Until the 1950s, developmental dyslexia was defined as a hereditary visual disability, selectively affecting reading without compromising oral or non-verbal reasoning skills. This changed radically after the development of the phonological theory of dyslexia; this not only ruled out any role for visual processing in its aetiology, but also cast doubt on the use of discrepancy between reading and reasoning skills as a criterion for diagnosing it. Here I argue that this theory is set at too high a cognitive level to be explanatory; we need to understand the pathophysiological visual and auditory mechanisms that cause children’s phonological problems. I discuss how the ‘magnocellular theory’ attempts to do this in terms of slowed and error prone temporal processing which leads to dyslexics’ defective visual and auditory sequencing when attempting to read. I attempt to deal with the criticisms of this theory and show how it leads to a number of successful ways of helping dyslexic children to overcome their reading difficulties.

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

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the premixed ethanol ratio based on the same total heating value in-cylinder on the equivalence ratio distributions and the injected fuel droplet behavior in the cylinder of the RCCI engine. The spray simulation was conducted by dividing two-part. First, the spray validation simulations progressed to find the spray-influenced factor of the test injector. Next, the engine simulations were performed with the spray-influenced factor obtained from spray validation simulations to investigate the effect of the premixed ethanol ratio based on the same total heating value in-cylinder on the injected fuel atomization and the equivalence ratio distributions. The introduced total heating value was fixed at 595J based on the lower heating value of diesel 14mg. The heating value of the premixed ethanol ratio varied from 0% to 40% based on the same total heating value in-cylinder in steps of 10%. It was revealed that when the premixed ethanol ratio based on the same total heating value in-cylinder was increased, the spray tip penetration value was reduced from the time after 4deg of diesel injection start because of the short injection duration by the small amount of diesel fuel. The SMD value was also more enormous up to 32.58% with increasing the premixed ethanol ratio because of the low kinetic energy of the injected fuel by the short injection duration and the slow evaporation of the injected fuel by the low cylinder temperature.

The paper presents the findings of research on companies in the early stage of development based on the concept of ensuring their sustainability. The starting point is attributes shaping a sustainable model of start-ups. A solution has been proposed and examined that identifies the factors dynamising a business model, which give the company the ability to make fast changes in the configuration of the business model, and that applies stabilizing factors based on the concept of the Triple Bottom Line. The research problem is a response to the phenomena of the bankruptcy of many start-ups that cannot find a way to survive in the long term. The business models of companies in the early stage of development should be designed taking into account the possibility of their dynamic and iterative changes when the earlier assumptions do not work when implemented in practice. A cognitive gap has been observed as the relevant literature does not propose a systemic solution to the problem of instability of the startups viewed from the perspective of the business model concept. The research problem, therefore, is to identify potential new methods to ensure the sustainability of young companies trying to combine aspects dynamising changes in business models, taking into account economic, environmental and social aspects. The findings of research on companies in the early stage of development show that when the methods of increasing the flexibility of the business model are applied and attention is drawn to environmental and social activities and a strong emphasis is put on financial performance, reflecting the expectations of shareholders, the concept of ensuring the sustainability of young companies from the point of view of sustainable business model attributes emerges.

Reading is one of the essential processes during the maturation of an individual. It is estimated that 5-10% of school-age children are affected by dyslexia, the reading disorder characterised by difficulties in the accuracy or fluency of word recognition. There are many studies which have reported that colour overlays and background could improve the reading process, especially in children with reading disorders. As dyslexia has neurobiological origins, the aim of the present research was to understand the relationship between physiological parameters and colour modifications in the text and background during reading in children with and without dyslexia. We have measured differences in electroencephalography (EEG), heart rate variability (HRV), electrodermal activities (EDA), and eye movement of the 36 school-age children (18 with dyslexia and 18 of control group) during the reading performance in 13 combinations of background and overlay colours during the reading task. Our findings showed that the dyslexic children have longer reading duration, fixation count, fixation duration average, fixation duration total, and longer saccade count, saccade duration total, and saccade duration average while reading on white and coloured background/overlay. It was found that the turquoise, turquoise O, and yellow colours are beneficial for dyslexic readers, as they achieved the shortest time duration during the reading tasks when these colours were used. Also, dyslexic children have higher values of beta and the whole range of EEG while reading in particular colour (purple), as well as increasing theta range while reading on the purple overlay colour. We have observed no significant differences between HRV parameters on white colour, except for single colours (purple, turquoise overlay and yellow overlay) where the control group showed higher values for Mean HR, while dyslexic children scored higher with Mean RR. Regarding EDA measure we have found systematically lower values in children with dyslexia in comparison to the control group. Based on present results we can conclude that both colours (warm and cold background/overlays) are beneficial for both groups of readers and all sensor modalities could be used to better understand the neurophysiological origins in dyslexic children.

Nearly half a century has passed since the discovery of cytoplasmic inheritance of human chloramphenicol resistance. The inheritance was then revealed to take place maternally by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Later, a number of mutations in mtDNA were identified as a cause of severe inheritable metabolic diseases with neurological manifestation, and the impairment of mitochondrial functions has been probed in the pathogenesis of a wide range of illnesses including neurodegenerative diseases. Recently growing number of preclinical studies has revealed that animal behaviors are influenced by the impairment of mitochondrial functions and possibly by the loss of mitochondrial stress resilience. Indeed, as high as 54% of patients with one of the most common primary mitochondrial diseases, mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome, present psychiatric symptoms including cognitive impairment, mood disorder, anxiety, and psychosis. Mitochondria are multifunctional organelles which produce cellular energy and play a major role in other cellular functions including homeostasis, cellular signaling, and gene expression, among other. Mitochondrial functions are observed to be compromised and to become less resilient under continuous stress. Meanwhile, stress and inflammation have been linked to the activation of the tryptophan (Trp)-kynurenine (KYN) metabolic system, which observably contributes to development of pathological conditions including neurological and psychiatric disorders. This narrative review discusses the functions of mitochondria and the Trp-KYN system, the interaction of the Trp-KYN system with mitochondria, and the current understanding of the involvement of mitochondria and the Trp-KYN system in preclinical and clinical studies of major neurological and psychiatric diseases.

Abstract: Remarkably, the p53 transcription factor, referred to as “the guardian of the genome”, is not essential for mammalian development. Moreover, efforts to identify p53‑dependent developmental events have produced contradictory conclusions. Given the importance of pluripotent stem cells as models of mammalian development, and their applications in regenerative medicine and disease, resolving these conflicts is essential. Here we attempt to reconcile disparate data into justifiable conclusions predicated on reports that p53‑dependent transcription is first detected in late mouse blastocysts, that p53 activity first becomes potentially lethal during gastrulation, and that apoptosis does not depend on p53. Furthermore, p53 does not regulate expression of genes required for pluripotency in embryonic stem cells (ESCs); it contributes to ESC genomic stability and differentiation. Depending on conditions, p53 accelerates initiation of apoptosis in ESCs in response to DNA damage, but cell cycle arrest as well as the rate and extent of apoptosis in ESCs are p53-independent. In embryonic fibroblasts, p53 induces cell cycle arrest to allow repair of DNA damage, and cell senescence to prevent proliferation of cells with extensive damage.

The oocyte is the major determinant of embryo developmental competence in all mammalian species. Although fundamental advances have been generated in the field of reproductive medicine and assisted reproductive technologies in the past three decades, researchers and clinicians are still trying to elucidate molecular factors and pathways which could be pivotal for the oocyte’s developmental competence. The cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix communications are crucial not only for oocytes but also for multicellular organisms in general. This latter mentioned communication is among others possible due to the Connexin and Pannexin families of large-pore forming channels. Pannexins belong to a protein group of ATP-release channels, therefore of high importance for the oocyte due to its requirements of high energy supply. An increasing body of studies on Pannexins provided evidence that these channels not only play a role during physiological processes of an oocyte but also during pathological circumstances which could lead to the development of diseases or infertility. Connexins are proteins that form membrane channels and gap-junctions, and more precisely, these proteins enable the exchange of some ions and molecules, and therefore playing a fundamental role in the communication between the oocyte and accompanying cells. Herein, the role of Pannexins and Connexins for the processes of oogenesis, folliculogenesis, oocyte maturation and fertilization will be discussed, and at the end of this review, Pannexin and Connexin related pathologies and their impact on the developmental competence of oocytes will be provided.

The voice contains elementary social communication cues, conveying speech, as well as paralinguistic information pertaining to the emotional state and the identity of the speaker. In contrast to vocal-speech and vocal-emotion processing, voice-identity processing has been less explored. This seems surprising, given the day-to-day significance of person recognition by voice. A valuable approach to unravel how voice-identity processing is accomplished is to investigate people who have a selective deficit in recognising voices. Such a deficit has been termed phonagnosia. In the present chapter, we provide a systematic overview of studies on phonagnosia and how they relate to current neurocognitive models of person recognition. We review studies that have characterised people who suffer from phonagnosia following brain damage (i.e. acquired phonagnosia) and also studies, which have examined phonagnosia cases without apparent brain lesion (i.e. developmental phonagnosia). Based on the reviewed literature, we emphasise the need for a careful behavioural characterisation of phonagnosia cases by taking into consideration the multistage nature of voice-identity processing and the resulting behavioural phonagnosia subtypes.

Development encompasses processes that occur at multiple length-scales, includ- ing gene regulatory interactions, cell movements and reorganisation, cell signalling and growth. It is essential that the timing of events in all of these different processes are coordinated to generate well patterned tissues and organs. However, how the timing of intrinsic cell state changes is coordinated with events at the multi-tissue and whole organism level is unknown. Here, we argue that an important mechanism which accounts for integration of timing across levels of organisation is provided by tissue tectonics: i.e. how morphogenetic events driving tissue shape change result in the relative displacement of signalling and responding tissues and coordinate devel- opmental timing across scales. In doing so, tissue tectonics provides a mechanism by which the cell specification events intrinsic to cells can be modulated by the temporal exposure to extracellular signals. This exposure is in turn regulated by higher-order properties of the embryo such as their physical properties, rates of growth and the combination of dynamic cell behaviours impacting tissue morphogenesis. Tissue tec- tonics creates a downward flow of information from higher to lower levels of biological organisation, providing an instance of downward causation in development.

A population dynamics epidemic model is developed that incorporates age of infection and age of vaccination. The model analyzes pre-symptomatic and symptomatic periods of an infected individual in terms of infection age. The model analyzes the efficacy of vaccination in terms of vaccination age. The model is applied to the 2003 SARS epidemic in Taiwan and the current COVID-19 epidemic in New York State.

Hox genes represent an important gene family that is involved in the segmentation pattern and identity of the segments during the formation of the body plan in metazoans. For many years, several studies have sought to establish a correlation between the evolution of these genes and the evolution of large groups of metazoans. Here, we use publicly available sequences of Hox gene clusters to reconstruct the evolutionary history of anterior Hox genes. We show that information harbored by these genes, in part, reflects the evolution and diversification of most animal archetypes, but in many cases, there were conflicts between the evolutionary history of some genes and the history of large groups, these cases may have occurred due to specific and similar selective pressures in relatively distant groups, which may have led to evolutionary convergences. Our findings also reveal that the evolution of Hox genes (and clusters) as a multigene family is consistent to a birth-and-death model constrained by development, where there is a trade-off between a relatively fast gene turnover and their central developmental roles

As a medical student (Granada University Medical School, Spain), interested in Pediatrics, expended countless hours at the hospital pediatric facilities and got to know many of the children and their medical problems. A particular case, still vivid on my mind, awaken my scientific curiosity. One day, walking and talking with a seven years old child he unexpectedly felt down unconscious with multiple, incontrollable and erratic muscular contractions involving face, body and extremities and salivating. I was overwhelmed thinking it was the child’ last hour. At the time, my knowledge of epilepsy was nil. Following the seizures, the child was up, talking and walking with me as if nothing has happened and without any knowledge of the event. What could have caused the brain motor cortex to suddenly discharge that amount of altered activity causing generalized and erratic muscular contractions remains inexplicable. I migrated to USA, become a Pediatric (Developmental) Pathologist and Director of the Pediatrics Autopsy Service (1962-1999) at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, New Hampshire. I carried out countless postmortem studied of children brains, normal (unaltered) as well as those altered by hemorrhagic, hypoxic-ischemic and/or traumatic damage. With an NIH Fellowship, I spend one year (1967-68) at the Cajal Institute (Madrid, Spain) studying Cajal’ old Golgi preparations and learning about the method. Some of my Golgi studies of children’ brains have been published: The Human Brain. Prenatal Development and Structure, Springer, Heidelberg, Germany, 2012. The present monograph explores the developmental neuropathology of selected perinatal cortical injuries through their acute, subacute and chronic stages. Including: a) how an altered neuronal activity evolves in a damaged cortical region; b) how it moves through the cortex (epileptic auras); and c) how it reaches the motor cortex to be discharged as erratic and incontrollable muscular contractions. Understanding these processes should provide insights into the pathogenesis of epilepsy secondary to perinatal brain damage.

