In this paper, we consider the zero distributions of q-shift monomi-als and difference polynomials of meromorphic functions with zero order, that extends the classical Hayman results on the zeros of differential poly-nomials to q-shift difference polynomials. We also investigate problem of q-shift difference polynomials that share a common value.

The dynamic interplay of signaling networks in most major cellular processes is characterized by the orchestration of reversible protein phosphorylation. Consequently, analytic methods like quantitative phospho-peptidomics has been pushed forward from a highly specialized edge-technique to a powerful and versatile platform for comprehensively analyzing the phosphorylation profile of living organisms. Despite enormous progress in instrumentation and bioinformatics, a major problem remains a high number of missing values caused by the experimental procedure due to either a random phospho-peptide enrichment selectivity or borderline signal intensities, which both cause the exclusion for fragmentation using the commonly applied data dependent acquisition (DDA) mode. Consequently, an incomplete dataset reduces confidence in the subsequent statistical bioinformatic processing. Here, we successfully applied data independent acquisition (DIA) by using the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae as model organism and could prove that while maintaining data quality (such as phosphosite and peptide sequence confidence), the data completeness increases dramatically. Since the method presented here reduces the LC-MS/MS analysis from 3 h to 1 h and increases the number of phoshosites identified up to 10-fold in contrast to published studies in fungi, we pushed the phospho-proteomic technique beyond its current limits and could provide a sophisticated resource for investigation of signaling processes in filamentous fungi.

The innovation of the new psychoactive substances (NPS) market requires the rapid identification of new substances that can be a risk to public health, in order to reduce the damage due to their use. Twelve seized products suspected to contain illicit substances were analyzed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Synthetic cathinones (SCat) were found in all products, either as a single component or in mixtures. Infrared spectra of all products were consistent with the molecular structure of SCat, showing an intense absorption band at 1700–1674 cm‐1, corresponding to the carbonyl stretching, a medium/strong peak at 1605-1580 cm-1, indicating stretching vibrations in the aromatic ring (C=C) and bands with relative low intensity at frequencies near 2700–2400 cm-1, corresponding to an amine salt. It was possible to identify a total of eight cathinone derivatives by GC-MS and NMR analysis: 4’-methyl-α-pyrrolidinohexanophenone (MPHP), α-pyrrolidinohexanophenone (α-PHP), 3-fluoromethcathinone (3-FMC), methedrone, methylone, buphedrone, N-ethylcathinone, and pentedrone. Among the adulterants found in these samples, caffeine was the most frequently detected substance, followed by ethylphenidate. These results highlight the prevalence of SCat in seized materials of the Portuguese market. Reference standards are usually required for confirmation, but when reference materials are not available, the combination of complementary techniques is fundamental for a rapid and an unequivocal identification of such substances.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of premature death and disability in humans. Increasing data suggest that CVD is closely related to lipid metabolism and signaling. This study aimed to assess whether circulating lysophospholipids (LPL), lysophosphatidic acids (LPA) and monoacylglycerols (MAG) may be considered as biomarkers of CVD. For this objective, the evolution of the plasma levels of 22 compounds (13 LPL, 6 LPA and 3 MAG) was monitored by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS²) in different rat models of CVD, i.e. angiotensin-II-induced hypertension (HTN), ischemic chronic heart failure (CHF) and sugen/hypoxia(SuHx)-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH). On one hand, there was modest changes on the monitored compounds in HTN (LPA 16:0, 18:1 and 20:4), LPC 16:1) and CHF (LPA 16:0, LPC 18:1 and LPE 16:0 and 18:0) models compared to control rats but these changes were no longer significant after correction for multiple testing. On the other hand, PH was associated with important changes in plasma LPA with a significant increase in the 16:0, 18:1, 18:2, 20:4 and 22:6 species. A deleterious impact of LPA was confirmed on isolated human pulmonary smooth muscle cells with an increase in their proliferation. This study demonstrates that circulating LPA species are increased in rats with PH and may contribute to the pathophysiology of this disease. Additional experiments are needed to assess whether the modulation of LPA signaling in PH may be of interest.

