mutant strain caused attenuated epithelial cell damage. Co-culture studies of H. pylori with AGS (Human Gastric Adenocarcinoma cell line) cells revealed that SS1ΔhpyAVIBM instigated significantly more apoptotic death in the AGS cells compared to the wild-type strain. Our results indicated that DNA methylation by hpyAVIBM plays a crucial role in modulating virulence factors in bacterial cells and their interaction with the host cells.

Dalbergia sissoo (shisham), an important timber yielding multipurpose tree species of the Indian subcontinent, has been afflicted with large scale mortality due to wilt in natural forests and plantations, causing huge economic losses. Fusarium solani f. sp. dalbergiae (Fsd) has been identified as one of the causal organisms for wilt disease in D. sissoo. Present study comprises in vitro screening of ten selected genotypes of D. sissoo against two strains of Fsd in a dual culture set up under axenic condition. Callus and plantlets of ten genotypes of host plant were multiplied in vitro and were inoculated with conidial suspension of two strains of Fsd at three concentrations; 1× 10¹, 1× 10³, and 1× 10⁵ conidia/ml. Gnotobiotic evaluation of dual culture set up shows variations among D. sissoo genotypes in their response towards in vitro Fsd infection; and two genotypes (14 and 66) exhibited resistance against the pathogen strains. Callus of genotypes 14 and 66 significantly restricted the fungal mycelium growth whereas callus of remaining eight genotypes were completely infested by Fsd mycelium within 9 days. Similarly, plantlets of genotype 14 and 66, had lesser disease severity and remained green, and had fewer necrotic lesions in the roots whereas plantlets of remaining eight genotypes died within 15 days.

Specifically this work is based on the concept of ‘dark energy’ as a phenomenal effect of expansion through which a theoretical value of Hubble’s constant has been introduced. It is a constant that is based on a postulate that the square root of ratio of the Siva’s constant ‘K’ and Hubble’s constant ‘H’ is exactly equal to the diameter of the neutral hydrogen atom. That is the, exact theoretical value of Hubble’s constant. This is always constant .However, space-time conversions and the changes in the velocity of light will affect the distance and velocity in Hubble’s equation. Deviation factors in velocity, distance and the Hubble’s constant have been calculated separately which are affected by change of velocity of light with expansion of space time. The observations are related to red shift. So the change factor in terms of Hubble’s constant has been calculated with respect to red shift. Thus a factor which affects the theoretical Hubble’s constant has been calculated to find the exact value of Hubble’s constant that satisfies the experimental results. The present theoretical value of Hubble’s constant has been calculated. The experimental results by plank, ACT (Atacama Cosmology Telescope), WMAP (Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe) etc. experiments are at par with the theoretical result. Thus the ontology of space time introduced in this theoretical work supposed to be correct and leads to a new theory of origin of universe for which a brief description has been provided.

The fatigue life of welded joints under cyclic loading is a complex process that can be roughly divided into fatigue crack initiation, crack propagation and final fracture. Usually, these phases are evaluated separately. Several methods are available to estimate the extent of the different phases in welded components, such as stress-based fatigue concepts for crack initiation or linear elastic fracture mechanics for crack propagation; however, distinguishing these phases in welded components is a complex procedure and often relies on assumptions such as transition crack sizes. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between fatigue crack initiation and propagation in welded joints using artificially notched specimens with welded joints characteristics of different notch acuity (different radii and opening angle). The experiments show that the investigated relationship basically depends on the notch acuity, the load level and the stress ratio.

In the face of the upcoming 30th anniversary of econophysics, we review our contributions and other related works on the modeling of the long–range memory phenomenon in physical, economic, and other social complex systems. Our group has shown that the long–range memory phenomenon can be reproduced using various Markov processes, such as point processes, stochastic differential equations and agent–based models. Reproduced well enough to match other statistical properties of the financial markets, such as return and trading activity distributions and first–passage time distributions. Research has lead us to question whether the observed long–range memory is a result of actual long–range memory process or just a consequence of non–linearity of Markov processes. As our most recent result we discuss the long–range memory of the order flow data in the financial markets and other social systems from the perspective of the fractional Lèvy stable motion. We test widely used long-range memory estimators on discrete fractional Lèvy stable motion represented by the ARFIMA sample series. Our newly obtained results seem indicate that new estimators of self–similarity and long–range memory for analyzing systems with non–Gaussian distributions have to be developed.

A major challenge in the clinical management of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is identifying those who do not respond to antiseizure medication (ASM), allowing for the timely pursuit of alternative treatments, such as epilepsy surgery. Here, we investigated changes in plasma metabolites as biomarkers of pharmacoresistance in patients with MTLE. Furthermore, we used the metabolomics data to gain insights into the mechanisms underlying MTLE and response to ASM. We performed an untargeted metabolomic method using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and multi- and univariate statistical analyses to compare data obtained from plasma samples of 28 patients with MTLE compared to 28 controls. The patients were further divided according to response to ASM: 20 patients were refractory to treatment, and eight were responsive to ASM. We only included patients using carbamazepine in combination with clobazam. We compared the group of patients with controls and found that the profiles of glucose (p = 0.01), saturated lipids (p = 0.0002), isoleucine (p = 0.0001), β-hydroxybutyrate (p = 0.0003), and proline (p = 0.02) were different in patients compared to controls (p &lt; 0.05). In addition, lipoproteins (p = 0.05), lactate (p = 0.05), glucose (p = 0.05), unsaturated lipids (p = 0.05), isoleucine (p = 0.05), and proline (p = 0.05), could discriminate between the two groups of patients classified according to response to ASM. The identified metabolites were linked to different biological pathways related to cell energy metabolism, and pathways linked to inflammatory processes and the modulation of neurotransmitter release and activity in MTLE. In contrast, we found that pyruvate metabolism may be linked to resistance to ASM. In conclusion, in addition to insights into the mechanisms underlying MTLE and the response to treatment with ASM, our results suggest that plasma metabolites may be used as biomarkers of disease and response to ASM in patients with MTLE. These findings warrant further studies exploring the clinical use of metabolites to assist in decision-making when treating patients with MTLE.

A Zn(II) perchlorate complex has been prepared and characterized by single X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c (Z = 4) with a pentacoordinated zinc center. Interestingly, the Zn complex was found be to a potential fluorophore that could sense acetone and other ketones with high selectivity and sensitivity.

The prim objective of commenced article is to determine q-sumudu transforms of a product of unified family of q-polynomials with basic (or q-) analogue of fox’s H-function and q-analog of I-functions. Specialized cases of the leading outcome are further evaluated as q-sumudu transform of general class of q-polynomials and q-sumudu transforms of the basic analogues of Fox’s H-function and I-functions.

Fractal behavior and long-range dependence are widely observed in measurements and characterization of traffic flow in high-speed computer networks of different technologies and coverage levels. This paper presents the results obtained when applying fractal analysis techniques on a time series obtained from traffic captures coming from an application server connected to the Internet through a high-speed link. The results obtained show that traffic flow in the dedicated high-speed network link have fractal behavior when the Hurst exponent is in the range of 0.5, 1, the fractal dimension between 1, 1.5, and the correlation coefficient between –0.5, 0. Based on these results, it is ideal to characterize both the singularities of the traffic and its impulsiveness during a fractal analysis of temporal scales. Finally, based on the results of the time series analyses, the fact that the traffic flows of current computer networks exhibit fractal behavior with a long-range dependency is reaffirmed.