In most Eukaryotes, ubiquitin either exists as free monoubiquitin or as a molecule that is covalently linked to other proteins. These two forms cycle between each other and due to the concerted antagonistic activity of ubiquitylating and deubiquitylating enzymes, an intracellular ubiquitin equilibrium is maintained that is essential for normal biological function. However, measuring the level and ratio of these forms of ubiquitin has been difficult and time consuming. In this paper, we have adapted a simple immunoblotting technique to monitor ubiquitin content and equilibrium dynamics in different developmental stages and tissues of Drosophila. Our data show that the level of total ubiquitin is distinct in different developmental stages, lowest at the larval-pupal transition and in three days old adult males, and highest in first instar larvae. Interestingly, the ratio of free mono-ubiquitin remains within 30-50% range of the total throughout larval development, but peaks to 70-80% at the larval-pupal and the pupal-adult transitions. It stays within the 70-80% range in adults. In developmentally and physiologically active tissues, the ratio of free ubiquitin is similarly high, most likely reflecting a high demand for ubiquitin availability. We also used this method to demonstrate the disruption of the finely tuned ubiquitin equilibrium by the abolition of proteasome function or the housekeeping deubiquitylase, Usp5. Our data support the notion that the ubiquitin equilibrium is regulated by tissue- and developmental stage-specific mechanisms.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition, characterized by persistent deficits in communication/social interaction and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities. It is usually identified in childhood, despite late diagnoses in cases of greater functionality. Havighurst proposes a set of fundamental tasks throughout the life cycle, whose achievement is probably compromised in the ASD, even though it lacks scientific evidence. This study innovates, as it is based on Havighurst's theoretical model for understanding the development process of three adults and one young person, diagnosed with ASD level I, at different life stages. Through the methodology of life histories, interviews were subject to content analysis. Results pointed out the early detection and interventions importance, minimizing adversities, above all by those who had late diagnoses. Self-perceived success, not expected, was found in some development tasks (e.g. conscience and morality development). Also were noticed expected limitations related to ASD (e.g. difficulties in relationships with peers and in the labor market inclusion). Probably, in cases of greater severity and less functionality/autonomy, there would be greater failure in development tasks. It is crucial to improve research on this developmental model and on the factors that delay the diagnosis, including cases of different levels of severity.

A model for cell proliferation in developmental fields is derived from information theory using a few biological postulates. The model provides an explanation for the success of the Gompertz equation in describing the growth of embryonic, neoplastic, and regenerative systems. Although this equation has been applied to many growth phenomena, its use has been entirely empirical. A theoretical justification for the use of the Gompertz equation in characterizing developmental processes is presented. The model also accounts for a reported relationship among the parameters of the Gompertz equation. A method for quantification and comparison of the determination of developmental fields at different levels of organization is suggested.

The relationship between perception of anxiety and quality of life in caregivers of children with autism was verified. To verify quality of life, the Short Form Healthy Survey Item was used; perception of anxiety was assessed using the Beck Anxiety Inventory. 80 caregivers of children with autism participated, with 68.7% of caregivers being mothers. Of the total number of caregivers, 68.8% had a severe level of anxiety. Regarding quality of life, they demonstrated greater impairment in Limitation due to physical aspects, Limitation due to emotional aspects, Vitality and Pain. Caregivers with severe anxiety levels had worse quality of life in the domains of pain (p = 0.012), social aspects (p =< 0.001), limitation due to emotional aspects (p = 0.001) and mental health (p =< 0.001). However, in the functional capacity domain, caregivers with a moderate level of anxiety had a better physical capacity score (p = 0.001). There was a negative correlation between the general anxiety score and the general physical (p = 0.029) and general emotional component of quality of life (p =< 0.001). It was found that caregivers of children with ASD present losses related to psychological factors, quality of life and the lack of social support.

In Greece, as in most European countries, the heterogeneity of students leads to conflicts resulting in a general inability of the educational process to function. This review study is focused on modern issues affecting youth and school education procedures such as internet addiction, student behaviour expressed as bullying, and adolescent sexuality development. All sides agree that the most essential purposes of education are to emphasize the cultivation of interpersonal relationships, the development of sociability, and self-esteem, and the prevention. Teachers wanting to respond to the spirit of the times to rationalize the pedagogical process introduced the pedagogical contract as a school practice as a valuable tool in taking control of the class and gaining students' attendance. The teacher's positive attitude will create added value to their knowledge and experiences while helping them to integrate into society.

Pediatric chronic pain is an important public health issue given its notable impact on numerous domains of living. Pediatric chronic pain is also often comorbid with emotional, developmental, or behavioral conditions which can lead to more severe negative outcomes and an even greater reduction in positive outcomes compared to those without comorbidities. Flourishing is a positive outcome that chronic pain status has been shown to impact. We explored flourishing in children aged 6-17 years living with chronic pain as well as those with chronic pain and comorbidities using data from the 2018/2019 National Survey of Child Health. There were significant associa-tions between chronic pain condition status and all demographic variables (sex, age, race/ethnicity, poverty level, parental education, health insurance status). Results of hierarchical logistic regression found that chronic pain condition status significantly predicted flourishing. Children with chronic pain were 2.33 times less likely to flourish, and children with chronic pain plus an emotional, developmental, or behavioral comorbidity were 13 times less likely to flourish than typical peers. Given their significantly lower likelihood of flourishing, there is an urgent need for interventions targeted at children experiencing chronic pain and mental health comor-bidities.

Abstract In order to reduce the failure accidents of conventional packers, a kind of sealing structure of retrievable packers is designed, which can provide reference for optimizing the sealing performance and pressure capacity of packers. And theoretical calculation and experimental research on its sealing performance and pressure capacity are carries out through the finite element analysis on the contact with large deformation based on Abaqus and experimental. The results show that when the rubber cylinder of retrievable packers in the sealing process, the upper packer is subjected to greater stress and mainly plays a sealing role. In order to improve the sealing performance of packer, the height of upper and lower packer should be preferentially selected about 60 mm, the height of middle rubber cylinders should be about 50 mm, and the thickness of packer should be about 21 mm. The newly designed rubber cylinders can meet 150 ℃. Sealing and pressure-bearing function under the condition of 10000 Psi. The rubber cylinder of newly designed can satisfy the function of sealing and pressure-bearing under 140 ℃ and 10000 Psi. The whole experiment shows that the capacity of bearing pressure and sealing is stable, which can better meet the requirements of field use.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine act as inhibitory neurotransmitters. Three types of inhibitory neurons and terminals, GABAergic, GABA/glycine co-releasing, and glycinergic, are orchestrated in the spinal cord neural circuits and play key roles in the regulation of pain, locomotive movement, and respiratory rhythms. Herein, we first describe GABAergic and glycinergic transmission and inhibitory networks, which consist of three types of terminals, in the mature mouse spinal cord. Second, we describe the developmental formation of GABAergic and glycinergic networks, with specific focus on the differentiation of neurons, formation of synapses, maturation of removal systems, and changes in their action. GABAergic and glycinergic neurons are derived from the same domains of the ventricular zone. Initially, GABAergic neurons are differentiated and their axons form synapses. Some of these neurons remain GABAergic in lamina I and II. Many of GABAergic neurons convert to co-releasing state. The co-releasing neurons and terminals remain in the dorsal horn, whereas many of co-releasing ones ultimately become glycinergic in the ventral horn. During the development of terminals and the transformation from radial glia to astrocytes, GABA and glycine receptor subunit compositions markedly change, removal systems mature, and GABAergic and glycinergic action shifts from excitatory to inhibitory.

Now-a-days, the thrust area of materials’ research is to develop multifunctional materials, which have multiple properties in a single functional material. We are interested to develop multifunctional polysilanes having special functional properties such as optical activity and photoluminescence (PL) properties. In this investigation, poly(methyl phenyl silane) (PMPS) was integrated with a chiral unit and a photoactive unit by in situ photopolymerization of (R)-N-(1-phenyl ethyl) methacrylamide (R-NPEMAM) and disperse red 1 methacrylate (DR1MA) monomer in the presence of PMPS. PMPS acted as a macrophotoinitiator and by UV exposure it produced macroradicals which initiated polymerization of chiral and photoactive monomers. Thus a block copolymer of PMPS-b-(R-NPEMAM-ran-DR1MA) was synthesized.The synthesized multifunctional organic inorganic hybrid polymer samples were characterized by FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights of the samples were measured by GPC analysis. The optical, chiroptical and photoluminescence properties were studied. The narrow band at about 1638 cm^-1 is due to C=O stretching vibration of -CONH- of the chiral unit. A wide absorption peaks at 3444 cm^-1 is the characteristic of NH trans stretching vibration of secondary amide group. The asymmetric stretching of NO₂ group appeared at 1481 cm^-1 and the characteristic peak at 1427 cm^-1 was observed due to azo (-N=N-) group stretching of DR1MA unit. The Si-Si band of PMPS appeared at about 462 cm^-1 in FTIR spectra. The optical absorbance observed at 272 nm is due to π-π* transition of aromatic ring and at 330 nm corresponds to σ-σ* transition of Si-Si bond. The other electronic absorption observed in the visible region at 475 nm corresponds to the combined contribution of n-π* and π-π* transition of DR1MA unit. The photoluminescence properties of such polymers were studied for the variation of concentration of the polymer solution and variation with excitation energy such as 275 nm, 325 nm and 475 nm in THF solvent. Such synthesized multifunctional photoactive organic-inorganic polymers having unusual optical, chiroptical and photoluminescence property may find novel optoelectronic (friend foe identification and secretive code identification) applications.

There is a need for developmental screening that is easily administered in resource-poor settings. 1) We hypothesized that known risk factors would predict failed developmental screening on an adapted screening tool in East African children living in poverty. 2) The sample included 100 healthy Ugandan children aged 6-59 months. We adapted a parent-reported developmental screener based on the Child Development Review chart. The primary outcome was failure to meet age-appropriate milestones for any developmental domain. Venous blood was analyzed for lead, and caregivers completed a demographics questionnaire. We used multivariate logistic regression models to determine if elevated blood lead and stunting predicted failure on the screener, controlling for maternal education level, age in months past the lower bound of the child’s developmental age group, and absence of home electricity. 3) In the sample, 14% (n=14) of children failed one or more milestones on the screener. Lead levels or stunting did not predict failing the screener after controlling for covariates. 4) Though this tool was feasibly administered, it did not demonstrate preliminary construct validity and is not yet recommended for screening in high-risk populations. Future research should include a larger sample size and cognitive interviews to ensure it is contextually relevant.

Current-voltage characteristics curves of NFinFET are presented and are fitted with the modi-fied current-voltage (I-V) formulas, where the modified term in the triode region is demon-strated to be indispensable. In the as-known I-V formula, important parameters need determin-ing to make both the measured data and the fitting data as close as possible. Those parameters include kN (associated with the sizes of the transistor and mobility), (associated with Early Voltage), and Vth (the threshold voltage). The differences between the measured data and the fit-ting data vary as the applied source-drain bias, proving that the mobility of the carriers is not consistently constant. On the other hand, a modified formula, called kink effect factor, is nega-tively or positively added simulating solitary heat waves, which disturb the propagation of car-riers and thus influence the Source-Drain current (IDS). The new statistical standard deviations () are then found to be effectively suppressed as the kink effect is taken into account.

This article evaluates Europe's building sector's circular economy (CE). This industry is respon-sible for 42% of energy consumption, more than 50% of extracted materials, 30% of Europe's wa-ter and waste generation, and 35% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study focuses on peer-reviewed articles from Scopus and Web of Science databases. Of the first 1750 publications, 2.9% were eligible for a full-text reading and analysis. Most of the trending studies, 92%, pro-mote the circular economy concept through construction materials rather than analyzing the im-pact of the construction sector on the environment and finding solutions for better implementa-tion, and 41% promote recycling and reuse as the only options. New Design solutions are in 12% of the studies, six-fold more than Law and Legislation, only 2%. Finding an optimal combination of assessing the life cycle of buildings and components and searching for different ways of man-aging the Construction and Demolition Waste at end-of-life is between 33% and 39%. Ultimately, one evaluated CE proposed frameworks for the building industry based on 10R principles varia-tions. One presents an alternative framework for a circular strategy for the building industry that focuses on Upcycling, replacing the Recover principle.