In this present study, we conducted untargeted metabolic profiling using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of ascidian Didemnum bistratum to assess the chemical constituents by searching in NIST library with promising biological properties against anti-bacterial and Zika virus vector mosquitocidal Properties. Metabolites, steroids and fatty acids are abundant in crude compounds of ascidian D. bistratum and showed potential zone growth inhibition against bacterial strains Kluyvera ascorbate (10 mm). The active crude compounds of D. bistratum exhibited prominent larvicidal activity against the Zika vector mosquitoes of Aedes aegypti and Cluex quinquefasciatus (LC₅₀ values of 0.4436 to 2.23 mg/mL). The findings of this study provide a first evidence of the biological properties exhibited by D. bistratum extracts, thus increasing the knowledge about the Zika virus vector mosquitocidal properties of ascidian. Overall, ascidian D. bistratum are promising and biocontrol or eco-friendly tool against A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus with prospective toxicity against non-target organisms.

This study assesses the secondary metabolites, minerals, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties of Micromeria fruticosa plant different botanical parts (leaf, stem, root, flower) extracted with various solvents. The plant samples were sequentially obtained using different solvents (n-hexane, ethanol and water) through steeping. Then, each of the extracts was further analyzed by using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Moreover, the extracts were bio-assayed to test their antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-cancer activities. Quali-quantitative analysis of M. fruticosa crude extracts revealed the occurrence of 27 secondary metabolites were identified including mainly monoterpenes, sesquterpenes, and fatty acids, with varying quantities. Some of the major bioactive compounds included, Menthone (5.42-30.05%), Oleamide (3.40-32.20%), Pulegone (10.66-64.1%), and Menthol (3.61-100.0%), which were detected mostly in all plant parts with significant quantities. Several antioxidant minerals, mainly, Fe, Zn, and Mn, were detected with the highest amounts in the Micromeria water extracts. Results from antimicrobial assays showed that the water extract of leaves exhibited the highest DPPH scavenging activity (89.73%) followed by the water extract of flowers (80.07%) at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. The water extract of stems showed greater antimicrobial activity against all the tested gram negative and positive bacteria (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Shigella sonnie). The leaves ethanolic and stem aqueous extracts had a strong antimicrobial activity against E. coli. and C. albicans. Flower aqueous extract demonstrated the highest cytostatic effect on the colon cell line by reducing viability up to 30.4%, followed by the leaf ethanol extract with 38.6% cell viability reduction at 1000 µg/mL. In conclusion, extraction solvents influenced the recovery of phytocompounds and the highest pharmacological activities of the different extracts could be correlated to the presence of additional bioactive compounds. Our results suggest that M. fruticosa plant is a promising source of natural products with antioxidant, anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties for potential nutraceutical, therapeutic, and functional food applications. , , , , , ,

Glycosyl inositol phospho ceramides (GIPCs) are the major sphingolipids on earth as they account for a considerable fraction of the total lipids in plants and fungi which in turn represent a large portion of the biomass on earth. Despite their obvious importance, GIPC analysis remains challenging due to the lack of commercial standards and automated annotation software. In this work, we introduce a novel GIPC glycolipidomics workflow based on reversed-phase ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. For the first time, automated GIPC assignment was performed using the open-source software Lipid Data Analyzer based on platform-independent decision rules. Four different plant samples (salad, spinach, raspberry, strawberry) were analyzed and revealed 64 GIPCs based on accurate mass, characteristic MS2 fragments and matching retention times. Relative quantification using lactosyl ceramide for internal standardization revealed GIPC t18:1/h24:0 as the most abundant species in all plants. Depending on the plant sample, GIPCs contained mainly amine, N-acetylamine or hydroxyl residues. Most GIPCs revealed a Hex-HexA-IPC core and contained a ceramide part with a trihydroxylated t18:0 or t18:1 long chain base and hydroxylated fatty acid chains ranging from 16 to 26 carbon atoms in length (h16:0 – h26:0). Interestingly, six GIPCs containing t18:2 were observed in raspberry, which was not reported so far. The presented workflow supports the characterization of different plant samples by automatic GIPC assignment potentially leading to the identification of new GIPCs. For the first time, automated high‑throughput profiling of these complex glycolipids is possible by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry and subsequent automated glycolipid annotation based on decision rules.