A two-fold integrated research study was conducted; firstly, to understand effects of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) on the growth and oxidative stress in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus; secondly, to study the beneficial effects of the duckweed Lemna minor L. as a heavy metal remover from wastewater. Experiments were conducted in mesocosms with and without duckweed. Tilapia fingerlings were exposed to Cu (0.004 and 0.02 mg/L) and Zn (0.5 and 1.5 mg/L) and fish fed for four weeks. We evaluated the fish growth performance, the hepatic DNA structure using comet assay, the expression of antioxidative genes (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; glutathione peroxidase, GPx and glutathione-S-transferase, GST) and GPx and GST enzymatic activity. The results showed that Zn exhibited more pronounced toxic effects than Cu. Low dose of Cu did not influence the growth whereas higher doses of Cu and Zn significantly reduced the growth rate of tilapia compared to control, but addition of duckweed prevented weight loss. Further, in the presence of a high dose of Cu and Zn, DNA damage decreased, antioxidant gene expressions and enzymatic activities increased. In conclusion, results suggest that duckweed and Nile tilapia can be suitable candidates in metal remediation wastewater assessment programs.

Work from the last years indicate that the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a direct role in vari-ous cellular processes including proliferation, migration and differentiation. Besides homeostat-ic processes, its regulatory function in inflammation becomes more and more evident. In in-flammation like inflammatory bowel disease, the ECM composition is constantly remodeled which can result in a structuring of fistulizing disease course. Thus, tracking early ECM changes might bear the potential to predict the disease course. In this review, we will provide an over-view of relevant diagnostic methods focusing on ECM changes.

Glycosylation is a complex post-translational modification that conveys functional diversity to glycoconjugates. Cell surface glycosylation mediates several biological activities such as induction of intracellular signaling pathway and pathogen recognition. Red blood cell (RBC) membrane N-glycans determine blood type and influence cell lifespan. Although several proteomic studies were carried out, glycosylation of RBC membrane proteins has not been systematically investigated. This work aims at exploring the human RBC N-glycome by high-sensitivity MALDI-MS techniques to outline a fingerprint of RBC N-glycans. To this purpose, MALDI-TOF spectra of healthy subjects harboring different blood groups were acquired. Results showed the predominant occurrence of neutral and sialylated complex N-glycans with bisected N-acetylglucosamine, core- and/or an-tennary fucosylation. In the higher mass region these species presented with multiple N-acetyllactosamine repeating units. Amongst the detected glycoforms, the presence of glycans bearing ABO(H) antigens allowed us to define a distinctive spectrum for each blood group. For the first time, advanced glycomic techniques have been applied to a comprehensive exploration of human RBC N-glycosylation, providing a new tool for the early detection of distinct glycome changes associated with disease conditions as well as to understand pathogens molecular recognition.

An extension of the models used to generate fractal traffic flows is presented by means of the formulation of a model that considers the use of one-dimensional chaotic maps. Based on the disaggregation of the temporal series generated by the model, a valid explanation of behavior of the values of Hurst exponent is proposed and the feasibility of their control from the parameters of the proposed model is shown.

The effects of acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) on the microbiological and physicochemical properties of fresh-cut red cabbages were studied. The fresh-cut red cabbages and artificially inoculated red cabbages with Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 were washed with distilled water (DW) and different available chlorine concentration (ACC) of AEW for different times. AEW treatments significantly reduced the populations of native aerobic bacteria, molds and yeasts, and artificially inoculated S. Typhimurium DT104 compared to the DW treated and untreated red cabbage samples. The effectiveness of AEW treatments was greatly enhanced with increasing ACC and treatment times. S. Typhimurium DT104 were not detected in the washing water after the red cabbages treated by AEW. The surface color, pH, and total phenolic contents were did not significantly change when the red cabbages were washed with DW and 100 ppm AEW for 3 min. The anthocyanin contents and antioxidant activities of red cabbage were significantly reduced by 18.5% for cyanidin, 22.1% for pelargonidin, and 11.2% for DPPH radical scavenging activity, the impacts on the nutritional benefits of red cabbage were considered as limited and acceptable. The optimal process condition of AEW for washing red cabbage was 100 ppm for 3 min. In these conditions, most of the native microflora were inactivated, and artificial inoculated S. Typhimurium DT104 on the red cabbage were reduced by 40.2% (3.67 log CFU/g) and with minimal losses of nutrients and antioxidant activity, as well as no requirement of discontinuation treatment on the washing water.

Infections contribute to carcinogenesis through inflammation-related mechanisms. It is well established that H. pylori infection is an etiological factor in gastric carcinogenesis. However, the mechanism through which H. pylori infection contributes to the development of gastric cancer has not been fully elucidated. H. pylori-associated chronic inflammation is linked to genomic instability via reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). In this article, we summarize the current knowledge of H. pylori-induced double strand breaks (DSBs). Further, we will provide mechanistic insight into how processing of oxidative DNA damage via base excision repair (BER) leads to double strand breaks (DSBs). We review the recent progress how H. pylori infection triggers NF-kB /iNOS versus NF-kB/nucleotide excision repair (NER) axis mediated DSBs to drive genomic instability. Taken together, this review discusses current findings related to DSBs and their implications for the mechanisms of DSB repair.

In this paper, we investigate a new $q$-analogue of the higher order degenerate Changhee polynomials and numbers, which are called the Witt-type formula for the $q$-analogue of degenerate Changhee polynomials of order $r$. We can derive some new interesting identities related to the degenerate $(h,q)$-Changhee polynomials and numbers.

Hematite (-Fe2O3) with uniform hexagonal flakes morphology has been successfully synthesized using a combination of gelatin as natural template with F127 via hydrothermal method. The resulting hematite was investigated as adsorbent and photocatalyst for removal of ibuprofen as pharmaceutical waste. Hexagonal flake-like hematite was obtained following calcination at 500 oC with the average size was measured at 1-3 µm. Increasing the calcination temperature to 700 oC transformed the uniform hexagonal structure into cubic shape morphology. Hematite also showed high thermal stability with increasing the calcination temperatures, however, the surface area was reduced from 47 m2/g to 9 m2/g. FTIR analysis further confirmed the formation Fe-O-Fe bonds, and the main constituent elements of Fe and O were observed in EDX analysis for all samples. Fe2O3-G samples have an average adsorption capacity of 55-25.5 mg/g at 12-22% of removal efficiency when used as adsorbent for ibuprofen. The adsorption capacity was reduced with increasing the calcination temperatures due to the reduction of available surface area of the hexagonal flakes when transformed into cube. Photocatalytic degradation of ibuprofen using hematite flakes achieved 50% of removal efficiency meanwhile combination of adsorption and photocatalytic degradation further removed 80% of ibuprofen in water/hexane mixtures.