Psychomotor developmental delay in infants includes failure to acquire abilities such as sitting, walking, grasping objects and communication at the ages when most infants have acquired these abilities. Known risk factors include a large number of aspects of family environment, socioeconomic position, problems in pregnancy and birth, and maternal health. It is clinically useful to be able to screen for developmental delay so that healthcare interventions can be considered. The present research used machine learning (random forest) to create an algorithm predicting psychomotor delay in 9-month-old infants using information ascertainable at birth and in early infancy. The dataset was the UK longitudinal Millennium Cohort study. Fifty-two predictors measuring socioeconomic indicators, paternal, family and social support for the mother, beliefs about good parenting, maternal health, pregnancy and birth were included in the initial algorithm. Feature reduction showed that of the 52 variables, birthweight, family income and parents’ ages had the highest feature importance scores and could alone correctly predict developmental delay with over 99% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The relationships between delay and some of the predictors, particularly income, were nonlinear and complex. The results suggest that the risk of psychomotor developmental delay can be identified in early infancy using machine learning, and that the best predictors are factors present prior to birth. Surprisingly, the most important factors included in the present study did not include illnesses during pregnancy such as eclampsia and infections.

The neural crest, a unique cell population originating from the primitive neural field, has a multi-systemic and structural contribution to vertebrate development. At the cephalic level, the neural crest generates most of the skeletal tissues encasing the developing forebrain and provides the prosencephalon with functional vasculature and meninges. Over the last decade, we have demonstrated that the cephalic neural crest (CNC) exerts an autonomous and prominent control on forebrain and sense organs development. The present paper reviews the primary mechanisms by which CNC can orchestrate vertebrate encephalization. Demonstrating the role of the CNC as an exogenous source of patterning for the forebrain provides a novel conceptual framework with profound implications for understanding neurodevelopment. From a biomedical standpoint, these data suggest that the spectrum of neurocristopathies is broader than expected and that some neurological disorders may stem from CNC dysfunctions.

The stele concept is one of the oldest enduring concepts in plant biology. This paper reviews the concept and its foundations, and builds an argument for an updated view of steles and their evolution. The history of studies of stelar organization has generated a widely ranging array of definitions of the stele that determine the way we classify steles and construct scenarios about the evolution of stelar architecture. Because at the level of the organism biological evolution proceeds by, and is reflected in, changes in development, concepts of structure need to be grounded in development in order to be relevant in an evolutionary perspective. For the stele, most of the traditional definitions that incorporate development have viewed it as the totality of tissues that either originate from procambium – currently the prevailing view – or are bordered by a boundary layer (e.g., endodermis). A definition of the stele that would bring consensus between these perspectives recasts the stele as a structural entity of dual nature. Here, I review briefly the history of the stele concept, basic terminology related to stelar organization, and traditional classifications of the steles. I then revisit boundary layers from the perspective of histogenesis as a dynamic mosaic of developmental domains. I use classic and recent anatomical and molecular data to reaffirm and explore the importance of boundary layers for stelar organization. Drawing on data from comparative anatomy, developmental regulation, and the fossil record, I offer a model for a stele concept that integrates both the boundary layer and the procambial perspective, consistent with a dual nature of the stele. The dual stele model posits that stelar architecture is determined in the apical meristem by two major cell fate specification events: a first one that specifies a provascular domain and its boundaries, and a second event that specifies a procambial domain (which will mature into conducting tissues) from cell subpopulations of the provascular domain. If the position and extent of the developmental domains defined by the two events are determined by different concentrations of the same morphogen (most likely auxin), then the distribution of this organizer factor in the shoot apical meristem, as modulated by changes in axis size and the effect of lateral organs, can explain the different stelar configurations documented among tracheophytes. This model provides a set of working hypotheses that incorporate assumptions and generate implications that can be tested empirically. The model also offers criteria for an updated classification of steles that is in line with current understanding of plant development. In this classification, steles fall into two major categories determined by the configuration of boundary layers – boundary protosteles and boundary siphonosteles, each with subtypes defined by the architecture of the vascular tissues. Validation the dual stele model and, more generally, in-depth understanding of the regulation of stelar architecture, will necessitate targeted efforts in two areas: (i) the regulation of procambium, vascular tissue, and boundary layer specification in all extant vascular plants, considering that most of the diversity in stelar architecture is hosted by seed-free plants, which are the least explored in terms of developmental regulation; (ii) the configuration of vascular tissues and, especially, boundary layers, in as many extinct species and lineages as possible.

Our search of existing cancer databases aimed to assess the current landscape and identify key needs. We analyzed 71 databases, focusing on genomics, proteomics, lipidomics, and glycomics. We found a lack of cancer-related lipidomic and glycomic databases, indicating a need for further development in these areas. Proteomic databases dedicated to cancer research were also limited. To assess overall progress, we included human non-cancer databases in proteomics, lip-idomics, and glycomics for comparison. This provided insights into advancements in these fields over the past eight years. We also analyzed other types of cancer databases, such as clinical trial databases and web servers. Evaluating user-friendliness, we used the FAIRness principle to assess findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability. This ensured databases were easily accessible and usable. Our search summary highlights significant growth in cancer databases while identifying gaps and needs. These insights are valuable for researchers, clinicians, and database developers, guiding efforts to enhance accessibility, integration, and usability. Addressing these needs will support advancements in cancer research and benefit the wider cancer community.

(1) Background: Truing to find a fast and representative method for the approximate calculation of the culture density and the cell content of useful pigments, the examination of the absorption spectra of cultures of the dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae, the haptophyte Isochrysis galbana, the chlorophyte Nephroselmis sp. and the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. were chosen, as representative species of different taxa. (2) Methods: The experimental cultures were made in small volumes with the discontinuous method, under specific conditions each one and during the culture the absorption spectra, the density of the culture and the concentration in the pigments chlorophyll, total carotenoids and phycocyanin was recorded. (3) Results: The algal density can be quite precisely predicted as the regression equation of the correlation of the OD value of 750 nm drawn from each absorption spectrum and the measured algal biomass was very strong. The same applies also for the relevant correlations between OD 750 nm and the recorded pigments. (4) Conclusions: Absorption spectra of microalgal cultures can be an easy, low cost and non-invasive method to get the necessary information for predicting the right time to collect an ideal combination of maximum biomass and useful pigments, provided that the interpretation of the spectra is done considering that they are usefully applicable for that purpose in a case sensitive manner in terms of species and prevailing conditions.

Microsoft has implemented several measures to defend against macro viruses, including the use of Anti-malware Scan Interface (AMSI) and automatic macro blocking. Nevertheless, evidence shows that threat actors have found ways to bypass these mechanisms. As a result, phishing emails continue to apply malicious macros as their essential attack vector. In this paper, we analyze 77 obfuscation features from the attacker’s point of view and extract 46 suspicious keywords in macro. We first combine the above two types of features to train machine learning models on a public dataset. Then, we carry out the same experiment on self-constructed dataset, a collection of newly discovered samples, to see if our proposed method could discover the unseen malicious macros. Experimental results demonstrate that, comparing with the existing researches, our proposed method has a higher detection rate and better consistency. Furthermore, ensemble multi-classifiers with distinct feature selection further improve the detection performance.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disease that causes chronic pain and disability. Different innate immune components, including macrophages, T cells, and neutrophils, participate in osteoarthritis pathophysiology. Neutrophils are the most abundant circulating leukocytes with multiple specialized functions contributing to innate and adaptive immune functions. Although neutrophils produce proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, reactive oxygen species (ROS), matrix-degrading enzymes, and neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) that promote joint degradation as the first recruit cells in an inflamed joint, these cells also play an important role in joint repair by regulating the immune response, releasing anti-inflammatory factors, and activating some protective genes. In this review, various aspects of neutrophil biology, their role in inflammation and its association with osteoarthritis, and possible therapeutic approaches to target neutrophils for the treatment of osteoarthritis are described. Understanding neutrophil heterogeneity and their mechanisms of action in joint inflammation, provides a potential strategy for OA management.

Infectious illnesses have always posed a threat to human health, with tuberculosis (TB) being a major concern. The use of various medications and antibiotics in the fight against such illnesses has led to the emergence of drug-resistant infectious diseases, which have become increasingly dif-ficult to manage as medical and scientific research has advanced. Inadequate medical infrastruc-ture, incorrect treatment practices that exacerbate resistance patterns, and transmission within communities and healthcare facilities are the main factors contributing to the spread of drug-resistant TB. Though treating individuals with multiple drug resistance (MDR) and extreme drug resistance (XDR) strains is challenging, early identification of resistance and the imple-mentation of a well-designed treatment regimen can result in a cure. Community-based inter-ventions that address socioeconomic barriers to adherence can also enhance treatment outcomes. While there have been few studies and proposed conceptual models on how to manage and prevent various drug-resistant TB mutations and lineages, a model aimed at limiting and controlling such mutations has been developed. This paradigm seeks to bridge the gap by facilitating the exchange of knowledge among healthcare professionals (HCP) in healthcare facilities (HCF), diagnostic laboratories (DL), and research institutes (RI), particularly for underprivileged communities in the Eastern Cape. The model guide will also monitor and evaluate TB management plans

Plants belonging to the genus Irvingia are widespread across the African and Southeast Asian regions of the world. Irvingia gabonensis, Irvingia malayana, and Irvingia grandifolia are among the commonly used species in ethnomedicine, especially in Africa. Fever, scabies, toothache, inflammation, and liver and gastrointestinal disorders are among the pathological conditions that are reverted by Irvingia plants upon traditional preparations. Modern pharmacological investigations have substantiated the ethnomedicinal uses of Irvingia spp. Reports on the phytochemical analysis of Irvingia plants have revealed the presence of a number of secondary metabolites, such as flavonoids, phenolic compounds, tannins, saponins and alkaloids. Based on the foregoing, the present study provides a comprehensive evaluation of reports on the ethnomedicinal use, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicity of plants from the genus Irvingia. Relevant information on Irvingia plants was mostly obtained from major scientific databases from their inception until July 2023. As a result, more than forty compounds have been identified in Irvingia spp. proving the abundance of secondary metabolites in these plants. Reports have pointed out modern pharmacological activities, such as antiprotozoal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities. The present study provides more insights for the successful utilization of Irvingia plants and may guide further research on their therapeutic potential in the treatment of various diseases.

Kondo and collaborators recently reported the absence of Hox temporal collinearity in Xenopus tropicalis. They found none in the initiation of accumulation of Hox transcripts (detected via RNA seq). And none in the initial expression sequence of primary unprorocessed transcripts (Identified by using qRT-PCR against introns or intron-exon boundaries). Nor in the initial acquisition by Hox gene DNA of a mark for active chromatin. These findings are in conflict with the idea that temporal collinearity has to do with the initiation of Hox gene transcription or with the opening of and a progression from repressed to active states in Hox chromatin. But collinear acquisition of the same active chromatin mark has been shown by others in murine 5’ Hoxd cluster genes.The reason for this difference is unknown . This careful study thus indicated that the initiation phase of Hox expression shows no temporal collinearity in X. tropicalis. A previous study in X. laevis from the same group also showed that the sequence of times for reaching (normalised) half maximal Hox expression showed no temporal collinearity. These conclusions are likely to be correct. These authors do however also conclude that “experimental evidence for the temporal collinearity hypothesis is not strong” There is however strong evidence that Hox temporal collinearity does occur in early vertebrate embryos. Below. I present and discuss 3 lines of evidence to resolve the present conflict I argue that Hox temporal collinearity actually does exist and that it is part of a central mechanism in early development.

Climate change is affecting the planet, compromising survival and altering forest ecosystems. Investigating climatic variations in all regions is important. The aim of this research was to assess such variations in the W and Pendjari Biosphere Reserves in Benin from 1985 to 2015 and predict climate up to 2045. Drought frequency was assessed by using the Standardized Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and correlation was performed between climatic variables. Then a predictive analysis was computed. From 1985 to 2015, there was change in the climate with few severe dry and wet years while no extreme climatic condition was noticed. Most of the years showed nearly normal climatic conditions. The predicted climate indicates an absence of extreme conditions up to 2045 but an increase in the annual humidity is expected. A low decrease in annual mean temperature with high confidence is expected. Decision-makers can better organize adaptation programs and sensitize people in the reserves on their role in environmental conservation and mitigation of climate change using these outputs.