Fructus Amomi (FA) is usually regarded as the dried ripe fruits of Amomum villosum Lour. (FAL) or Amomum villosum Lour. var. xanthioides T. L.Wu et Senjenis (FALX) However, FAL, which always has a much higher price because of its better quality, is confused with FALX in the market. As volatile oil is the main constituent of FA, a strategy of chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and chemometric approches was applied to compare the chemical composition of FAL and FALX. The results showed that the oil yield of FAL was significantly higher than that of FALX. Total ion chromatograph (TIC) showed that cis-nerolidol existed only in FALX. Bornyl acetate and camphor, could be considered as the most important ones in FAL and FALX respectively. Moreover, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) successfully distinguished the chemical constitutes of the volatile oils in FAL and FALX. Additionally, bornyl acetate, α-cadinol, linalool, β-myrcene, camphor, d-limonene, terpinolene and endo-borneol were selected as the potential markers for discriminating FAL and FALX by partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA). In conclusion, this present study first developed a scientific approach to separate FAL and FALX based on volatile oils by GC-MS combined with chemometric techniques.

Background: This literature review investigates qualitative and quantitative uses of indocyanine green (ICG) in surgical treatment, as this novel technique has become increasingly popular in ORs (operating rooms) worldwide due to its many advantages. Method: An extensive literature review was performed by searching for relevant terms in 5 international databases (www.pubmed.gov, www.sciencedirect.com, www.scopus.com, www.Oxfordjournals.com, www.reaxys.com). The results of this search were summarized into the main advantages of employing ICG in colorectal surgery as follows: a) intraoperative fluorescence angiography capability; b) fluorescence-guided identification of lymph node involvement in colorectal cancer and the sentinel lymph node method; c) positive fluorescence flagging of a liver tumour as small as "only" 200 tumour cells; d) facilitation of fistula diagnosis; and e) tumour tattooing. Moreover, in addition to qualitative intraoperative ICG use, this technique can be combined with quantitative methods and parameters, such as maximum intensity, relative maximum intensity, and different inflow parameters (time-to-peak, slope, and t1/2max). The conclusion of this article is that fluorescence surgery with ICG aided by near-infrared (NIR) light is a relatively recent technology, an advantage of which is improving the specific anatomic and functional information provided, thus allowing more comprehensive and safer tumour removal as well as preservation of important structures.

Synthetic cannabinoids are a series of synthetic substances that mimic the effects of natural cannabinoids and produce a much stronger toxicity than natural cannabinoids, which have become the most abused family of new psychoactive substances. A solid-phase extractive-liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole/linear ion trap mass spectrometry method was developed to determine 11 synthetic cannabinoids in rat urine. The factors affecting recovery were optimized, and Oasis HLB was selected to extract synthetic cannabinoids simultaneously. The results showed that the linear correlation coefficients of the synthetic cannabinoids ranged from 0.993 to 0.999, and the limit of quantitation ranged from 0.01 to 0.1 ng/mL, and the spiked recoveries ranged from 69.90% to 118.39%. This method has the advantages of good purification ability, simple operation, and good reproducibility, and can be used for the high sensitivity analysis of various synthetic cannabinoids in urine.

Soft-Core architecture for Analogue to Digital Converter (ADC) sampling is useful for mixed signal applications. Soft-core architecture for cutting edge odd or even ADC sampling with interface to block RAM memory has not been found. Soft-core architecture as a concept has become popular due to the advantage of customization for different applications as compared to general-core architecture suited for single application. The latest generation of piece wise sampling is odd sampling and was introduced in the second decade of the 20th century. Odd and even order sampling techniques are analogue in nature driven by a tuned (tuned for odd or even) mixer. This paper proposes a third-generation piece wise sampling with soft-core architecture that enables an option to select both odd and even while interfacing to memory mapping. The proposed odd/even has superior SNR performance of 6 dB as compared to existing architecture such as Mod-∆ which recorded worst performance of 18 dB. Advances in soft-core technology have allowed a niche odd/even switching field to be identified and studied, the study has also been extended to include memory architecture.

The members of the Liliaceae family have been regarded as an excellent source of biologically active compounds. However, the work on antimicrobial potential and characterization of the bioactive fractions of Lilium philadelphicum flower is limited and needs to be explored. The present study reports the antimicrobial potential, anti-inflammatory and anticancer potential of the bioactive fraction extracted from the flower of L. philadelphicum (Red Lily) and characterization of these bioactive compounds. The antimicrobial activity was tested against nine different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of methanolic extract of L. philadelphicum flower against Acinetobacter bouvetii, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, Bacillus subtilis MTCC 121, Candida albicans MTCC 183, Klebsiella pneumoniae MTCC 3384, and Salmonella typhi MTCC 537 were 25, 50, 12.5, 50, 100 and 50 μg mL-1, respectively. The phytochemical analysis of the extract reveals the presence of phenols, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, glycosides, coumarins, and quinones. The cytotoxicity of the partially purified compound against the HepG2 cell line in MTT assay demonstrates up to 90% cell viability with a bioactive compound concentration of 50 μg/ml. However, with the increase in bioactive compound concentration up to 1000 μg/ml results into nearly 80% cell viability, just a minor decline in cell viability suggests the importance of bioactive compounds for suitable therapeutic applications. Spectroscopic studies of the bioactive compound by UV-Visible spectroscopy, FT-Infra Red spectroscopy, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) as well as its phytochemical analysis suggests the presence of terpenoids moiety, responsible for the antimicrobial property of L. philadelphicum flower.