Ultra-wideband wavelength division multiplexed networks enable operators to use more effectively the bandwidth offered by a single fiber pair and thus make significant savings, both in operational and capital expenditures. The main objective of this study is to minimize optical node resources, such as transponders, multiplexers and wavelength selective switches, needed to provide and maintain high quality of network services, in ultra-wideband wavelength division multiplexed networks, at low cost. A model based on integer programming is proposed, which includes a detailed description of optical network nodal resources. The developed optimization tools are used to study the ultra-wideband wavelength division multiplexed network performance when compared with the traditional C-band wavelength division multiplexed networks. The analysis is carried out for realistic networks of different dimensions and traffic demand sets.

In this paper, the design and control of a hydraulic system based tire changer machine have been analyzed and simulated using Matlab/Simulink Toolbox successfully. The machine have a displacement input which is a leg pedal displacement in order to push the piston of the pump to fed the motor with a pressured hydraulic fluid to rotate the tire with an angular speed to mount and dismount it. Augmentation based H_∞ and H₂ optimal synthesis controllers have been used to improve the performance of the machine. Comparison of the proposed controllers for tracking a reference input speed have been done using two reference inputs (step and random) signals. Finally the comparative simulation results proved the effectiveness of the proposed tire changer with H synthesis controller in improving the settling time and percentage overshoot.

Background: Insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae s.l. is a major challenge for malaria vector control in Nigeria. Both target-site insensitivity and metabolic resistance have been im-plicated in resistance process, with the latter receiving little attention in Nigeria. Therefore, we investigated metabolic enzyme activities in Anopheles gambiae s.l populations resistant to Del-tamethrin and Diethyldichlorotriethylethane (DDT) in South-West Nigeria. Methods: Anopheles larvae were collected from Ibadan, Oyo and Badagry, Lagos. Adults were exposed to Deltamethrin and DDT using WHO method. Cohorts of populations were further exposed to Pyperonil Butoxide (PBO) and Deltamethrin. Insecticide-exposed and unexposed co-horts were examined for metabolic enzyme activities. Results were compared between exposed and unexposed samples ANOVA (P<0.05). Results: Mosquitoes were identified as An. gambiae (89%, Ibadan; 0%, Badagry) and An. coluzzii (11%, Ibadan; 100%, Badagry). The populations showed varied level of resistance to Deltamethrin (26%, Ibadan; 71%, Badagry) and DDT (2%, Ibadan; 44%, Badagry). Mortality to Deltamethrin in-creased from 26% to 64% (Ibadan) and 71% to 84% (Badagry) when populations were pre-exposed to PBO. Biochemical analysis revealed significant high levels (P<0.05) of cytochrome P450 and GST in exposed samples. Conclusions: Cytochrome P450 and GST are involved in Deltamethrin and DDT resistance in Anopheles gambiae s.l populations in South-West Nigeria.

Fusarium wilt of banana is a devastating disease that has decimated banana production worldwide. Host resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), the causal agent of this disease, is genetically dissected in this study using two Musa acuminata ssp. malaccensis segregating populations segregating for Foc Tropical (TR4) and Subtropical (STR4) race 4 resistance. Marker loci and trait association using 11 SNP-based PCR markers allowed the candidate region to be delimited to a 12.9 cM genetic interval corresponding to a 959 kb region on Chromosome 3 of ‘DH-Pahang’ reference assembly v4. Within this region, there is a cluster of pattern recognition receptors, namely leucine rich repeat ectodomain containing receptor-like protein kinases, cysteine-rich cell wall associated protein kinases, and leaf rust 10 disease-resistance locus receptor-like proteins positioned in an interspersed arrangement. Their transcript levels were rapidly upregulated in the resistant but not in susceptible F2 progenies at the onset of infection. This suggests that one or several of these genes may control resistance at this locus. To confirm the segregation of single-gene resistance, we generated an inter-cross between the resistant parent ‘Ma850’ and a susceptible line ‘Ma848’, to show that the STR4 resistance co-segregated with marker ‘28820’ at this locus. Finally, an informative SNP marker 29730 allowed the locus specific resistance to be assessed in a collection of diploid and polyploid banana plants. Out of the 60 lines screened, 22 lines were predicted to carry resistance at this locus, including lines known to be TR4 resistant, such as ‘Pahang’, ‘SH-3362’, ‘SH-3217’, ‘Ma-ITC0250’, and ‘DH-Pahang/CIRAD 930’. Additional screening in the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture’s collection suggests that the dominant allele is common among in the elite ‘Matooke’ NARITA hybrids, as well as in other triploid or tetraploid hybrids derived from East African highland bananas. Fine-mapping and candidate gene identification will allow characterization of molecular mechanisms underlying TR4 resistance. The markers developed in this study can now aid the marker-assisted selection of TR4 resistance in breeding programs around the world.

In this paper, we introduced many new notions and new contraction named as S-weakly contraction after that we obtained the p-common best proximity point theorems for different types of contractions in the setting of complete metric spaces by using weak P_p-property and proved the uniqueness of these points. Also we presented some examples to prove the validity of our results.

This article will briefly review the progress of h-BN based solid-state metal semiconductor metal (MSM) neutron detectors. In the last decade, several groups have been working on hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) based solid-state neutron detectors. Recently, the detection efficiency of 59% has been reported. Efficient, low-cost neutron detectors made from readily available materials are essential for various applications. Neutron detectors are widely used to detect fissile materials and nuclear power plants for security applications. The most common and widely used neutron detectors are 3He based, which are sometimes bulky, difficult to transport, have high absorption length, need relatively high bias voltage (>1000 V), and have low Q-value (0.764 MeV). Also, 3He is not readily available material. Thus, there is a strong need to find an alternative detection material. 10B isotope has a high neutron absorption cross-section, and it has been tested as a coating on the semiconducting materials. Due to the two-step process, neutron capture through 10B, and then electron-hole pair generation in a typical semiconducting material, the efficiency of these devices is not up to the mark. The progress in h-BN based detectors requires a review to envision the further improvement in this technology.

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS) is induced by thiamine deficiency (TD) and mainly related to alcohol consumption. Frontal cortex dysfunction has been associated to impulsivity and disinhibition in WKS patients. The pathophysiology involves oxidative stress, excitotoxicity and inflammatory responses leading to neuronal death, but the relative contributions of each factor (alcohol and TD, isolate or in interaction) to these phenomena are still poorly understood. A rat model was used by forced consumption of 20% (w/v) alcohol for 9 months (CA), TD hit (TD diet + pyrithiamine 0.25 mg/kg, i.p. daily injections the last 12 days of experimentation; TDD), and both combined treatments (CA+TDD). Motor and cognitive performance and cortical damage were examined. CA caused hyperlocomotion as a possible sensitization of ethanol-induced excitatory effects and recognition memory deficits. In addition, CA+TDD animals showed a disinhibited-like behavior, which appears to be dependent on TDD. Also, combined treatment led to more pronounced alterations in nitrosative stress, lipid peroxidation, apoptosis and cell damage markers. Correlations between injury signals and disinhibition suggest that CA+TDD disrupts behaviors dependent on the frontal cortex. Our study sheds light on the potential disease-specific mechanisms, reinforcing the need for neuroprotective therapeutic approaches along with preventive treatments for the nutritional deficiency in WKS.