We investigated preschool-aged children’s understanding of early fractional tasks and how that performance correlates with fine motor skills and use of gestures while counting. Participants were 33 preschoolers aged 4 to 5 in two Southeastern public elementary schools. Children were tested individually in an interview-like setting. Mathematics tasks were presented in a paper and pencil format and the Grooved Pegboard test assessed fine motor skills. Finally, utilization of gestures was evaluated by taking a behavioral rating of the child’s hand morphology, accuracy of gestures, and synchrony of gestures and spoken word while performing a counting task. Results indicate performance on fractional reasoning tasks significantly predicts both fine motor ability and accuracy of gestures.

Viral infections cause metabolic dysregulation in the infected organism. The present study used metabolomics techniques and machine learning algorithms to retrospectively analyze the alter-ations of a broad panel of metabolites in the serum and urine of a cohort of 126 patients hospi-talized with COVID-19. Results were compared with those of 50 healthy subjects and 45 COVID-19 negative patients but with bacterial infectious diseases. Metabolites were analyzed by gas chro-matography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The main metabolites al-tered in the sera of COVID-19 patients were those of pentose glucuronate interconversion, ascorbate and fructose metabolism, nucleotide sugars, and nucleotide and amino acid metabolism. Alterations in serum maltose, mannonic acid, xylitol, or glyceric acid metabolites segregated positive patients from the control group with high diagnostic accuracy, while succinic acid seg-regated positive patients from those with other disparate infectious diseases. Increased lauric acid concentrations were associated with severity of infection and death. Urine analyses could not discriminate between groups. Targeted metabolomics and machine learning algorithms facilitated the exploration of the metabolic alterations underlying COVID-19 infection, and to identify po-tential biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease.

In an age of market liberalization, globalization, and expanding agribusiness, there is a danger that small-scale farmers will find difficulty in fully participating in the market economy. One of the solutions to solve the above situation is to strengthen linkages between farmers and firms through contract farming. The purpose of this study is to assess the factors affecting the level of linkages between businesses and farmers in crop development in Thai Binh province, Vietnam. The two main research methods used were exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and regression analysis with survey data which was conducted from 300 farmers, 10 firms, and 15 factors related to contract-farming. The results indicated that there are 5 factors that significantly affect the level of participation of farmers in the linking process, the order of impacts from strong to weak is as follows: (1) Commitment and sharing of benefits and risks between farmers and firms in the linking process, (2) Issues related to management skills and enterprises capacity of link firms, (3) Price issues that farmers are interested in in the process of implementing links with firms, (4) Policy environment - Institutions related to farmer contracts between firms and farmers, (5) Household awareness about the benefits brought about by farmer contracts with firms. Based on results, a number of specific solutions have been proposed to enhance the efficiency of farming contracts between firms and farmers in cultivation production.

This study examines the effects and durability of postural exercise on gait kinematics in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Thirty-four men with mild IDD were assigned to either the training group (n = 19) or the control group (n = 15). The TG performed the intervention over 8 weeks, 3 days/week, 1 h/day. The results indicated that the intervention program had a significant effect on some variables of gait. Also, in the TG between post-test and follow-up, there was no significant difference, which indicated that gait variables were maintained by the TG one month after the end of the program. This study provides evidence that postural exercises can be used as an effective intervention for improving gait in individuals with IDD.

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) are highly heterogeneous in virulence; we wanted to understand the pathogenic potential of EAEC isolated various clinical and non-clinical sources in an animal model. We infected male BALB/c mice in six mice/group with 50 EAEC isolates, isolated from clinical and non-clinical sources. We studied colonization, weight loss, stool shedding, inflammatory markers and its relationship with 21 virulence genes and phylogroups, EAEC organ burden and histopathological changes. We detected significantly more inflammatory changes and fecal lactoferrin and calprotectin levels in mice infected with EAEC isolated from symptomatic cases. In clinical EAEC isolates, the presence of chromosomal genes {(aap (46%), aaiC (23.3%), and SPATEs (pet (13.3%), sat (20%), sigA and pic (6.6%)}, adhesive variants {(agg4A (53.3%), aggA (53.3%), aafA (36.6%), agg3A (40%)} of EAEC, and master regulator gene aggR (66.6%) were associated with higher levels of lactoferrin and calprotectin. Also, 70% (9/13) of EAEC isolated from acute diarrheal cases bearing chuA (70%) in our study were assigned to group B2 (4 isolates) and D (5 isolates). Real-time PCR analysis revealed that colonization by EAEC strains from different clinical and non-clinical sources occurs up to 10-15 days of life. Even from non-diarrhoeal stools and non-clinical sources, had the potential to cause prolonged colonization, weight loss, and inflammation in the intestine though the degree varied. Moreover, better understanding of EAEC pathogenic pathways is desperately needed in different clinical scenarios.

This research aims to examine the level of readiness of the community to carry out sustainable tourism development, especially community-based tourism on small islands, such as Lombok Island, Indonesia. More specifically, the objectives of this study are as follows: (1) Knowing the level of community readiness in carrying out sustainable tourism development. (2) Knowing the various dimensions that influence sustainable tourism development. (3) Knowing the role of stakeholders in sustainable tourism development. The method applied in this research is mixed methods, a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative methods are used to determine community readiness for sustainable tourism development. A qualitative approach is used to determine the various factors that influence the development of community-based tourism and to determine the role of stakeholders in the development of community-based tourism. The level of community readiness for sustainable tourism development is high in terms of economic, social, cultural, environmental, and symbolic capital aspects. Aspects that influence the development of sustainable tourism are economic, social, and cultural. Stakeholders who play a role in developing sustainable tourism in the research area are the government, the private sector, universities, non-governmental organizations, and the media.

Background: Hypertension is a condition of a person's blood pressure being at a level above normal, hypertension treatment can be done herbally using avocado leaves. Avocado leaves can lower blood pressure because they contain active substances, namely flavonoids and quercetin. This research was conducted in the working area of the Tilango Health Center. Objective: This study aims to determine the effect of giving boiled water of avocado leaves on reducing blood pressure in the elderly with hypertension. Methods: Design This study used a two-group quasi-experimental pre-test - post-test design. The sample is the elderly who have hypertension, amounting to 125 people with purposive sampling technique. The research instrument used a questionnaire. Results: Statistical test using T-Test on blood pressure before and after the intervention was given a significance value of 0.000 (p-value < 0.05 ). Conclusion : This study concludes that there is a significant effect between giving avocado leaf boiled water on reducing blood pressure in the elderly with hypertension in the working area of the Tilango Health Center.

The abundant use of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in a wide variety of electric devices and vehicles will generate a large number of depleted batteries, which contain several valuable metals such as Li, Co, Mn, and Ni present in the structure of the cathode material (LiMO2). The present work investigates chemical, technological, and environmental aspects in the treatment of such wastes, development of a methodology for the extraction of lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite by a carbochlorination pyrometallurgical process. Mixtures of cathode and anode materials (called black mass, mixed oxides of Li, Co, Ni, Mn, and graphite) from different LIBs, carbon black (as reducing agent), and CaCl2 (as chlorinating agent) were used. Non-isothermal thermogravimetric tests up to 850°C and isothermal tests at 700°C of the mixtures in an inert atmosphere were carried out. It was experimentally observed that the LiMO2-C-CaCl2 reaction takes place at 700°C. LiCl, Ni, and Co were obtained as final products, and to a lesser extent, CoO, NiO, and MnO2. CaCO3 was also obtained as a by-product. The obtained results show that carbochlorination is an efficient and effective alternative route for the extraction and recovery of metals from different LIBs, focused on the sustainability and circular economy

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by non-progressive central motor impairments. Mild movement disorder features have been observed in DCD. Until now, the etiology of DCD remains unclear. Recent studies suggested a genetic substrate in some patients with DCD, but comprehensive knowledge about associated genes and underlying pathogenetic mechanisms is still lacking. In this study, we first identified genes described in literature in patients with a diagnosis of DCD according to the official diagnostic criteria. Second, we exposed the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms of DCD, by investigating tissue- and temporal gene expression patterns and brain-specific biological mech-anisms. Third, we explored putative shared pathogenetic mechanisms between DCD and frequent movement disorders with a known genetic component, including ataxia, chorea, dystonia, and myoclonus. We identified 12 genes associated with DCD in literature, which are ubiquitously expressed in the central nervous system throughout brain development. These genes are involved in cellular processes, neural signaling and nervous system development. There was a remarkable overlap (62%) in pathogenetic mechanisms between DCD-associated genes and genes linked with movement disorders. Our findings suggest that some patients might have a genetic etiology of DCD, which could be considered part of a pathogenetic movement disorder spectrum.

Ethylene, a gaseous phytohormone, is emerging as a central player in the intricate web of plant developmental processes from germination to senescence under optimal and stressed conditions. It is present in different plant parts, encompassing the stems, leaves, flowers, roots, seeds, and fruits. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of ethylene's fascinating roles in shaping various plant growth and adaptation aspects. It intricately examines the multifaceted impact of ethylene on pivotal aspects of plant development, including but not limited to cell division and elongation, senescence, abscission, fruit and flower development, root hair formation, chloroplast maturation, and photosynthesis. This comprehensive assessment encompasses the intricate pathways of ethylene biosynthesis and signaling, providing a snapshot of the regulatory mechanisms governing ethylene production. Understanding ethylene's multifaceted functions has significant implications for agriculture, biotechnology, and our fundamental comprehension of plant biology. This review underscores the need for continued investigation into ethylene's intricate mechanisms and its potential to revolutionize plant development and crop management.

The sustainable management of Land - Water - Energy - Food (LWEF) nexus requires an envi-ronmental characterization that allows the comparison of complex interlinkages between nexus resources and livelihoods. This complexity makes this characterization difficult coupled with limited study in quantifying sustainability of LWEF nexus and its linkage with livelihood. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the link between sustainable LWEF nexus and livelihoods. We used analytical hierarchy process and pairwise comparison matrix in combina-tion with weighting model. The result of composite LWEF nexus index was 0.083 representing, low sustainability. This could be linked with nexus resources consumption, use, and manage-ment. From the analysis of the weight of land, water, energy and food nexus resources, the highest weight was observed for food. The focus of on food production only shows no clear synergy on provisioning, supporting or regulating nexus resources to address livelihoods. The result further showed that LWEF nexus resources have strong correlation with livelihoods. This was evidenced by social (r>0.8, P<0.01), natural (r>0.3, P<0.05) and physical (r>0.6, P<0.01) liveli-hood indicators showed strong positive correlation with LWEF nexus resources. From this re-sults, it was observed that managing nexus resources not only provide a significant contribution to achieve sustainable LWEF nexus, but also be effective for enhancing livelihood through food security. This could be attained by strong evidence based policy to ensure sustainable use of nexus resources. The results provided by this study would serve as the foundation for future study, policy formulation and implementation.

Handwriting is a complex perceptual-motor task that requires years of training and practice before complete mastering. Its acquisition is crucial since handwriting is the basis, together with reading, for the acquisition of higher-level skills such as spelling, grammar, syntax, and text composition. Despite correct learning and practice of handwriting, some children never master this skill to a sufficient level. These handwriting deficits, referred to as developmental dysgraphia, can seriously impact the acquisition of other skills and thus the academic success of the child if they are not diagnosed and handled early. In this review, we present a non-exhaustive listing of the tools which are the most reported in the literature for the analysis of handwriting and the diagnosis of dysgraphia. Tools focusing on both the final handwriting product and the handwriting process will be considered. We will then discuss the pros and cons of the existing tools, and the perspectives for the development of future tools.

(1) Background: Substantial evidence that neural timing deficits are prevalent in developmental disorders, aging, and concussions resulting from a mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) is presented. We show that if timing deficits are remediated using low-level movement discrimination training, then high-level cognitive skills, including reading, attention, processing speed, and working memory improve substantially. (2) Methods: Two case studies are presented using MEG source imaging on an adult dyslexic, and a healthy older adult observed before and after training on movement discrimination two times/week for 8 weeks for adult dyslexic. (3) Results: We found improvements in reading, attention, processing speed, and working memory on neuropsychological tests. Substantial MEG signal increases in visual Motion Networks (V1, V3, MT, MST), Attention Networks (ACC, dlPFC, vlPFC and precuneous/ PCC areas) and Memory Networks (dlPFC). (4) Conclusions: Improving neural timing deficits before cognitive exercises to improve specific cognitive skills provides a rapid and effective method to improve cognitive skills. Improving the timing and sensitivity of low-level dorsal pathways, improving feedforward and feedback pathways, is essential to improve high-level cognitive skills. This adaptive training with substantial feedback shows cognitive transfer to tasks not trained on, significantly improving a person’s quality of life rapidly and effectively.