In this paper, we study the p-adic integral representation on Z_p of q-Bernoulli numbers arising from two variable q-Bernstein polynomials and investigate some properties for the q-Bernoulli numbers. In addition, we give some new identities of q-Bernoulli numbers.

The main purpose of this paper is to introduce a new class of $q$-Hermite-Fubini numbers and polynomials by combining the $q$-Hermite polynomials and $q$-Fubini polynomials. By using generating functions for these numbers and polynomials, we derive some alternative summation formulas including powers of consecutive $q$-integers. Also, we establish some relationships for $q$-Hermite-Fubini polynomials associated with $q$-Bernoulli polynomials, $q$-Euler polynomials and $q$-Genocchi polynomials and $q$-Stirling numbers of the second kind.

Propolis was widely used in health preservation and disease healing, it contains many ingredients. The previous study had been revealed that the propolis has a wide range of efficacy, such as antiviral, immune enhancement, anti-inflammatory and so on, but its antiviral components and underlying mechanism of action remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the chemical composition, and anti-PPV and immunological enhancement of Propolis Flavonoid(PF). Chemical composition of PF was distinguished by UPLC-Q/TOF-MS/MS analysis.The presence and characterized of 26 major components was distinguished in negative ionization modes.To evaluate the effects of PF used as adjuvant on the immune response porcine parvovirus (PPV). Thirty Landrace-Yorkshire hybrid sows were randomly assigned to 3 groups, and the sows in adjuvant groups were intramuscular injected PPV vaccine with 2.0 mL PF adjuvant (PA), oilemulsion adjuvant (OA), respectively. After that, serum hemagglutination inhibition antibody titers, IgM and IgG subclasses, eripheral lymphocyte proliferation activity, and concentrations of cytokines were measured. Results indicated an enhancing effect of PA on IgM, IL-2, IL-4, IFN-γ and the IgG subclass responses. These findings suggested that PA could significantly enhance the immune responses. Furthermore, we screened the chemical components the effective of anti-PPV, Ferulic acid have an excellently anti-PPV effective.

Turmeric, Curcuma longa L., is a type of medicinal plant characterized by its perennial nature and rhizomatous growth. It is a member of the Zingiberaceae family and is distributed across the world’s tropical and subtropical climates, especially in South Asia. Its rhizomes are highly valued for food supplements, spices, flavoring agents, and yellow dye in South Asia since ancient times. It exhibits a diverse array of therapeutic qualities that encompass its ability to combat diabetes, reduce inflammation, act as an antioxidant, exhibit anticancer properties, and promote anti-aging effects. In this study, organic extracts of C. longa rhizomes were subjected to HPLC separation followed by mass spectrometry analysis. The Global Natural Product Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) approach was utilized for the first time in this ethnobotanically important species to conduct an in-depth analysis of its metabolomes based on their fragments. A total of 30 metabolites including 16 diarylheptanoids, 1 diarylpentanoid, 3 bisabolocurcumin ethers, 4 sesquiterpenoids, 4 cinnamic acid derivatives, and 2 fatty acid derivatives were identified. Among 16 diarylheptanoids identified in this study, five of them are reported for the first time in this species.

Poliovirus 2A protease (PV2Apro) plays a vital role in viral replication and down-regulation of host cell protein synthesis. In order to understand more concerning PV2Apro, the protein was over-expressed in bacteria following amplification using sense and antisense primers and cloning in pET15b. Several expression hosts were tested and BL21 (DE3) pLysS cells gave the best expression of PV2Apro with minimal unwanted protein expression following IPTG induction. The 2Apro protein was purified to homogeneity using column chromatography, its solubility determined and its molecular weight and composition determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The protease was found in the insoluble fraction and the purified protein had a slightly lower molecular weight than predicted. Moreover, three dimensional structure was modelled using template 1z8r with 58% identity and validated using ramachandran plot. Results revealed that most of the residues lie in favoured and allowed regions. These findings could help in a better understanding of PV2Apro structure and inhibition thus, highlighting potential targets for antiviral drug development.