In this review, we address issues that relate to the rapid “Warp Speed” development of vaccines to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. We review the antibody response that is triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection of humans, and how it may inform vaccine research. The isolation and properties of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies from COVID-19 patients provide additional information on what vaccines should try to elicit. The nature and longevity of the antibody response to coronaviruses are relevant to the potency and duration of vaccine-induced immunity. We summarize the immunogenicity of leading vaccine candidates tested to date in animals and humans, and discuss the outcome and interpretation of virus-challenge experiments in animals. By far the most immunogenic vaccine candidates for antibody responses are recombinant proteins, which are not included in the initial wave of “Warp Speed” immunogens. A substantial concern for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is adverse events, which we review by considering what was seen in studies of SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV vaccines. We conclude by outlining the possible outcomes of the “Warp Speed” vaccine program, which range from the hoped-for rapid success to a catastrophic adverse influence on vaccine uptake generally.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-intoxicating compound extracted from Cannabis sativa, showing antidepressant-like effects in different rodent models. However, inconsistent results have been described depending on the species and the strain used to assess depressive-like behaviour. Moreover, only a few studies have investigated the effect of CBD in female rodents. Therefore, we aimed to i) investigate the effects of CBD in two different strains of mice (Swiss and C57BL/6) and in a rat model of depression based on selective breeding (Flinders Sensitive and Resistant Lines, FSL and FRL) subjected to tests predictive of antidepressant-like effects; and ii) investigate the influence of sex in the effects of CBD in both mice and rats. CBD induced an antidepressant-like effect in male Swiss but not in female Swiss or C57BL/6 mice in the tail suspension test (TST). In male FSL rats, CBD produced an antidepressant-like effect one-hour post-injection. However, in female FSL, CBD induced a bimodal effect, increasing the immobility time at one hour and decreasing it at two hours. Ketamine produced an antidepressant-like effect in male and female FSL rats at different doses. In conclusion, strain, sex, and administration time affect CBD's behavioural response to rodents exposed to tests predictive of antidepressant effects.

A brand-new approach to the understanding of breast cancer (BC) is urgently needed. In this contribution, the etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of this disease is approached from the new pH-centric anticancer paradigm. Only this Unitarian perspective based upon that the hydrogen ion (H+) dynamics of cancer, allows understanding and integrating the many dualisms, confusions, and paradoxes of the disease. The new H+-related wide range model can embrace under a unique frame of mind the many aspects of the disease and at the same time therapeutically interfere with most, if not with all, the hallmarks of cancer known to date. The pH-related armamentarium available for the treatment of BC here reviewed may be beneficial for all types and stages of the disease. In this vein, we have attempted a mega synthesis of traditional and new knowledge in the different areas of breast cancer research and treatment based upon the wide range approach afforded by the hydrogen ion dynamics of cancer. The concerted utilization of a pH-related drugs nowadays available for the treatment of breast cancer is advanced.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) can be triggered by different factors and create a complex health situation. In the last decades incidence has been increasing. This situation is a clear example of how humans, viruses, and the environment are all connected. In the 90s cases related to CFS, com-plaints about a feeling of chronic fatigue, inability for everyday tasks, dull pain, cephalalgia, de-pression, anxiety, poor concentration. Clinical tests for EBV, HHV, CMV, IgG, IgM, T4 and T8 subsets were tested, along with hormones and hemogram tests. Most of the cases were women. The timeline of the medical history showed also myomas, breast lumps, premenstrual syndrome previously to CFS development. The nature of these conditions promoted the idea of a possible common link among them and CFS. Some cases also suffered from allergies, food intolerances, candidiasis, intestinal impairment, thyroid implications, endometriosis. As an initial working hypothesis, The Liver Link (TLL) was proposed in order to understand those different conditions affecting body, mind and emotional wellbeing. Considering liver implication can make a differ-ence in treatment and recovery. Low grade inflammatory conditions are related to Th2 predom-inance and liver functions. Functional disharmonies are very important because they usually still do not appear in any conventional tests. In 2002, TLL was presented as a framework to explain the concomitance of CFS and other conditions and the relationship with some viruses such as EBV, HHV, CMV, as a lecture in a congress at the University of Westminster (London). When SARS-CoV-2 outbroke, TLL helped to warn about the post-covid syndrome more likely to occur in specific individuals.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major food-borne pathogen. The ability of S. aureus to produce biofilm is a significant virulence factor triggering its persistence in hostile environments. In this study, we screened a total of 420 different food samples and human hand swabs to detect S. aureus and to determine their biofilm formation ability. Samples analyzed were meat, milk, egg, fish, fast foods, and hand swabs. S. aureus were detected by culturing, staining, biochemical, and PCR. Biofilm formation ability was determined by Congo Red Agar (CRA) plate and Crystal Violet Microtiter Plate (CVMP) tests. The icaA, icaB, icaC, icaD, and bap genes involved in the synthesis of bio-film-forming intracellular adhesion compounds were detected by PCR. About 23.81% (100/420; 95% CI: 14.17-29.98%) samples harbored S. aureus as revealed by detection of the nuc gene. CRA plate revealed 20% of S. aureus isolates as strong biofilm producers, while 69% and 11% as in-termediate and non-biofilm producers, respectively. By the CVMP staining method, 20%, 77%, and 3% of the isolates were found strong, intermediate, and non-biofilm producers. Furthermore, 21% of S. aureus isolates carried at least one biofilm-forming gene, where icaA, icaB, icaC, icaD, and bap genes were detected in 15%, 20%, 7%, 20%, and 10% of the S. aureus isolates, respectively. Bivariate analysis showed high significant correlations (p<0.001) between any of the two adhesion genes of S. aureus isolates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in Bangladesh describing the detection of biofilm-forming S. aureus from foods and hand swabs with molecular-based evidence. Our findings suggest that food samples should be deemed a potential reservoir of biofilm-forming S. aureus that indicates a potential public health significance.

The closed forms of the non-resonant thermonuclear function in the Maxwell-Boltzmann and Tsallis case with depleted tail are obtained in generalized special functions. The results are written in terms of H-function of two variables. The importance of the results in this paper lies in the fact that the reaction rate probability integrals in Maxwell-Boltzmann and Tsallis cases are not obtained by the conventional method of approximation or by means of a single variable transform technique but by means of a two variable transform method. The Behaviour of the depleted non-resonant thermonuclear functions are examined using graphs. The results in the paper are of much interest to astrophysicists and statisticians in their further work in this area.