The chemistry and electrochemistry basic fields have been active since the last two decades of the past century studying how surface modification of electrodes by coating with conductive films enhances their activity and performance. In the light of the development of alternative sustainable ways of energy storage and carbon dioxide conversion by electrochemical processes, these research studies have jumped in the 21st century to more applied fields such as chemical engineering, energy and environmental science and engineering. The huge amount of literature on experimental works dealing with the development of CO2 electroreduction processes addresses electrocatalyst development. Membranes can help understanding and controlling the mass transport limitations of current electrodes and reactors designs. The present bibliometric review addresses the papers published in the 21st century regarding membrane coated electrodes and electrocatalysts to enhance electrochemical reactor performance and viability with a special focus on the urgent issue of carbon dioxide capture and utilization.

COVID-19 pandemic in first seven months has led to more than 15 million confirmed infected cases and 600,000 deaths. SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent for COVID-19 has proved a great challenge for its ability to spread in asymptomatic stages and a diverse disease spectrum it has generated. This has created a challenge of unimaginable magnitude not only affecting human health and life but also potentially generating a long-lasting socioeconomic impact. Both medical sciences and biomedical research have also been challenged consequently leading to a large number of clinical trials and vaccine initiatives. While known proteins of pathobiological importance are targets for these therapeutic approaches, it is imperative to explore other factors of viral significance. Accessory proteins are one such trait that have diverse roles in coronavirus pathobiology. Here we analyze certain genomic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 accessory protein ORF8, predict upon its protein features and review current available literature regarding its function. We have also undertaken review of ORF8 homolog ORF8ab from SARS-CoV with a purpose of developing holistic understanding of these proteins for reason that coronaviruses have been infecting humans repeatedly and might continue to do so. Despite low nucleotide and protein identity and differentiating genome level characteristics, there appears to be significant structural integrity and functional proximity between these proteins pointing towards their high significance. There is further need for comprehensive genomics and structural-functional studies to lead towards definitive conclusions regarding their criticality and that can eventually define their relevance to therapeutics development.

Abstract: Chloroplast is a new hotspot in the field of plant transformation system of plant genetic engineering. Initially developed in Chlamydomonas and tobacco, it is now feasible in a broad range of species. They exploit the homologous recombination and segregation pathways acting on chloroplast genomes and are based on direct repeats, transient co-integration or co-transformation and segregation of trait and marker genes. Foreign site-specific recombinases and their target sites provide an alternative and effective method for removing marker genes from plastids.Chloroplast genetic engineering has many advantages over nuclear genetic enginering, especially site-specific introduction of foreign genes ,leading to the absence of gene siliency and positon effect,which providing the available to explore the regulation and mechanism of chloroplast genes`expression in vitro .It also can identify the structure and function of the chloroplast genome , the expression of chloroplast affect the nulear genome. In this paper, the basic methodology of chloroplast transformation, the current techniques and applications, and the future possibilities for Chloroplast genetic engineering was reviewed[1-3].

.Background: Prophylactic hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) showed promising results in patients with colorectal carcinoma at high risk of recurrence but still without clinically and radiologically evident signs of peritoneal spread. This study aims to analyze the feasibility of this proactive, early phase, multimodality approach. Methods: A mono-institutional, prospective, parallel, two-stage phase II trial enrolled 49 patients to standard surgery or surgery plus intraoperative HIPEC. Before the procedure and during surgery, patients received intravenous fluorouracil (and leucovorin to potentiate oxaliplatin activity. Data analysis included length of hospital stay, surgery duration, type of surgery and chemotherapy-related complications risk score. Results: No significant difference was seen in the median time spent in the hospital with a median stay of 7 days in both groups (p=0.5720). The surgical procedure's median duration was longer in the HIPEC group than in the control one. Side-effects and surgical complications did not cross at any time the Pocock-type boundary for side/effect monitoring (p=0.80, N.S.). Conclusions: The present prospective study results demonstrate the feasibility and safety of the colorectal surgery plus HIPEC treatment in patients with colorectal cancer patients at high-risk for peritoneal invasion, although clinically and radiologically undetectable.

To investigate whether the ech42 gene in Clonostachys rosea can improve the biocontrol efficacy of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and its molecular mechanism.Compared to the wild type, the B. amyloliquefaciens transformed with the ech42 gene exhibited a higher chitinase activity. The B. amyloliquefaciens-ech42 also showed a significantly higher biocontrol efficiency against B. cinerea when tomato plants were pre-treated with amyloliquefaciens-ech42. No significant difference of control efficiency was observed between the wild type and amyloliquefaciens-ech42 when tomato plants were first infected by B. cinerea. In addition, the activity of the defense-related enzyme polyphenol oxidase, but not superoxide dismutase was significantly higher in amyloliquefaciens-ech42 than in the wild type.The ech42 enhances the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens biocontrol efficiency by increasing the capacity of protection/prevention to plants, rather treating/killing the pathogens.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most prominent pathological microvascular complications in diabetes. A series of studies reported that vitamin D deficiency was associated with increased prevalence of retinopathy in diabetic patients but the results were inconsistent. In this study we focused on evaluating the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and DR by conducting a meta-analysis of observational studies. Methods: Systematic computerized searches were performed in PubMed, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library for relevant original articles till November 20, 2016. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the associated value of vitamin D deficiency to the risk of DR. 9 studies including 6332 participants were subjected to final analysis. Results: The results indicated that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of DR (OR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.32-1.87) with a little heterogeneity (I2 = 23%). In addition, the subgroup analysis demonstrated that there were obvious heterogeneities in T2DM (I2 = 47.8%). Sensitivity analysis showed that the results were relatively stable and reliable. Conclusion: our meta-analysis demonstrated that vitamin D deficiency could increase the risk of DR.

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), with poor prognosis and high mortality rates, is one of the most diagnosed head and neck cancers. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) - epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) loop is increasingly implicated in the therapy-resistance, relapse, and metastasis of OSCC patients. Accumulating evidence indicate that aberrantly expressed CD47 is associated with cell-death evasion, invasion and cancer metastasis; however, the role of CD47 in the modulation of CSCs-like phenotypes, including therapy-resistance and metastasis, with its underlying mechanism in OSCC remains largely underexplored. Methods: This study investigated the CSCs- modulating potential of CD47 in OSCC cell lines SAS, TW2.6, HSC-3 and FaDu using bioinformatics approach, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence staining, migration, invasion, colony and orosphere formation, as well as radiosensitivity assays. Results: We demonstrated that the characteristic ectopic expression of CD47 in OSCC patients was associated with ~ 20% 2-year survival disadvantage (p = 0.01) and positively correlated with the expression of pluripotency factors; while shRNA silencing of CD47 significantly suppressed cell viability and markedly inhibited orosphere formation, resulting in smaller and fewer orospheres, and downregulated CD133, SOX2, OCT4 and c-Myc mRNA and protein expression levels. We also showed that CD47 downregulation attenuates EMT, migration and clonogenicity of OSCC cells, with associated E-cadherin upregulation and suppression of Vimentin, Slug, Snail, and N-cadherin expression. Conclusion: Of therapeutic relevance, combined with radiotherapy, CD47 knockdown enhanced the anti-OSCC effect of radiotherapy. Thus, we demonstrate the therapeutic feasibility of a CD47-mediated anti-CSCs strategy, and suggest a role for CD47 suppression in potentiating the therapeutic efficacy of radiation therapy in OSCC patients.

Hyperplastic dental follicles (HDFs) represent odontogenic hamartomatous lesions originating from pericoronal tissues and are often associated with impacted or embedded teeth. These lesions may occasionally feature unique calcifying bodies, known as calcifying whorled nodules (CWN), characterized by stromal cells arranged in a whorled or spiral fashion. CWNs are typically observed in multiple calcifying hyperplastic dental follicles or regional odontodysplasia. In our study, we examined 40 cases of HDFs, including nine instances with characteristics of CWNs, which were infrequently accompanied by odontodysplasia. Histological examination was conducted on all 40 cases, with immunohistochemical analysis performed on 21 of them. Among the cases with CWN, nine affected a single embedded tooth, with one exception. CWNs exhibited diverse calcifications featuring sparse or entirely deposited psammoma bodies, and some displayed dentinoid formation. Immunohistochemically, stromal cells of HDFs were frequently positive for CD56 and nestin. In contrast, CWNs were negative for CD56 but positive for nestin and HES1, with a few DSP-positive calcified bodies. Our results revealed that hamartomatous calcifying HFDs can impact multiple and single-embedded teeth. CWNs composed of nestin and HES1-positive ectomesenchymal cells demonstrated the potential to differentiate into odontoblasts and contribute to dentin matrix formation under the influence of HES1. This study is the first report documenting odontoblastic differentiation in HDFs.

This study examined infants' neural responses to emotional prosody in natural speech. A multi-feature oddball paradigm was used with 34 3~11 month-old infants. Results showed distinct early (100-200 ms) and late (300-500 ms) mismatch responses to different emotional prosodies. Older infants had more negative early responses with happy and angry prosodies evoking stronger responses compared to sad prosody while younger infants showed a clearer distinction between angry and sad prosodies. In the late time window, angry prosody elicited more negative responses than sad prosody with younger infants showing more distinct responses between these two prosodies. Males exhibited stronger early mismatch responses than females. These findings call for further research on the implications for socio-emotional and language development.

Iron is the most abundant micronutrient in plant mitochondria and it has a crucial role in biochemical reactions involving electron transfer. It has been described in Oryza sativa that Mitochondrial Iron Transporter (MIT) is an essential gene and that knockdown mutant rice plants have a decreased amount of iron in mitochondria, strongly suggesting that OsMIT is involved in mitochondrial iron uptake. In Arabidopsis thaliana, two genes encode MIT homologues. In this study, we analyzed different AtMIT1 and AtMIT2 mutant alleles, confirming that individually AtMIT1 nor AtMIT2 genes are essential. When we generated crosses between Atmit1 and Atmit2 alleles we were able to isolate homozygous double mutant plants. Interestingly, homozygous double mutant plants were obtained only when mutant alleles of Atmit2 with the T-DNA insertion in the intron region were used for crossings, and in these cases a correctly spliced AtMIT2 mRNA was generated, although at a low level. Atmit1 Atmit2 double homozygous mutant plants, which were knockout for AtMIT1 and knockdown for AtMIT2, were grown and chacterised in iron sufficient conditions. Pleiotropic developmental defects were observed including abnormal seeds, increased number of cotyledons, slow growth rate, pinoid stems, defects in flower structures and reduced seed set. We observed a possible phenomenon of T-DNA suppression in the next generation of Atmit1 Atmit2 double homozygous mutant plants, correlating with an increased splicing of the AtMIT2 intron containing the T-DNA. Molecular analysis of gene expression markers for mitochondrial and oxidative stress showed that Atmit1 Atmit2 double homozygous mutant plants express a degree of mitochondrial perturbation. A RNA-Seq study was performed and we could identify more than 760 genes differentially expressed in Atmit1 Atmit2, including genes involved in iron transport, coumarin metabolism, and hormones metabolism, transport and signaling. Our data suggest that some of the phenotypes observed in Atmit1 Atmit2 double homozygous mutant plants are mediated by defects in auxin homeostasis.

It is essential to consider the factors that affect early childhood development because doing so can help identify potential risks and window of opportunity for intervention to improve outcomes for children. However, identifying risk and protective factors in early childhood requires careful consideration of several challenges and an integrated approach that recognises the complex and dynamic nature of development. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the prevalent psychosocial risk and protective factors in the early childhood development phase, using an ecological perspective. The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional study using a random sampling technique. The final sample consisted of 505 caregivers of children aged 5 years old and younger. This study revealed that the most prevalent protective factors include child self-regulation, parent-child warmth, family management and collective efficacy but more importantly social support. While risk factors may exist this is mitigated by social support as it moderates and buffers against the effects of risk factors, as indicated by the various research studies cited.