Assuming a two component, positive and negative mass, superfluid/supersolid for space (the Winterberg model), we model the Higgs field as a condensate made up of a positive and a negative mass, planckion pair. The connection is shown to be consistent (compatible) with the underlying field equations for each field, and the continuity equation is satisfied for both species of planckions, as well as for the Higgs field. An inherent length scale for space (the vacuum) emerges, which we estimate from previous work to be of the order of,

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

Andean blueberries are wild berries grown and consumed in Ecuador which contain high values of bioactive compounds, mainly anthocyanins, with powerful antioxidant activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the profile and contents of (poly)phenols and carotenoids in Andean blueberry by HPLC-DAD-MSn and determine a wide range of its biological activities. The antioxidant capacity of this fruit was evaluated in vitro by three different methods and in vivo using the zebrafish animal model, also the toxicity effect was determined by the zebrafish embryogenesis test. Besides, the antimicrobial activity and the capacity of Andean blueberry to produce hemagglutination in blood cells were evaluated. Finally, the bioaccessibility of (poly)phenols and related antioxidant capacity were determined in the different phases of an in vitro digestion. The global results indicated no toxicity of Andean blueberry, weakly bacteriostatic activity, and high contents of anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity, which were partially bioaccesible in vitro (~ 50 % at the final intestinal step), contributing to the knowledge of its health benefits for consumers and its potential use in the food and pharmaceutical industry as functional ingredient.

Corundum-rich (up to 55 vol.%) felsic dykes formed by albite, ±K-feldspar, ±hercynite and ±biotite-siderophyllite cut the lower crustal rocks exposed in the Ivrea-Verbano Zone (NW Italy). Zircon is an abundant accessory mineral and its investigation through LA-ICP-(MC)MS has allowed to directly constrain the timing of emplacement, as well as petrology and geochemistry of parental melts. Zircons are characterised by very large concentration in REE, Th, U, Nb and Ta, and negative Eu anomaly. U–Pb analysis points to Norian emplacement ages (223±7 Ma and 224±6 Ma), whereas large positive εHf(t) values (+13 on average) indicate a derivation from depleted to mildly enriched mantle source. The mantle signature and the corundum oversaturation were preserved thanks to limited crustal contamination of the host, HT refractory granulites and mafic intrusives. According to the geochemical data and to the evidence of the development of violent explosions into the conduits, it is proposed that dykes segregated from peraluminous melts produced by exsolution processes affecting volatile-rich differentiates during alkaline magmatism. This work provides robust evidence about the transition of the geochemical affinity of Southern Alps magmatism from orogenic-like to anorogenic during Norian, linked to a regional uprising of the asthenosphere and change of tectonic regime.

Medicinal plants possess a surplus of novel and biologically active secondary metabolites that are responsible for counteracting diseases. Traditionally, Gomphandra tetrandra (Wall.) Sleumer is used to treat mental disorders. The present research was designed to explore phytochemicals from the ethanol leaf extract of Gomphandra tetrandra (Wall.) Sleumer to identify the potential pharmacophore(s) in the treatment of neurological disorders. The chemical compounds of the experimental plant were identified through GC-MS analysis. Besides, in-vitro antioxidant activity was assessed using different methods. Furthermore, in-vivo neurological activity was assessed in Swiss-albino mice. Computer aided analysis was appraised to determine the best-fit phytoconstituent of a total of fifteen identified compounds in the experimental plant extract against beta-amyloid precursor protein. The experimental extract revealed fifteen compounds in GC-MS analysis and the highest content was 9, 12, 15-octadecatrienoic acid (Z, Z, Z). Also, the extract showed potent anti-oxidant activity in in-vitro assays. Furthermore, in in-vivo neurological assays, the extract disclosed significant (p<0.05) neurological activity. The most favorable phytochemicals as neurological agents were selected via ADMET profiling and molecular docking was studied with beta-amyloid precursor protein. Moreover, in the computer aided study, 1, 5-Diphenyl-2H-1, 2, 4-triazoline-3-thione (Pub Chem CID: 2802516) was more active than other identified compounds with strong binding affinity to beta-amyloid precursor protein. The present in vivo and in silico studies revealed neuropharmacological features of G. tetrandra leaves extract as a natural agent against neurological disorders, especially Alzheimer’s disease.