Helicobacter pylori is the most common human gastric infection. H. pylori stool antigen lateral flow immunochromatography assay (HpSA-LFIA) is considered one of the most cost-effective and rapid non-invasive assays (active tests). The evaluation of this test is crucial for accuracy and utility assurance. This study aimed to evaluate the polyclonal antibody-based HpSA-LFIA in comparison to a monoclonal antibody-based ELISA kit. Methodology: Stool samples were collected from 200 gastric patients for HpSA-LFIA and semi-quantitative HpSA-ELISA. Statistical analysis of the diagnostic values was performed using MedCalc software. Chi-square tests were used to determine the effects of gender and age. Results: The obtained results found that HpSA-LFIA achieved promising sensitivity (93.75%) and NPV (98.00%). However, it had poor specificity, PPV, and accuracy, respectively, 59.76%, 31.25%, and 65.31%. LR+ & LR- were 2.33% & 0.1%, respectively. Gender had no significance on the di-agnostic parameters of HpSA-LFIA. Age groups had irrelevant sensitivity; however, specificity was significantly higher in patients over 45 years. Conclusion: It was concluded that HpSA-LFIA was not accurate enough to be the sole test for di-agnosis and needs other confirmatory tests in case of positive conditions

Efficient and uninterrupted energy supply plays crucial role in the quality of the modern daily life, while it is obvious that the efficiency and performance of energy supply companies has significant impact on energy supply itself, and on determining and finetuning the future roadmap of the sector. In this study, the performance and efficiency of energy supply companies with respect to productivity is investigated over a case study of an electricity distribution company in Turkey. The factors affecting the company’s performance and their corresponding weights have been determined and elicited using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the Fuzzy AHP methods, as two well-known multi-criteria decision-making methods, which are two well-known prominent methods widely used in the literature. The results help demonstrate that the criteria elicited to evaluate the company’s energy supply performance plan a crucial role in developing strategies, policies and action plans to achieve continuous improvement and consistent development.

Glyceraldehyde 3–phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a key glycolytic enzyme, which is crucial for the breakdown of glucose to provide cellular energy. Over the past decade, GAPDH has been reported to be one of the most prominent cellular targets of post-translational modifications (PTMs), which divert GAPDH towards different non-glycolytic functions. Hence, it is termed a moonlighting protein. During metabolic and oxidative stress, GAPDH is a target of different oxidative PTMs (oxPTM), e.g. sulfenylation, S-thiolation, nitrosylation and sulfhydration. These modifications alter the enzyme’s conformation, subcellular localization and regulatory interactions with downstream partners, which impact its glycolytic and non-glycolytic functions. In this review, we discuss the redox regulation of GAPDH by different redox writers, which introduce the oxPTM code on GAPDH to instruct a redox response; the GAPDH readers, which decipher the oxPTM code through regulatory interactions and coordinate cellular response via the formation of multi-enzyme signaling complexes; and the redox erasers, which are the reducing systems that regenerate the GAPDH catalytic activity. Human pathologies associated with the oxidation-induced dysregulation of GAPDH are also discussed, featuring the importance of the redox regulation of GAPDH in neurodegeneration and metabolic disorders.

Mitochondria is a cellular source of energy, playing an essential role in cellular stress induced by environmental stimuli. The genetic diversity of mitochondrial genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation affects the production of cellular energy and regional adaptation to various ecological (climatic) pressures influencing amino acid sequences (variants of protein). However, a little is known about the combined effect of protein changes on cell-level metabolic alterations in simultaneous exposure to various environmental conditions, including mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress induction. Present study was designed to address this issue by analyzing the mitochondrial proteins in Fasciola species including Cytochrome C oxidase (COX1, COX2, COX3 and CYTB) and NADH dehydrogenase (ND1, ND2, ND3, ND4, ND5 and ND6). Mitochondrial proteins were used for a detailed computational investigation using available standard bioinformatics tools to explore structural and functional relationships. Our analysis shows that the mitochondrial protein family of Fasciola species are extensively diversified in all species studied, showing an extending role in various biological processes The results showed that the protein of COX1 of F. hepatica, F. gigantica and F. jacksoni consist of 510, 513 and 517 amino acids respectively. The alignment of proteins showed that these proteins are conserved in the same regions at ten positions in COX and CYTB proteins while at twelve locations in NADH. Three dimensional structure of COX, CYTB and NADH proteins were compared and the differences in additional conserved and binding sites in COX and CYTB proteins as compared to NADH were found in three Fasciola species. These results, based on the amino acid diversity pattern, were used to identify sites in the enzyme and the variations in mitochondrial proteins among Fasciola species. This study provides valuable information for future experimental studies including identification of therapeutics, diagnostics and immunoprophylactic interests with novel mitochondrial proteins.

Biofilm formation is important in the free-living and symbiotic lifestyles of Sinorhizobium meliloti. Here we show that the S. meliloti NspS-MbaA system is homologous to the c-di-GMP modulating NspS-MbaA system described in Vibrio cholerae and modulates biofilm formation, exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and motility in S. meliloti in response to exogenous polyamines. Biofilm and EPS production in quorum sensing-deficient wild type strain 1021 decreased in cultures containing putrescine, 1,3-diaminopropane or spermine, but were unaffected in a 1021 nspS mutant (1021 nspS). Decreases in biofilm formation caused by these polyamines paralleled decreases in EPS production and increases in nspS transcription. Cell aggregation did not differ markedly between strain 1021 and 1021 nspS. The S. meliloti quorum sensing-proficient Rm8530 wild type strain and nspS mutant (Rm8530 nspS) produced similar levels of biofilm under control conditions and 3.2- and 2.2-fold more biofilm in cultures with norspermidine, but these changes did not correlate with EPS production. Rm8530 nspS aggregated up to several fold more than the wild type under most conditions. Changes caused by polyamines in swimming and swarming motility were not generally dependent on NspS-MbaA in either 1021 or Rm8530. We speculate that the S. meliloti NspS-MbaA system could modulate biofilm formation in response to environmental polyamines.

The biofilm is a conglomerate of cells surrounded by an extracellular matrix, which contributes to the persistence of infections. The difficulty in removing the biofilm drives the research for new therapeutic options. In this work, the effect of terpenes (-)-trans-Caryophyllene, (S)-cis-Verbenol, (S)-(-)-Limonene, (R)-(+)-Limonene, and linalool was evaluated, individually and in combinations on bacterial growth, by assay with resazurin; the formation of biofilm, by assay with violet crystal; and the expression of associated genes, by real-time PCR, in two clinical isolates of S. aureus, ST30-t019 and ST5-t311, responsible for more than 90% of pediatric infections by this pathogen in Paraguay. All combinations of terpenes can inhibit biofilm formation in more than 50% without affecting bacterial growth. The most effective combination was (-)-trans-Caryophyllene and linalool at a 500 μg/mL concentration for each, with an inhibition percentage of 88%. This combination decreased the expression levels of the sdrD, spa, agr, and hld genes associated with the initial cell adhesion stage and quorum sensing. At the same time, it increased the expression levels of the cap5B and cap5C genes related to the production of capsular polysaccharides. The combinations of compounds tested are promising alternatives to inhibit biofilm formation in S. aureus.

The past few years have brought substantial progress toward understanding how human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) enters the remarkably wide spectrum of cell types and tissues that the virus is observed to infect. Neuropilin-2 and platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα) were identified as receptors, respectively, for the trimeric and pentameric glycoprotein H / glycoprotein L (gH/gL) complexes that in large part govern HCMV cell tropism, while CD90 and CD147 were also found to play roles during entry. X-ray crystal structures for the proximal viral fusogen, glycoprotein B (gB), and for the pentameric gH/gL complex (pentamer) were solved. A novel virion gH complex consisting of gH bound to UL116 instead of gL was described, and findings supporting the existence of a stable complex between gH/gL and gB were reported. Additional work indicates that the pentamer promotes a mode of cell-associated spread that resists antibody neutralization, as opposed to the trimeric gH/gL complex (trimer), which appears to be broadly required for the infectivity of cell-free virions. Finally, viral factors such as UL148 and US16 were identified that can influence the incorporation of the alternative gH/gL complexes into virions. We will review these advances and their implications for understanding HCMV entry and cell tropism.