Cotton fiber development transition from elongation to secondary cell wall biosynthesis is a critical growth shifting phase that affects cotton fiber final length, strength and other properties. Morphological dynamic analysis indicates that an asynchronous fiber developmental pattern between two cotton species. The critical time point for Gh and Gb fiber elongation termination is, respectively, 23 and 27 days post-anthesis (dpa). The temporal changes of protein expression at three representative development periods (15–19, 19–23, 23–27 dpa) were examined in both species with iTRAQ technics. Strikingly, a large proportion of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) was identified at 19–23 dpa in Gh or at 23–27 dpa in Gb, corresponding to their fiber developmental transition timing from elongation to secondary cell wall biosynthesis. To better understand fibers transitional development, we comparatively analyzed those DEPs in 19–23 dpa of Gh vs. in 23–27 dpa of Gb, and noted that these cotton species indeed share fundamentally similar fiber development features under the biological processes. It also showed that there have limited overlaps in both specific upregulated and downregulated proteins between the two species, suggesting specie-specific protein regulations in development. Proteomic profiling revealed dynamic changes of several key proteins and biological processes that potentially correlate with fiber development transition. During the transition, upregulated proteins mainly involved in carbohydrate/energy metabolism, oxidation-reduction, cytoskeleton, protein turnover, Ca²⁺ signaling etc, whereas important downregulated proteins mostly concentrated in phenylpropanoid and flavonoid secondary metabolism pathways. Several changed proteins in this key stage were also validated by qRT-PCR. Overall, the present study provides accurate pictures of the regulatory networks of functional proteins during the fiber developmental transition.

Early childhood is important for future cognitive and educational outcomes. Programs overcoming barriers to engagement in early education for Indigenous children must address family cultural needs and target developmental delays. This systematic review identifies culturally adapted programs to improve cognitive, emotional and developmental delays among young children, in response to an identified priority of a remote Indigenous community. Five databases (the Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, Scopus and CINAHL) were searched for English language papers in January 2018. Study quality was assessed and findings analysed thematically. Findings were presented to the community at an event with key stakeholders, to determine their inclusion and face validity. Seven relevant studies, published between 1997-2013, were identified by the researchers and each study was supported by the community for inclusion. Two studies focused on Native American children and five studies included children from non-Indigenous disadvantaged backgrounds. Findings were reported narratively across four themes: Storytelling to improve educational outcomes; Family involvement improved development; Culturally adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to reduce trauma; Rewards-based teaching to improve child attention. Limited published research on culturally adapted and safe interventions for children with cognitive, emotional and developmental delay exists but these four themes from seven studies identify useful components.

Early childhood is considered to be a period of rapid development, with the acquisition of abilities predicting future positive school competences. Motor, cognitive and social difficulties related to cancer therapies heavily impact the development of children with cancer. This study focused on two main aims: to assess the developmental pathways of preschool children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia one year post-treatment and to compare these abilities both with those of a control group of healthy peers and with Italian norms. Forty-four children and their families, recruited through the Haematology-Oncologic Clinic of the Department of Child and Woman Health (University of Padua), agreed to participate to this study. The children’s mean age was 4.52 years (SD = 0.94, range = 2.5-6 years), equally distributed by gender, all diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Matched healthy peers were recruited through paediatricians’ ambulatories. Each family was interviewed adopting the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales. Paired sample Wilcoxon tests revealed that children were reported to have significantly more developmental difficulties than their healthy peers. When compared with Italian norms they scored particularly low in verbal competence, social and coping skills. No significant association were found between treatment variables and developmental abilities. These findings suggest that the creation of specialized interventions both for parents and children may fill the possible delays in children’s development probably due to stress, lack of adequate stimulation or difficult adaptation.

COX II containing a dual core CuA active site is one of the three core subunits of mitochondrial Cco, which plays a significant role in the physiological process. In this report, the full-length cDNA of COXⅡ gene was cloned from Sitophilus zeamais, which had an ORF of 684 bp encoding 227 amino acids residues. The predicted COXⅡ protein had a molecular mass of 26.2 kDa with pI value of 6.37, and multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated that Sitophilus zeamais COXⅡ had high sequence identity 78.51% with the COXⅡ of other insect species, especially similarity to sitophilus oryzae. This gene was subcloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pET-32a, and induced by IPTG in E.coli Transetta (DE3) expression system. Finally the COXⅡ with 6-His tag was purified using affinity chromatography with Ni²⁺-NTA agarose. WB showed the recombinant COXⅡ was about 44 kD, and the concentration of fusion protein was 50μg/mL. UV-spectrophotometer and infrared spectrometer analysis showed that recombinant COXⅡ could catalyze the oxidation of substrate Cytc, and influenced by AITC. It was found that AITC could form a hydrophobic region with COXⅡ protein via molecular docking, besides, a sulfur atom of AITC structure could form a length of 2.9 Å hydrogen bond with Leu-31. These results will provide valuable information for elucidating the role of COXⅡ in Sitophilus zeamais responses to AITC, meanwhile, it will helpful to carry out a point mutation in AITC binding sites for the future research.

Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is an optical technique used to measure surface displacements and strains in materials and structures. This technique has demonstrated significant utility in structural examination and monitoring. This manuscript offers a comprehensive review of contemporary research and applications that have leveraged the DIC technique in laboratory-based structural tests. The reviewed works encompass a broad spectrum of structural components, such as concrete beams, columns, pillars, masonry walls, infills, composite materials, structural joints, steel beams, slabs, and other structural elements. These investigations have underscored the efficacy of DIC as a metrological instrument for precise quantification of surface deformation and strain in these structural components. Moreover, the constraints of the DIC technique have been highlighted, especially in scenarios involving extensive or complex test configurations. Notwithstanding these constraints, the DIC methodology has validated its effectiveness as a strain measurement instrument, offering numerous benefits such as non-invasive operation, full-field measurement capability, high precision, real-time surveillance, and compatibility with integration into other measurement instruments and methodologies.

The properties of the annual, semiannual and triennial oscillations (AO, SAO and TO) in the middle atmosphere have been investigated using the TIMED/SABER temperature data. The Lomb-Scargle and wavelet spectra were used to determine the dominant oscillations in the background temperature field. The AO is prominent at the mid-latitudes. The AO amplitudes present an asymmetry between the two Hemispheres, being larger in the mesosphere than in the stratosphere. The SAO dominates the tropical regions, with three amplitude maxima at altitudes of 45, 75, and 85 km. The SAOs in the upper mesosphere (75 km) are out of phase with those in the mesopause (85 km) in the tropical regions, which can generate an enhancement of 11 K at each equinox, contributing to the lower mesospheric inversion layer. The TO is significant in the tropical region, with amplitude being maximum at 35, 45 and 85 km. Result shows that there may be potential interaction by the TO with SAO at 85km at the equator. The relation between ENSO and TO has also been discussed. The ENSO signal may modulate the amplitude of the TO, mainly in the lower stratosphere. The real origin of the TO may lie in the wave-mean-flow interaction.

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

Recent research has suggested that working memory training interventions may benefit children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). The current study investigated a short and engaging adaptive working memory intervention that targeted executive skills and aimed to improve both language comprehension and working memory abilities in children with DLD. Forty-seven 6- to 10-year-old children with DLD were randomly allocated to an executive working memory training intervention (n=24) or an active control group (n=23). A pre-test/intervention/post-test/9-month-follow-up design was used. Outcome measures included assessments of language (to evaluate far transfer of the training) and working memory (to evaluate near transfer of the training). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses controlling for pre-intervention performance and age found group to be a significant predictor of sentence comprehension and of performance on six untrained working memory measures at post-intervention and 9-month follow-up. Children in the intervention group showed significantly higher language comprehension and working memory scores at both time points than children in the active control group. The intervention programme showed potential to improve working memory and language comprehension in children with DLD and demonstrated several advantages: it involved short sessions over a short period; caused little disruption in the school day; and was enjoyed by children.

Pregnant women have been considered a high-risk group for SARS-CoV-2 infection; the impact of the disease on the health of a mother and her child is still being studied. The emotional impact of the pandemic on pregnant women has been extensively studied. Emotional distress is proposed as a perspective to explain the emotional manifestations of women during this stage as something common rather than pathological. The objective of this study was to know the emotional experience of women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 towards the end of their pregnancy, during the first and second waves of COVID in Mexico. A qualitative study was carried out: 18 pregnant women with COVID were interviewed. A thematic analysis of the data was performed, resulting in three main themes and 14 subthemes. The COVID-infected mothers-to-be experienced mild to moderate emotional distress. It was more intense for those with comorbidities. This distress was aggravated during obstetrical complications and comorbidities, as well as during COVID and postpartum. The emotional distress was appeased by both the perception of medical care and social support. The emotional distress of pregnant women with COVID requires emotional accompaniment to reduce its impact.

Metaheuristic algorithms are widely used as optimization methods, due to their global exploration and exploitation characteristics, which obtain better results than a simple heuristic. The Stochastic Fractal Search (SFS) is a novel method inspired by the process of stochastic growth in nature and the use of the fractal mathematical concept. Considering the chaotic-stochastic diffusion property, an improved Dynamic Stochastic Fractal Search (DSFS) optimization algorithm is presented. The DSFS algorithm was tested with benchmark functions, such as the multimodal, hybrid and composite functions, to evaluate the performance of the algorithm with dynamic parameter adaptation with type-1 and type-2 fuzzy inference models. The main contribution of the article is the utilization of fuzzy logic in the adaptation of the diffusion parameter in a dynamic fashion. This parameter is in charge of creating new fractal particles, and the diversity and iteration are the input information used in the fuzzy system to control the values of diffusion.

An upsurge in global population over the years and rapid urbanization have accelerated huge dependence on petroleum-derived fuels and consequent environment concerns owing to green-house gas emissions in the atmosphere. An integrated biorefinery uses lignocellulosic feedstock as raw material for the production of renewable biofuels, and other fine chemicals. The sustain-able bio-economy and the biorefinery industry would benefit greatly from the effective use of lignocellulosic biomass obtained from agricultural feedstocks to replace petrochemical products. Lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and other extractives, which are essential components of ligno-cellulosic biomass, must be separated or upgraded into useful forms in order to fully realize the potential of biorefinery. The development of low-cost and green pretreatment technologies with effective biomass deconstruction potential is imperative for an efficient bioprocess. The abun-dance of microorganisms along with their continuous production of various degradative en-zymes makes them suited for the environmentally friendly bioconversion of agro-industrial wastes into viable bioproducts. The present review highlights the concept of biorefinery, ligno-cellulosic biomass and its valorization by green pretreatment strategies into biofuels and other biochemicals. The major barriers and challenges in bioconversion technologies, environmental sustainability of the bioproducts and promising solutions to alleviate those bottlenecks are also summarized.

Intermetallic compounds are increasingly being expected to utilize in tribological environments, but to date the works are hindered by insufficient ductility at low and medium temperature. This paper presents a novel multiphase intermetallic alloy with the chemical composition of Mo-40Ni-13Si (at.%). Microstructure characterization reveals that a certain amount of ductile Mo phases formed during the solidification process of ternary Mo-Ni-Si alloy melt, which is undoubtedly beneficial to the ductility improvement of intermetallic alloy. Tribological properties of the designed alloy, including wear resistance, friction coefficient and metallic tribological compatibility, were evaluated under dry sliding wear test conditions at room temperature. Results suggested that the multiphase alloy possesses an excellent property for room-temperature wear applications, which is attributed to the unique microstructural features and thereby good combination in hardness and ductility. The corresponding wear mechanism is also reported by observing the worn surface, subsurface and wear debris of alloy, which to be found is soft abrasive wear.

With the integrated development of the Internet, wireless sensor technology, cloud computing, and mobile Internet, there has been a lot of attention given to research about and applications of the Internet of Things. A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is one of the important information technologies in the Internet of Things; it integrates multi-technology to detect and gather information in a network environment by mutual cooperation, using a variety of methods to process and analyze data, implement awareness, and perform tests. This paper mainly researches the localization algorithm of sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network. Firstly, a multi-granularity region partition is proposed to divide the location region. In the range-based method, the RSSI (Received Signal Strength indicator, RSSI) is used to estimate distance. The optimal RSSI value is computed by the Gaussian fitting method. Furthermore, a Voronoi diagram is characterized by the use of dividing region. Rach anchor node is regarded as the center of each region; the whole position region is divided into several regions and the sub-region of neighboring nodes is combined into triangles while the unknown node is locked in the ultimate area. Secondly, the multi-granularity regional division and Lagrange multiplier method are used to calculate the final coordinates. Because nodes are influenced by many factors in the practical application, two kinds of positioning methods are designed: the unknown node is in the positioning unit or not. When the unknown node is on the side of the positioning unit, we use the method of vector similarity. Moreover, we use the centroid algorithm to calculate the ultimate coordinates of unknown node. When the unknown node is not on the side of the positioning unit, we establish a Lagrange equation containing the constraint condition to calculate the first coordinates. Furthermore, we use the Taylor expansion formula to correct the coordinates of the unknown node. In addition, this localization method has been validated by establishing the real environment.