Campylobacter infection affects more than 200,000 people every year in Europe and in the last four years trend shows an increase of campylobacteriosis. Main vehicle for transmission of the bacterium is contaminated food like meat, milk, fruit and vegetables. In this study, the aim was to find characteristic VOCs of C. jejuni in order to detect its presence with an array of MOX gas sensors. Using a starting concentration of 10³ CFU/mL, VOCs were analyzed using GC-MS with SPME technique at the initial time (T0) and after 20 hours (T20). It has been found that Campylobacter sample at T20 is characterized by a higher number of alcohol compounds that the one at T0 and this is due to sugar fermentation. Sensors results showed the ability of the system to follow bacteria curve growth from T0 to T20 using PCA. In particular, this results in a decrease of ΔR/R₀ value over time. For this reason, MOX sensors are a promising technology for the development of a rapid and sensitive system for C. jejuni.

Due to low culturing costs and high seed protein contents, legumes represent the main global source of food protein. Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is one of the major economically important legume crops, impacting both animal feed and human nutrition. Therefore, the quality of pea seeds needs to be ensured in the context of sustainable crop production and nutritional efficiency. Obviously, changes in seed protein patterns might directly affect both of these aspects. Thus, here we address the pea seed proteome in more detail and provide, to the best of our knowledge, the most comprehensive annotation of the functions and intracellular localization of pea seed proteins. Accordingly, 1938 and 1989 non-redundant proteins were identified in yellow and green pea seeds, in total. Only 35 and 44 proteins, respectively, could be additionally identified after protamine sulfate precipitation (PSP) potentially indicating the high efficiency of our experimental workflow. In total 981 protein groups could be assigned to 34 functional classes, which were to a large extent differentially represented in yellow and green seeds. Closer analysis of these differences by processing of the data in KEGG and String databases revealed their possible relation to a higher metabolic status and reduced longevity of green seeds.

β-Ga2O3 crystal have attracted great attentions in the fields of photonics and photoelectronics because of its ultra wide-band gap and high thermal conductivity. Here, pure β-Ga2O3 crystal was successfully grown by optical floating zone (OFZ) method, and used as saturable absorbers to realize a passively Q-switched all-solid-state 1μm laser for the first time. By placing the as-grown β-Ga2O3 crystal into the resonator of Nd:GYAP solid-state laser, a Q-switched pulses at the center wavelength of 1080.4 nm are generated under a output coupling of 10%. The maximum output power is 191.5 mW while the shortest pulse width is 606.54 ns, and the maximum repetition frequency is 344.06 kHz. The maximum pulse energy and peak power are 0.567 μJ and 0.93 W, respectively. Our experimental results show that β-Ga2O3 crystal has great potential in the development of all-solid-state 1μm pulsed laser.

The statistics of grain displacements probability distribution function (pdf) during the shear of a granular medium displays an unusual dependence with the shear increment upscaling as recently evinced [Phys. Rev. Lett. 115 238301 2015]. Basically, the pdf of grain displacements has clear nonextensive ($q$-Gaussian) features at small scales but approaches to Gaussian characteristics at large shear window scales -- the granulence effect. Here, we extend this analysis studying a larger system (more grains considered in the experimental setup) which exhibits a severe shear band fault during the macroscopic straining. We calculate the pdf of grain displacements and the dependency of the $q$-statistics with the shear increment. This analysis have shown a singular behavior of $q$ at large scales, displaying a non-monotonic dependence with the shear increment. By means of an independent image analysis, we demonstrate that this singular non-monotonicity could be associated with the emergence of a shear band within the confined system. We show that the exact point where the $q$-value inverts its tendency coincides with the emergence of a giant percolation cluster along the system, caused by the shear band. We believe that this original approach using Statistical Mechanics tools to identify shear bands can be a very useful piece to solve the complex puzzle of the rheology of dense granular systems.