In this paper, a horizontally moving suspended mass pendulum base is designed and controlled using robust control theory. H infinity optimal loop shaping with first and second order desired loop shaping function controllers are used to improve the performance of the system using Matlab/Simulink Toolbox. Comparison of the H infinity optimal loop shaping with first and second order desired loop shaping function controllers for the proposed system have been done to track the desired angular position of the pendulum using step and sine wave input signals and a promising result has been obtained succesfully.

A methodology based on the concepts that arise from Density Functional Theory named Conceptual Density Functional Theory (CDFT) was chosen for the calculation of some global and local reactivity descriptors of the Discodermins A-H family of marine peptides through the consideration of the KID (Koopmans in DFT) technique that was successfully used in previous studies of this kind of molecular systems. The determination of active sites of the studied molecules for different kind of reactivities was achieved by resorting to some CDFT-based descriptors like the Fukui functions as well as the Parr functions derived from Molecular Electron Density Theory (MEDT). A few properties identified with their ability to behave as a drug and the bioactivity of the peptides considered in this examination were acquired by depending on a homology model by studying the correlation with the known bioactivity of related molecules in their interaction with various biological receptors. With the further object of analyzing their bioactivity some parameters of usefulness for future QSAR studies, their predicted biological targets and the the ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion) parameters related to the Discodermins A-H pharmacokinetics are also reported.

In this paper, modelling designing and simulation of a simple voltage amplidyne system is done using robust control theory. In order to increase the performance of the voltage amplidyne system with H ∞ optimal control synthesis and H ∞ optimal control synthesis via ∞-iteration controllers are used. The open loop response of the voltage amplidyne system shows that the system can amplify the input 7 times. Comparison of the voltage amplidyne system with H ∞ optimal control synthesis and H ∞ optimal control synthesis via ∞-iteration controllers to track a desired step input have been done. Finally, the comparative simulation results prove the effectiveness of the proposed voltage amplidyne system with H ∞ optimal control synthesis controller in improving the percentage overshoot and the settling time.

In this paper, the design and analysis of coupled tank water level control system is done using robust control theory. The main aim of this work is to improve level controlling mechanisms in industries and household areas. In this paper, H ∞ and μ –synthesis controllers are designed to improve the level control system. The coupled tank water level control system is designed using the proposed controller’s comparison and tested for tracking a reference level signals (step, sine wave and random) and simulation results have been analyzed successfully. Finally the comparative simulation results prove the effectiveness of the proposed coupled tank water level control system with H ∞ controller for improving the tracking mechanism performance of the system.

We investigate the effect of geopolitical risk on the returns of the Information Technology, Communication Services, and Consumer Staples sector firms within the S&P 500 index. We use the event study methodology and perform more than 17,000 regressions to provide empirical evidence at the sector level that geopolitical risk leads to different responses across these 3 sectors. The response of the Information Technology sector is negative for all event windows under study, except the one spanning 10 days prior to the geopolitical event and 10 days after. The Communication Services sector has positive returns as a result of geopolitical events for all event windows, except the one from the geopolitical event date and 5 days after. The Consumer Staples sector shows a negative impact on geopolitical risk for all event windows except the one from the geopolitical event date and 5 days after, demonstrating a negative correlation to the Communication Services sector.

The sound field properties for non-cavitating marine propellers are studied using FW-H (Ffowcs William-Hawkings) acoustic analogy and BEM (Boundary Element Method) approach. For the first time, the FW-H formula to calculate acoustic pressure generated by the propeller wake sheet is proposed. The corresponding sound signal can be dominant up to several kilometres. Secondly, non-physical fictitious volume flux is observed when the permeable FW-H approach is used together with BEM. The reason is explained and a virtual source correction method is proposed to solve this problem. Furthermore, analytical analyse show that the second thickness term and the first two loading terms in Farassat 1A formula are important, and the others are negligible. The numerical studies show that the permeable FW-H approach produces underestimation when compared to the direct FW-H method, and the underestimation is severer for larger permeable surface and higher frequency. It is also found that the first loading term in Farassat 1A formula is the dominant source term in the direct FW-H method, while the first thickness term is dominant when the permeable FW-H approach is used.

Microcystins (MCs) are cyanobacterial toxins and potent inhibitors of protein phosphatases 1 (PP1) and 2A (PP2A), which are involved in plant cytoskeleton (microtubules and F-actin) organization. Therefore, studies on the toxicity of cyanobacterial products on plant cells have so far being focused on MCs. In this study, we investigated the effects of extracts from 16 (4 MC-producing and 12 non-MC-producing) cyanobacterial strains from several habitats, on various enzymes (PP1, trypsin, elastase), on the plant cytoskeleton and H2O2 levels in Oryza sativa (rice) root cells. Seedling roots were treated for various time periods (1, 12 and 24h) with aqueous cyanobacterial extracts and underwent either immunostaining for α-tubulin or staining of F-actin with fluorescent phalloidin. DCF-DA staining was performed for H2O2 imaging. The enzyme assays confirmed the bioactivity of the extracts of not only MC-rich (MC+), but also MC-devoid (MC-) extracts, which induced major time-dependent alterations on both components of the plant cytoskeleton. These findings suggest that a broad spectrum of bioactive cyanobacterial compounds, apart from MCs or other known cyanotoxins (such as cylindrospermopsin), can affect plants by disrupting the cytoskeleton.

INTRODUCTION: Superficial cutaneous bacterial infections have a high incidence in geriatric patients. The most implicated pathogens are gram-positive cocci (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes) while gram-negative germs are also implicated. Resistances to common topical antibiotics (mupirocin, fusidic acid) require alternatives to gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms.Ozenoxacin cream for topical use (non-fluorinated bactericidal quinolone), in other countries and with other galenics, is indicated in children older than 6 months and in adults as a treatment of superficial bacterial infections, such as acne. In Spain, ozenoxacin cream is indicated only for non-bullous impetigo; scientific evidence show effectiveness also in other superficial skin bacterial infections.A cases series of clinical use of ozenoxacin in bacterial superficial skin infections in geriatric patients (institutionalized or community dwelling) is presented.METHODS: Multicenter case series (March-August 2022) of bacterial superficial skin infections treated with ozenoxacin cream (10mg/g every 12h, 5days); data from medical records (controls: 1-3-5 days), after obtaining informed consent (use of data and images).RESULTS: Series of 28 patients (mean age: 84,79) from nine nursing homes and one outpatient geriatric service, including acute and subacute/chronic cases.In all cases treatment was ozenoxacin 10mg/g topical cream applied every 12 hours for 5 days according to medical prescription (except for one case in which 3 days were enough for complete healing and another case treated for 10 days).Results showed complete healing in all 20 acute cases and significant clinical improvement in all subacute/chronic cases (with complete healing in one of them). Professionals scored the effectiveness in acute cases as a mean 4.5 points (maximum score: 5, p<.0001) and in subacute/chronic cases as 3.8 points (p=.010).There was no skin irritation or other adverse effects in anyone of the patients, and clinical improvement of pain, itching and other symptoms was observed, suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our results seem to demonstrate the effectiveness and tolerability of ozenozacin cream in bacterial infections other than non-bullous impetigo. Ozenoxacin cream is indicated only for the treatment of non-bullous impetigo; however, it is also shown to be effective, both in the scientific evidence and in our case series, for other superficial bacterial skin infections, both acute and subacute/chronic, suggesting the opportunity for clinical studies with an experimental design to evaluate the findings of clinical practice and to be able to have a therapeutic alternative to compensate for the complications of the appearance of resistance.