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of brain activity. Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology formed by the EEG signal has become one of the hotspots at present. How to extract the feature signal of EEG is the most basic research of BCI technology. In this paper, A new method of recognizing fatigue, conscious, concentrated state of human brain is proposed by the combination of discrete wavelet transform and the neural network based on EEG signal. First of all, the law signal is preprocessed by the wavelet denoising method because the law EEG signal contains a large number of high frequency noise, which is decomposed into multi-layer high frequency signal and low frequency signal. thus, δ wave, θ wave, α wave, β wave are obtained by the wavelet transform. And then, frequency band energy of the different wave is regards as the feature signal of EEG. In the experiment, the feature signal is classified by radial basic function (RBF) and annealed chaotic competitive learning network (ACCLN). RBF and ACCLN networks are trained with 500 sets of sample data and are tested by 100 sets of samples in different mental states. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of RBF network under three conditions are 88.75%, 88.25%, 88.5%, respectively, and the correct rate of ACCLN network is 97%, 98%, 98%, respectively.

Wearable technology has been proposed as a potential tool to change the way of human life, such as the smart bracelet and the Google Glass. In the wearable technology, the inertial sensor has great significance in tracking the object movements. The paper focused on detecting the movements of user’s finger based on the inertial sensor to give the control signals. Firstly, the attitude matrix, which represented the transformation relation of carrier coordinate system and the navigation coordinate system, was obtained. Secondly, the attitude matrix was expressed based on the quaternions. Thirdly, the finger gesture was processed by the attitude matrix to get the attitude angle. Finally, the robot was controlled by attitude angle to make the moving action. The experimental results showed the detection of the finger movement is effective.

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

Eutherians have 11 retrotransposon Gag-like (RTL)/sushi-ichi retrotransposon homolog (SIRH) genes presumably derived from a certain retrovirus. Accumulating evidence indicates that the RTL/SIRH genes play a variety of roles in the current mammalian developmental system, such as in the placenta, brain and innate immune system in a eutherian-specific manner. It has been shown that the functional role of Paternally Expressed 10 (PEG10) in placental formation is unique to the therian mammals, as are the eutherian-specific roles of PEG10 and PEG11/RTL1 in maintaining the fetal capillary network and the endocrine regulation of RTL7/SIRH7 (aka Leucine Zipper Down-Regulated in Cancer 1 (LDOCK1)) in the placenta. In the brain, PEG11/RTL1 is expressed in the corticospinal tract and hippocampal commissure, mammalian-specific structures, and in the corpus callosum, a eutherian-specific structure. Unexpectedly, at least three RTL/SIRH genes, RTL5/SIRH8, RTL6/SIRH3 and RTL9/SIRH10, play important roles in combating a variety of pathogens, viruses, bacteria and fungi, respectively, suggesting that the innate immunity system of the brain in eutherians has been enhanced by the emergence of these new components. In this review, we will summarize the function of 10 out of the 11 RTL/SIRH genes and discuss their roles in eutherian development and evolution.

In this paper, we study the semilinear pseudo-parabolic equations $\displaystyle u_{t} - \triangle_{\mathbb{B}}u - \triangle_{\mathbb{B}}u_{t} = \left|u\right|^{p-1}u$ on a manifold with conical singularity, where $\triangle _{\mathbb{B}}$ is Fuchsian type Laplace operator investigated with totally characteristic degeneracy on the boundary $x_{1} = 0$. Firstly, we discuss the invariant sets and the vacuum isolating behavior of solutions with the help of a family of potential wells. Then, we derive a threshold result of existence and nonexistence of global weak solution: for the low initial energy $J(u_{0})<d$, the solution is global in time with $I(u_{0}) >0$ or $\displaystyle\Vert \nabla_{\mathbb{B}}u_{0}\Vert_{L_{2}^{\frac{n}{2}}(\mathbb{B})} = 0$ and blows up in finite time with $I(u_{0}) < 0$; for the critical initial energy $J(u_{0}) = d$, the solution is global in time with $I(u_{0}) \geq0$ and blows up in finite time with $I(u_{0}) < 0$. The decay estimate of the energy functional for the global solution and the estimates of the lifespan of local solution are also given.

Moso bamboo is famous for fast growing and biomass accumulation, as well as high annual output for timber and bamboo shoots. These high outputs require high nutrient inputs to maintain and improve stand productivity. Soil nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are important micronutrients for plant growth and productivity. Due to high variability of soils, analysing spatial patterns of soil N, P and K stocks is necessary for scientific nutrient management in Moso bamboo forests. In this study, soils were sampled from 138 locations across Yong’an City and ordinary kriging was applied for spatial interpolation of soil N, P and K stocks. Soil N stock showed a strong spatial dependence while soil N and P stocks presented a moderate spatial dependence, indicating soil N was mainly controlled by intrinsic factors while soil N and P stocks were controlled by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Different spatial patterns were observed for soil N, P and K stocks across the whole study area, indicating that fertilizations with different ratios of N:P:K should be applied for different sites to maintain and improve stand productivity. The total soil N, P and K stocks within 0-60 cm were 0.624, 0.020 and 0.583 Tg, respectively.

With the increasing concern of environment, the energy-efficiency scheduling of manufacturing industry is becoming urgent and popular. In turning processes, both spindle speed and processing time can affect the final energy consumption and thus the spindle speed and scheduling scheme need to be optimized simultaneously. Since the turning workshop can be regarded as the flexible flow shop, this paper formulates a mixed integer linear programming model for energy-efficient scheduling of flexible flow shop. Accordingly, a new decoding method is developed by considering of the optimization of spindle speed and scheduling scheme simultaneously, and an estimation of distribution algorithm adopting the new decoding method is proposed to solve large-size problems. The parameters of this algorithm are determined by statistical technique with a simplified practical case. In order to validate the proposed method, a case from practical factories is studied, in which the makespan can be shortened by 25.22%, and the consumed energy can be saved by 5.48%. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed mathematical model and algorithm.

A simple design of an ultrathin six-band polarization-insensitive terahertz perfect metamaterial absorber (PMMA) composed of a metal cross-cave-patch resonator (CCPR) placed over a ground plane was proposed and investigated numerically. The numerical simulation results demonstrate that the average absorption peaks are up to 95% at six resonance frequencies with high quality-factors (>65). In addition, the absorption properties can be kept stability for both normal incident transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) waves. The physical mechanism behind the observed high level absorption is illustrated by the electric and power loss density distributions. The different absorption mainly originates from the higher order multipolar and multipolar plasmon resonance of the structure, which are sharp different to the most previous studies of the PMMAs. Furthermore, the resonance absorption of the PMMA can be tunable by varying the geometric parameters of the unit cell.

A simple design of an ultrathin six-band polarization-insensitive terahertz perfect metamaterial absorber (PMMA) composed of a metal cross-cave-patch resonator (CCPR) placed over a ground plane was proposed and investigated numerically. The numerical simulation results demonstrate that the average absorption peaks are up to 95% at six resonance frequencies with high quality-factors (>65). In addition, the absorption properties can be kept stability for both normal incident transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) waves. The physical mechanism behind the observed high level absorption is illustrated by the electric and power loss density distributions. The different absorption mainly originates from the higher order multipolar and multipolar plasmon resonance of the structure, which are sharp different to the most previous studies of the PMMAs. Furthermore, the resonance absorption of the PMMA can be tunable by varying the geometric parameters of the unit cell.

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is useful in the most dangerous maneuvers such as braking and acceleration. This study assesses how ACC modifies traffic flows by analysing the differences be-tween manual and autonomous driving in connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs). Using a platoon of 80 vehicles, tested in pairs on the road, it was possible to define the speed trends during braking and acceleration and the reaction times to the driving maneuvers (PRT, TH, TCC) with a kinematic data detector. The interactions between the CAV and the driver, have been studied in-novatively, i.e through gaze analysis. Situations of potential danger, characterized by the braking of the vehicle that precedes the car with the driver equipped with the eye tracker tool, have been recreated, considering the influence of the driver’s ACC experience. Results statistically confirmed that with the ACC switched on the reaction times are greater than manual driving (2.4/3.8 sec); this can lead to a reduction in road safety, further motivated by the rapid decrease in speed. The interpolation between automated and human data, finally, has allowed the detection of some criticalities of the system that are fundamental in order to reach the second level of automation.

Regeneration of lost tail is of great importance to lizards. Anolis carolinensis, a green lizard, is capable of regenerating its tail efficiently after autotomy. Hence, it is considered as a model organism in regeneration study. A. carolinensis shed its tail in order to distract the predator’s attention and thus makes a way to escape. Restoring of the amputated tail takes several days and the mechanism is currently clearly understood. Although save its life, tail regeneration is associated with the impairment of several vital functions in Anoles. In addition, various differences have been observed between original and regenerated tail in terms of mechanism and structure. To date, very little work has been conducted on tail autotomy and regeneration at molecular and genetic level. The genes responsible for regeneration in anoles are identified recently. These genes are evolutionarily conserved through all tetrapod vertebrates. They are, however, in a state of ‘switched-off’ in other vertebrates including humans. Consequently, a throughout study of these so called ‘switched-off’ genes may provide a way of restoring lost organs in human, and thus could revolutionize the modern medical science.

In this paper, we study the global existence and exponential decay for a dynamic contact problem between a Timoshenko beam with second sound and two rigid obstacles, of which the heat flux is given by Cattaneo's law instead of the usual Fourier's law. The main difficulties arise from the irregular boundary terms, from the low regularity of the weak solution and from the weaker dissipative effects of heat conduction induced by Cattaneo's law. By considering related penalized problems, proving some a priori estimates and passing to the limit, we prove the global existence of the solutions. By considering the approximate framework, constructing some new functionals and applying the perturbed energy method, we obtain the exponential decay result for the approximate solution, and then prove the exponential decay rate to the original problem by utilizing the weak lower semicontinuity arguments.

Reducing the hardness of hard water is of great concern nowadays due to some adverse effects on water pipes, boilers and soap consumption. Using the method of biomineralization to precipitate calcium and magnesium ions to become carbonate minerals was one of the most important innovations for reducing the hardness of hard water. The present study sought to explore the physical and chemical conditions of carbonates bio-precipitation and the potential use of Bacillus licheniformis SRB2 strain (GenBank: KM884945.1) isolated from sludge sample of Moshui River (Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China) in reducing the hardness of hard waters by the induction of carbonate minerals. In this study, B. licheniformis SRB2 strain was identified based on the morphological, biochemical and 16S rDNA gene sequence homology analysis. The carbonate minerals induced by B. licheniformis bacteria in the liquid culture medium with 3% NaCl and Mg/Ca molar ratio of 0, 6, 8, 10 and 12 were investigated. The culture medium was inoculated with the bacterial liquid seed was set as the experimental group and the other culture medium was inoculated with the same volume of distilled water was set as the control group. The mineral phases, micromorphologies, and crystal structures were analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray detector, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction. The bacterial concentrations and pH values of the solution were measured by a spectrophotometer and a pH meter, respectively. The urease secreted by B. licheniformis SRB2 was found to greatly increase the pH values of the liquid medium, which favored the formation of calcium carbonate.As a result, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ ion concentrations decreased greatly due to the biomineralization of calcium carbonate and nesquehonite minerals in the presence of B. licheniformis SRB2 bacterium. There were only few calcium carbonates and no nesquehonite minerals in the control groups. It was also found that the minerals of nesquehonite induced by B. licheniformis SRB2 had a phenomenon of preferred orientation. What was more, even though Mg²⁺ ions inhibited the precipitation of Ca²⁺ ions, but under the action of B. licheniformis SRB2 bacteria, the inhibition effect was significantly declined. The bio-precipitation of calcium carbonate and nesquehonite minerals may represent a new method of pretreatment for the hardness reduction of hard water. The accomplished study is of certain interest for interpretation of the carbonates biomineralization in natural environment, and maybe also has a certain application value in the former processing of hard water

In this paper, a novel permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance machine (PMASynRM) with rare-earth PMs and ferrite magnets is proposed. The performance of PMASynRM is discussed with respected to the different magnet ratio of rare-earth PMs and ferrite magnets. Some characteristics including the flux density, output torque, cogging torque, output power, power factor, torque ripple, loss, efficiency, and demagnetization are calculated by 2-D finite element analysis (FEA). The analysis results show that the excellent performance can be obtained by using hybrid magnet of rare-earth PMs and ferrite magnets with the suitable magnet ratio, and provide some desirable cost-performance trade-off.