Read-Across Structure-Activity Relationship (RASAR) is an emerging cheminformatic approach that combines the usefulness of a QSAR model and similarity-based Read-Across predictions. In this work, we have generated a simple, interpretable, and transferable quantitative-RASAR (q-RASAR) model which can efficiently predict the cytotoxicity of TiO2-based multi-component nanomaterials. The data set involves 29 TiO2-based nanomaterials which contain specific amounts of noble metal precursors in the form of Ag, Au, Pd, and Pt. The data set was rationally divided into training and test sets and the Read-Across-based predictions for the test set were generated using the tool Read-Across-v4.1 available from https://sites.google.com/jadavpuruniversity.in/dtc-lab-software/home. The hyperparameters were optimized based on the training set data and using this optimized setting, the Read-Across-based predictions for the test set were obtained. The optimized hyperparameters and the similarity approach, which yields the best predictions, were used to calculate the similarity and error-based RASAR descriptors using the tool RASAR-Desc-Calc-v2.0 available from https://sites.google.com/jadavpuruniversity.in/dtc-lab-software/home. These RASAR descriptors were then clubbed with the physicochemical descriptors and were subjected to features selection using the tool Best Subset Selection v2.1 available from https://dtclab.webs.com/software-tools. The final set of selected descriptors was used to develop multiple linear regression based q-RASAR models, which were validated using stringent criteria as per the OECD guidelines. Finally, a random forest model was also developed with the selected descriptors. The final machine learning model can efficiently predict the cytotoxicity of TiO2-based multi-component nanomaterials superseding previously reported models in the prediction quality.

Microplastics (MPs) quantification in benthic marine sediments is typically performed by time-consuming and moderately accurate mechanical separation and microscopy detection. In this paper we describe the results of our innovative Polymer Identification and Specific Analysis (PISA) of microplastic total mass, previously tested on either less complex sandy beach sediment or less demanding (because of the high MPs content) wastewater treatment plant sludges, applied to the analysis of benthic sediments from a sublittoral area north-west of Leghorn (Tuscany, Italy). Samples were collected from two shallow sites characterized by coarse debris in a mixed seabed of Posidonia oceanica, and by a very fine silty-organogenic sediment, respectively. After sieving at &lt;2 mm the sediment was sequentially extracted with selective organic solvents and the two polymer classes polystyrene (PS) and polyolefins (PE and PP) were quantified by pyrolysis-GC/MS. A contamination in the 8-65 ppm range by PS could be accurately detected. Acid hydrolysis on the extracted residue to achieve total depolymerization of all natural and synthetic polyamides, tagging of all aminated species in the hydrolyzate with a fluorophore, and reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) analysis, allowed to quantify within the 137-1523 ppm range the individual mass of contaminating Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6, based on the detected amounts of the respective monomeric amines 6-aminohexanoic acid (AHA) and hexanediamine (HMDA). Finally, alkaline hydrolysis of the residue from acid hydrolysis followed by RP-HPLC analysis of the purified hydrolysate showed contamination by polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in the 12.1-2.7 ppm range, based on the content of its comonomer, terephthalic acid.

SARS-CoV-2 caused a large outbreak since its emergence in December 2019. The COVID-19 diagnosis became a priority to isolate and treat infected individuals in order to break the contamination chain. Currently, the reference test for COVID-19 diagnosis is the molecular detection (RT-qPCR) of the virus from nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) samples. Although this sensitive and specific test remains the gold standard, it has several limitations, such as the invasive collection method, the relative high cost and the duration of the test. Moreover, the material shortage to perform tests due to the discrepancy between the high demand for tests and the production capacities puts additional constraints on RT-qPCR. Here, we propose a PCR-free method for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 based on Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) profiling and machine learning (ML) models from salivary samples. Kinetic saliva samples were collected at enrollment and ten and thirty days later (D0, D10 and D30), to assess the classification performance of the ML models compared to the molecular tests performed on NPS specimens. Spectra were generated using an optimized protocol of saliva collection and successive quality control steps were developed to ensure the reliability of spectra. A total of 360 averaged spectra were included in the study. At D0, the comparison of MS spectra from SARS-CoV-2 positive patients (n=105) with healthy healthcare controls (n=51) revealed nine peaks that significantly distinguished the two groups. Among the five ML models tested, Support Vector Machine with Linear Kernel (SVM-LK) provided the best performance on the training dataset (accuracy = 85.2 %, sensitivity = 85.1 %, specificity = 85.3 %, F1-Score = 85.1 %). The application of the SVM-LK model on independent datasets confirmed it performances with 88.9% and 80.8% of correct classification for samples collected at D0 and D30, respectively. Conversely, at D10, the proportion of correct classification fallen to 64.3%. The analysis of saliva samples by MALDI-TOF MS and ML appears as an interesting supplementary tool for COVID-19 diagnosis, despite the mitigated results obtained for convalescent patients (D10).