In this study, we define new classes of convexity called of h-Godunova-Levin and h-Godunova-Levin preinvexity, through which some new inequalities of Hermite-Hadamard type were established. These new classes are the generalisation of several known convexity including the s-convex, P-function, Godunova-Levin. Further, the properties of h-Godunova-Levin function were also discussed. Meanwhile, the applications of h-Godunova-Levin Preinvex function are given

Vehicle windshield wiper system increases the driving safety by contributing a clear shot viewing to the driver. In this paper, modelling, designing and simulation of a vehicle windshield wiper system with robust control theory is done successfully. H∞ loop shaping and robust pole placement controllers are used to improve the wiping speed by tracking a reference speed signals. The reference speed signals used in this paper are step and sine wave signals. Comparison of the H∞ loop shaping and robust pole placement controllers based on the two reference signals is done and convincing results have been obtained. Finally the comparative results prove the effectiveness of the proposed H∞ Loop Shaping controller to improve the wiping mechanism for the given two reference signals.

Inspired by the work of S. D. Odintsov and V. K. Oikonomou, Phys. Rev. D 92, 024016 (2015) [1], the present study reports a reconstruction scheme for f (R) gravity with the scale factor a(t) µ (t _* - t) _c²²describing the pre-bounce ekpyrotic contraction, where t is the big crunch time. The reconstructed f (R) is used to derive expressions for density and pressure contributions and the equation of state parameter resulting from this reconstruction is found to behave like "quintom". It has also been observed that the reconstructed f (R) has satisfied a sufficient condition for a realistic model. In the subsequent phase the reconstructed f (R) is applied to the model of chameleon scalar field and the scalar field f and the potential V(f) are tested for quasi-exponential ex pansion. It has been observed that although the reconstructed f (R) satisfies one of the sufficient conditions for realistic model, the quasi-exponential expansion is not available due to this reconstruction. Finally, the consequences pre-bounce ekpyrotic inflation i n f (R) gravity are compared to the background solution for f (R) matter bounce.

The ongoing electrification of the heat and transport sectors is expected to lead to a substantial increase in peak electricity demand over the coming decades, which may drive significant investment in network reinforcement in order to maintain a secure supply of electricity to consumers. The traditional way of security provision has been based on conventional investments such as the upgrade of the capacity of electricity transmission or distribution lines. However, the energy storage technology can also provide security of supply, thereby constituting a cost-efficient alternative to expensive conventional reinforcements. In this context, the current paper presents a methodology for the economic quantification of the security contribution of energy storage. This methodology makes use of mathematical optimization for the calculation of the F-factor metric, which reflects the optimal amount of peak demand reduction as compared to the power capability of the energy storage asset. In this context, a case study is presented in which the security contribution of energy storage is analyzed as a function of its power capability, energy capacity and efficiency as well as of characteristics of load patterns.

This paper reports an experimental investigation on compression after low-velocity impact response for two lay-up configurations of symmetric CFRP laminated composite specimens obtained by reversing their angle-ply orientation, namely [0/-45/45/90]s versus [90/45/-45/0]s, the impact velocity of the projectile up to the BVID level being subsequently considered. To this aim, a modified Compression-After-Impact (CAI) test device is proposed that involves clamping the specimen's upper and lower edges between two adjustable wide and flat anti-buckling plates through a removable bolt-nut assembly. Such a solution relies on the fact that the specimen's active length is shortened, reducing the risk of global buckling. Besides, the bolts carry part of the load with minor localized bearing damage, provided that the metallic plates act as washers by supporting the bolt-bearing region laterally, thus avoiding crashing failures at the specimens’ loaded edges. With these settings, roughly the same percent decrease in the average values of maximum compression load (i.e., 22%) was recorded for both lay-up configurations impacted up to their BVID threshold, whereas in terms of compressive stiffness behavior, a reduction of 17 % was found for [0/-45/45/90]s specimens compared to 6 % obtained for [90/45/-45/0]s specimens.

In this paper, we investigated the trajectory of the massive particle in the vicinity of a general spherical symmetric black hole. Also, in the framework of general sphericalily symmetric black hole, Pseudo-Newtonian potential (PNP) and effective potentials has been investigated. As an example, static spherically symmetric black hole in f(R) gravity is considered and presented the brief discussion on the structure of spacetime and horizons. We calculated energy and angular momentum in the framework of general relativity as well as in Pseudo-Newtonian theory. A graphical comparison of angular momentum in this both framework has been studied.

This prospective study provides data on long-term humoral immunogenicity of a heterologous off-label vaccine regimen combining the adenoviral vectored ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 from Astra-Zeneca (ChAd) with the mRNA-1273 vaccine from Moderna (m1273) in comparison to two different homologous mRNA vaccine schedules. Of the 316 COVID-19 naïve adult health care workers (HCW) included to complete a survey on vaccine-associated symptoms (VAS), 197 had received the homologous BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT/BNT), 76 the homologous m1273/m1273, and 43 the heterologous ChAd/m1273 vaccine regimen. Concentration of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in plasma 5-7 months after the second vaccine dose was higher in the m1273/m1273 and ChAd/m1273 than the BNT/BNT vaccine group. The frequency of systemic VAS after first vaccine dose was 86% after ChAd compared to 35% and 39% after BNT and m1273, respectively (p &lt; 0.0001), and after second vaccine dose highest (89%) in the m1273/m1273 group (p &lt; 0.001). Individuals with systemic VAS achieved higher levels of antibodies irrespective of vaccine regimen. In conclusion, VAS serve as a strong predictor of long-term humoral immune response, and the heterologous ChAd/m1273 vaccine regimen provides an at least equal long-term humoral immune response compared with the standard vaccine regimens used in Denmark.

Sentiment analysis to characterize properties of Bitcoin prices and their forecasting is here developed thanks to the capability of the Fuzzy transform to capture stylized facts and mutual connections between time series having different nature. Six years of daily Bitcoin Prices and Google Trends are analyzed in order to establish new perspectives in the management of their dynamics.

In this article, the new Hermite–Hadamard type inequalities are studied via generalized s-convexity on fractal sets. These inequalities derived on fractal sets are shown to be the generalized s-convexity on fractal sets. We proved that the absolute values of the first and second derivatives for the new inequalities are the generalization of s-convexity on fractal sets.