Saikosaponin (SS) a is a compound with various pharmacological properties and easily degraded into SSb1 and SSg in acid condition. In present work another two new degradation products of SSa formed under acid hydrolytic condition were detected and isolated by analytical and semi-preparative liquid chromatography technology, furthermore their structures were characterized as hydroxyl-saikosaponin a and SSb2 by spectral analysis, which is not only essential in stability-indicating method development and validation but also could be used as a worst case to assess the analytical method performance of SSa. Moreover their structural transformation pathways were also proposed.

Ammonia-oxidizing microorganism communities are abundant and functionally efficacious in nitrification. However, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) groups complicate this process in subtropical streams. This study investigates the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing communities south of the Dabie Mountains, China, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Clone libraries were utilized to analyze the abundance and microbial structures of AOA and AOB in sediments. Such analysis may provide strong evidence reflecting the links within the environment. The results show that AOB had a lower abundance of copies of the ammonia-oxidizing gene (amoA) than AOA. Interestingly, the AOA and AOB community compositions were correlated with ecological characteristics. The dissolved oxygen (DO) and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) had significant positive correlations, whereas the phosphorus within the structure had a negative correlation with the abundance of both groups. Our study shows that it might adopt some species related to Nitrosotalea clusters that can resist comparably higher pH (toward pH 6.5). Together, these results imply that the physiological adaptation of microbial guilds to environmental pressures in ammonia-oxidizing archaea might allow them to have a more substantial function of ammonia-oxidizing communities in natural habitats.

By using the particle swarm optimization algorithm for crystal structure prediction, we reveal a newly orthorhombic Cmcm structure of HfB4, which is more energetically superior to the previously proposed YB4-, ReP4-, FeB4-, CrB4-, and MnB4-type structures in the considered pressure range. The phonon dispersion and elastic constants calculations confirm that the new phase is dynamically and mechanically stable. The calculated large shear modulus (240 GPa) and high hardness (45.7 GPa) imply that the predicted Cmcm-HfB4 is a potential superhard material. Meanwhile, the directional dependences of the Young's modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus for HfB4 are systematically investigated. Further analyses of the density of states and electronic localization function indicate that the strong B-B and B-Hf covalent bonds greatly contribute to its high hardness and stability.

In this study, a novel absorbable hemostatic agent was developed using carrageenan (CRG) as a natural polymer and cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs).  CRG-CeO2-0.5 and CRG-CeO2-1 composites were prepared by compositing CRG and CeO2 at a weight ratio of 200:1 and 100:1, respectively. Physio-chemical and structural properties of these compounds were studied and compared with pristine CRG. Upon incorporation of CeO2 nanoparticles into the CRG matrix, significant reductions in hydrogel degradation were observed. In addition, it was noted that CRG-CeO2 exhibited better antibacterial and hemostatic properties than CRG hydrogel without CeO2.The biocompatibility of the materials was tested using the NIH 3T3 cell line and all samples were found to be nontoxic. Particularly, CRG-CeO2-1 demonstrated superior hemostatic effects, biocompatibility, and a lower degradation rate since more CeO2 Nps were present in the CRG matrix. Therefore, CRG-CeO2-1 has the potential to be used as a hemostatic agent and wound dressing.

Abstract: The study focuses on how socio-economic and demographic indicators affect fertilization sustainability (excessive amount of fertilization). Principally we aim to examine the significance magnitude of the effects of three socio-demographic variables such as traditional way of fertilization, rental land farming, and farmers’ younger age on over-fertilization in Bangladesh and other developing countries. In 1960s, Bangladesh state authority launched a campaign ‘Grow more Food’ to feed huge numbers of population and thus the farmers are provided chemical fertilizers and pesticides at a subsidized low price. Farmers began to use huge amount of fertilizers for gaining high yields and continued it to present causing environmental woes a lot. We interview (face-to-face, focus group discussion, and phone interview) 210 Bangladesh farmers in 2016 by semi-structured questionnaire. Data has been analyzed using General Linear Model (GLM) in Univariate Analysis of Variance. The study found the effect of traditional way of fertilization on excessive amount of fertilization is strongly significant at 1% level. Apart from, rental land farming and farmers’ younger age have a significant influence on over- fertilization; though their significance level (5% and 10% respectively) is quasi-strong. Policy makers can be able to formulate fertilizer policy on the basis of these findings.

The effects of post-treatment temperature-based methods on 1D single PLA filaments after FFF have been studied. This lets to decouple the variables related to the 3D structure (layer height, raster angle, infill density, and others) from the variables solely related to the material (molecular weight, molecular orientation, crystallinity, and others). PLA 1D filaments have been aged at 20, 39, 42, 51, 65, 75 and 80 ºC in a water-bath-inspired process in which the hydrolytic degradation of the PLA has been minimised for the ageing temperatures of interest. The evolution of the thermal and mechanical properties of the PLA filaments at different temperatures was recorded. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to evaluate thermal and physical properties, in which the glass transition, enthalpic relaxation, crystallisation and melting reactions were analysed. Tensile tests were performed to evaluate the tensile strength and elastic modulus. The flow-induced molecular orientation, the degradation, the logistic fitting and the so-called summer effect –stabilisation of properties at higher temperatures– are discussed for assessing the safeness of accelerating ageing.

Fungal infections impact the lives of at least 12 million people every year, killing over 1.5 million. Wide-spread use of fungicides and prophylactic antifungal therapy have driven resistance in many serious fungal pathogens, and there is an urgent need to expand the current antifungal ar-senal. Recent research has focused on improving azoles, our most successful class of antifungals, by looking for synergistic interactions with secondary compounds. Synergists can co-operate with azoles by targeting steps in related pathways, or they may act on mechanisms related to re-sistance like active efflux or on totally disparate pathways or processes. A variety of sources of potential synergists have been explored, including pre-existing antimicrobials, pharmaceuticals approved for other uses, bioactive natural compounds and phytochemicals, and novel synthetic compounds. Synergy can successfully widen the antifungal spectrum, decrease inhibitory dosag-es, reduce toxicity, and prevent the development of resistance. This review highlights the diversity of mechanisms that have been exploited for the purposes of azole synergy and demonstrates that synergy remains a promising approach for meeting the urgent need for novel antifungal strate-gies.

Abstract:Global ship demolition is mostly concentrated in south Asian countries, namely Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and China, since 1990’s, having competitive advantage for their high natural tide, and low environmental and social costs. Due to high social and environmental externalities, stakeholders increase monitoring of the externalities and continue to prescribe improvement towards sustainability, which put pressures on profitability and competitiveness. As a consequence, also seen in the past, a leakage effect may emerge, leading to shift of this activity to a region, with relatively less monitored and less stricter on social and environmental impacts. Unfortunately, the leakage effect is never predicted in shipbreaking in order to understand the level of push compatible in the given socio-economic contexts. In this study, we have attempted to predict the future ship demolition landscape, applying machine learning technique to 34,531 in-service vessels worldwide, larger than 500 gross tonnage (GT), which is run against a learning model based on 3500 demolished vessels from 2014. This study shows that redistribution may occur among the top recycling nations: India may emerge out to be a dominant player in shipbreaking, surpassing Bangladesh by a margin of two-fold, while Pakistan and China are in decreasing trend. In addition, the leakage effect is observed, in that Vietnam is predicted to be the fourth largest ship demolition country, while China and Pakistan recede from the third and fourth place to 6th and 8th. Turkey is predicted to advance from fifth position to third position by vessel count but stays same in term of total GT dismantled. Although it is not clear if any leakage is to be observed in the near future, this study may be a model for future predictive analytics and help stakeholders take evidence-based business decisions.

Long-term safety of a nutraceutical combination based on agnus castus and magnolia extracts combined with soy isoflavones (SI) and lactobacilli, and effectiveness on vasomotor symptoms and sleep disorders in postmenopausal women, were assessed. A controlled study was carried-out in menopausal women comparing this nutraceutical combination (ESP group) with formulation containing isoflavones alone (C group), at the dosage recommended. Kuppermann index, PSQI, and SF-36 were determined at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. Endometrial thickness, mammary density and liver function were evaluated at baseline and after 12 months. 180 women (100 in ESP group and 80 in C group, mean age 55.5 years, in menopause for about 36 months) were enrolled in the study. At the treatment end, mammary density, endometrial thickness, and hepatic function did not show substantial differences between groups. Kuppermann index, and particularly hot flushes, were progressively and significantly decreased in frequency and severity during ESP versus C treatment. No adverse events were observed. Agnus castus and magnolia, combined with SI + lactobacilli, can effectively and safely be used in symptomatic postmenopausal women, mainly when quality of sleep is the most disturbing complaint. Endometrium, mammary glands and liver function, were unaffected after 12 months treatment.

The key links of face recognition are digital image preprocessing, facial feature extraction and pattern recognition, this article aimed at the current problem of slow speed and low recognition accuracy of face recognition , from the above three key links, on the basic of analyzing the therories of Fractional Differential Masks Operator (FDMO), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Support Vector Machine (SVM), design a kind of FDMO+PVA+SVM coupling algorithm that applies to face recognition to improve the speed and accuracy of it. To realize FDMO+PCA+SVM coupling algorithm, first, we should apply FDMO to face image processing binary marginalization, the purpose is getting face contour; Then, we apply PCA to get the feature of face image which is disposed by binary marainalization. At last, we can apply One-Against All of the SVM classifier and LibSVM software package to realize face recognition. Beside, the article with nine different coupling algorithm design four groups of experimental reaults on the ORL face database verified by comparative analysic FDMO+PCA+SVM coupling algorithm in the superiority of face recognition accuracy and speed.

Early childhood is considered to be a period of rapid development, with the acquisition of abilities predicting future positive school competences. Motor, cognitive and social difficulties related to cancer therapies heavily impact the development of children with cancer. This study focused on two main aims: to assess the developmental pathways in preschool children with leukaemia one year post-treatment; and to compare these abilities with those of a control group of healthy peers. Forty-eight children and their families, recruited through the Haematology-Oncologic Clinic of the Department of Child and Woman Health (University of Padua), agreed to participate in this study. The children’s mean age was 4.36 years (SD = 1.07, range = 1.91–6 years), equally distributed by gender, most of whom were diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (N = 44). Matched healthy peers were recruited through paediatricians’ ambulatories. Each family was interviewed adopting the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales. Paired sample t-tests revealed that children, especially aged 42–72 months, were reported to have significantly more developmental difficulties than their healthy peers, particularly in verbal competence, social and coping skills and gross motor abilities. These findings suggest that the creation of specialized interventions for both parents and children may fill the possible delays in children’s development due to toxic therapies and their associated hospitalisation.

Equipped with an early social predisposition immediately post-birth, humans typically form associations with mothers and other family members through exposure learning, canalized by a spontaneous predisposition to biological motion, face configuration, and other cues of animacy. If impaired, reduced social preferences can lead to social interaction impairments such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) via misguided canalization. Despite being taxonomically distant, domestic chicks also follow a homologous developmental trajectory toward adaptive socialization through imprinting, which is guided via predisposed preferences that are homologous to those of humans, thereby suggesting that chicks are valid animal models of ASD. In addition to the convergent similarities in predisposition with human newborns, accumulating evidence suggests the construct validity of the chick model. Considering the recent progress in the evolutionary neurobiology of vertebrates, we reviewed the advantages and limitations of the chick model of developmental mental diseases in humans.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a motor skills training program in children with DCD considering their gender. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-2) classified the children and assessed skill changes over time. The study was implemented at four kindergartens in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan. In the study, all children had DCD (5.17 ± 0.70 years; 10 girls), and all indicators on MABC-2 were less than 16 percent. Participants were divided into an experimental group (n=17) receiving ten weeks of motor skills training program for 45 min twice per week, the control group (n=7) proceeded with exercises of everyday living. All children in the experimental group had a significant increase in total percentile rank of MABC-2 and concerning each domain (manual dexterity; throwing and catching; balance). In the control group, a significant decrease in the total percentile rank of MABC-2 and each domain of MABC-2 was observed. The effectiveness of the intervention program was similar across both genders. The study supports that a period of 10 weeks of a motor skills training program can increase the quality of children's motor coordination and represent a valuable procedure for physical education specialists to enhance motor skills for children with DCD.