This paper aims to unify q-derivative/q-integral and h-derivative/h-integral in a single definition, this will be called q−h-derivative/q−h-integral. These notions are further extended on finite interval [a,b] in the form of left and right q−h-derivatives and q−h-integrals. Some inequalities are studied for q−h-integrals which are directly connected with well known results. In diverse fields of science and engineering the theory based on q-derivatives/q-integrals and h-derivatives/h-integrals can be unified by using the concept of q−h-derivative/q−h-integral.

BACKGROUND: Ficus thonningii extracts exhibit hypoglycaemic, hypolipidaemic and antioxidant activities. We investigated the potential of methanolic F. thonningii stem-bark extracts (MEFT) to protect growing Sprague-Dawley (SD) against high-fructose diet-induced metabolic derangements (MD) in a model mimicking children fed obesogenic diets. METHODS: Eighty (40 males; 40 females) 21-days old SD rat pups were randomly allocat-ed to and administered, for 8 weeks, five treatment regimens: 1 - standard rat chow (SC) + water (PW), 2 - SC + 20% (w/v) fructose solution (FS), 3 - SC + FS + fenofibrate at 100 mg/kg bwt/day, 4 - SC + FS + low dose MEFT (LD; 50 mg/kg bwt/day) and 5 - SC + FS + high dose MEFT (HD; 500 mg/kg bwt/day). Body weight, glucose load tolerance, fasting blood glucose and triglyceride, plasma insulin concentration, sensitivity to insulin, liver mass and fat content, steatosis and inflammation were determined. RESULTS: Fructose had no effect on the rats’ growth, glucose and insulin concentration, glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity (P>0.05) but increased triglycerides in females; in-duced hepatic microsteatosis and inflammation in both sexes but macrosteatosis in females (P<0.05). In females, MEFT prevented fructose-induced plasma triglyceride increase. Low dose MEFT increased liver lipid content in females (P<0.05). The MEFT protected the rats against hepatic steatosis and inflammation but fenofibrate protected against hepatic mi-crosteatosis. CONCLUSION: MEFT can be used as prophylaxis against dietary fructose-induced ele-ments of MD but caution must be taken as low dose MEFT increases hepatic lipid accretion in females predisposing to fatty liver disease.

In this paper, a multi-mode waveguide-based optical resonator is proposed for an integrated optical refractive index sensor. Conventional optical resonators have been studied for single-mode waveguide-based resonators to enhance the performance, but mass production is limited owing to the high fabrication costs of nano-scale structures. To overcome this problem, we designed an S-bend resonator based on a micro-scale multi-mode waveguide. In general, multi-mode waveguides cannot be utilized as optical resonators, because of a performance degradation resulting from modal dispersion and an output transmission with multi-peaks. Therefore, we exploited the mode discrimination phenomenon using the bending loss, and the resulting S-bend resonator yielded an output transmission without multi-peaks. This phenomenon is utilized to remove higher-order modes efficiently using the difference in the effective refractive index between the higher-order and fundamental modes. As a result, the resonator achieved a Q-factor and sensitivity of 2.3x10³ and 52 nm/RIU, respectively, using the variational finite-difference time-domain method. These results show that the multi-mode waveguide-based S-bend resonator with a wide line width can be utilized as a refractive index sensor.

The Sidi Bou Othmane (SBO) pegmatite district is in the Central Jebilet massif, Occidental Meseta domain, Morocco. The SBO district is hosted essentially in a volcano-sedimentary series composed of the Late-Devonian Sarhlef shales. Pegmatite bodies crop out as dykes, which are oriented from N-S to E-W and are generally variably deformed with ductile and/or brittle structures with ante, syn- or post kinematic criteria. Petrographic observations of pegmatite dykes show that feldspars (i.e., albite, microcline) are the most abundant mineral phases, followed by quartz, micas, with tourmaline and accessory mineral as garnet, and zircon and secondary minerals as clinochlore, sericite, and illite. The geochemical study indicates that, according to the major pegmatite elements dykes of SBO have mainly a S-type granitic composition and are peraluminous granite with calc-alkalic affinity. The study of trace elements pointed out that SBO pegmatite formed under post-orogenic syn-collision context during the Variscan orogeny, by the partial melting of argilliferous sediment and can be ascribed to the muscovite-bearing pegmatite; moreover, they have a good potential on ceramic and contain minerals, such as feldspar, recently assessed as Critical raw materials by European Union.

In this paper, the design and performance investigation of the permanent magnet machines have been done to increase the mechanical and electrical outputs improvement of the systems. A permanent magnet Dc motor (PMDM) and generator (PMDG) have been modelled and designed to improve the angular position and generated current respectively. In this work, augmentation based H 2 optimal and H infinity synthesis controllers have been designed as a controller for the two systems and a comparison between the proposed controller for tracking a reference inputs and a promising results have been obtained.

From the merge of arts and crafts towards a practice for mass production of desirability, consumption and product development in a capitalist economy of scale, design has lost its natural ability of problem comprehension and tension alleviation. The modern world needs the creativity, flexibility, and responsiveness embedded into design practices, mostly when a behavioural change, either individual or organizational, is intended. Still, the informality nature of the field is creating a gap between the study, research, and industrial design practice. Here it is presented the Biology of Creativity Model (BoC) which is a design-by-analogy method that promotes an empowered design practice through analysis of mostly biology reference texts for enhanced creativity and innovation performance in a diverse array of contexts.

The human mandible's cancellous bone, which is characterized by its unique porosity and directional sensitivity to external forces, is crucial for sustaining biting stress. Traditional CAD models fail to fully represent bone's anisotropic structure and thus depend on simple isotropic assumptions. For our research, we use the latest versions of nTopology and Creo Parametric software to make biomimetic Voronoi lattice models that accurately reflect the complex geometry and mechanical properties of trabecular bone. The porosity of human cancellous bone is accurately modeled in this work using biomimetic Voronoi lattice models. The porosities range from 70% to 95%, which can be achieved by changing the pore sizes to 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, and 2.5 mm. Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to examine the displacements, stresses, and strains acting on dental implants with a buttress thread, abutment, retaining screw, and biting load surface. The results show that the Voronoi model accurately depicts the complex anatomy of the trabecular bone in the human jaw, compared to standard solid block models. The ideal pore size for biomimetic Voronoi lattice trabecular bone models is 2 mm, taking into account both the von Mises stress distribution over the dental implant, screw retention, cortical bone, cancellous bone, and micromotions. This pore size displayed balanced performance by successfully matching natural bone's mechanical characteristics. Advanced finite element analysis (FEA) improves biomechanical understanding of how bones and implants interact by creating more accurate models of biological problems and dynamic loading situations. This makes biomechanical engineering better.

In this paper, modelling designing and simulation of a Ward Leonard layout system is done using robust control theory. In order to increase the performance of the Ward Leonard layout system with H infinity optimal control synthesis and H infinity optimal control synthesis via gamma-iteration controllers are used. The open loop response of the Ward Leonard layout system shows that the system needs to be improved. Comparison of the Ward Leonard layout system with H∞ optimal control synthesis and H infinity optimal control synthesis via gamma-iteration controllers to track a desired step speed input have been done. Finally, the comparative simulation results prove the effectiveness of the proposed Ward Leonard layout system with H infinity optimal control synthesis controller in improving the percentage overshoot and the settling time.