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

In this article, a new class of $q$-Hermite based unified Apostol type polynomials is introduced by means of generating function and series representation. Several important formulas and recurrence relations for these polynomials are derived via different generating methods. We also introduce $q$-analog of Stirling numbers of second kind of order $\nu$ by which we construct a relation including aforementioned polynomials.

Gold clusters protected by 3-MBA ligands (MBA = mercaptobenzoic acid, -SPhCO2H) have attracted recent interest for their unusual structures and advantageous ligand-exchange and bioconjugation properties. Azubel et al. first determined the core structure of an Au68-complex, which was estimated to have 32 ligands (3-MBA groups). To explain the exceptional structure-composition and reaction properties of this complex, and its larger homologs, Tero et al. proposed a “dynamic stabilization” via carboxyl O-H--Au interactions. Herein, we report the first results of an integrated LC/MS analysis of unfractionated samples of gold / 3-MBA clusters, spanning the narrow size range 13.4 to 18.1 kDa. Using high-throughput procedures adapted from bio-macromolecule analyses, we show that integrated capillary HPLC-ESI-MS, based upon aqueous-methanol mobile phases and ion-pairing reverse-phase chromatography, can separate several major components from the nanoclusters mixture that may be difficult to resolve by standard native gel electrophoresis due to their similar size and charge. For each component, one obtains a well-resolved mass spectrum, nearly free of adducts or signs of fragmentation. A consistent set of molecular mass determinations is calculated from detected charge-states tunable from 3- (or lower), to 2+ (or higher). One thus arrives at a series of new compositions (n, p) specific to the Au/3-MBA system. The smallest major component is assigned to the previously unknown (48, 26); the largest one is evidently (67, 30), vs. the anticipated (68, 32). Various explanations for this discrepancy are considered. A prospective is given for the several members of this novel series, along with a summary of the advantages and present limitations of the micro-scale integrated LC/MS approach to characterize such metallic-core macro-molecules, and their derivatives.

Tree peony flowers are traditional ornamental and medicinal materials in China. In this study, 23 tree peony flowers at a broad color spectrum were analyzed. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) revealed that tree peony flowers are rich in sugars and organic acids. Up to 18 amino acids were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS), including all essential amino acids, except for methionine. The majority of amino acids were significant positively correlated with each other and were significant negatively correlated with glucose, fructose and galactose. A total of 11 polyphenols were identified in these tree fresh peony flowers by LC-MS. There was a high consistency in grouping peony flowers by using sugars and organic acids and amino acids, which differed from that based on color components and polyphenols. Tree peony flowers are also rich in K, Ca, Mg and Fe. In together, peony flowers can be a good resource of health-promoting compounds.

The steep rise in reinforcement learning (RL) in various applications in energy as well as the penetration of home automation in recent years are the motivation for this article. It surveys the use of RL in various home energy management system (HEMS) applications. There is a focus on deep neural network (DNN) models in RL. The article provides an overview of reinforcement learning. This is followed with discussions on state-of-the-art methods for value, policy, and actor–critic methods in deep reinforcement learning (DRL). In order to make the published literature in reinforcement learning more accessible to the HEMS community, verbal descriptions are accompanied with explanatory figures as well as mathematical expressions using standard machine learning terminology. Next, a detailed survey of how reinforcement learning is used in different HEMS domains is described. The survey also considers what kind of reinforcement learning algorithms are used in each HEMS application. It suggests that research in this direction is still in its infancy. Lastly, the article proposes four performance metrics to evaluate RL methods.

Microsamples (collections usually less than 50 µL) have been introduced in pre-clinical, clinical, and research settings to overcome obstacles in sampling via traditional venipuncture. However, venipuncture remains the sampling gold standard for metabolic phenotyping of blood. This pre-sents several challenges in metabolic phenotyping workflows: accessibility for individuals in ru-ral and remote underserved areas (due to the need for trained personnel), the unamenable nature to frequent sampling protocols in longitudinal research (for its invasive nature), and sample col-lection difficulty in the young and elderly. Furthermore, venous sample stability may be compro-mised when temperate conditions necessary for cold-chain transport are beyond control. Alter-natively, research utilising microsamples extends phenotyping possibilities to inborn errors of metabolism, therapeutic drug monitoring, nutrition, as well as sport and anti-doping. Although the application of microsamples in metabolic phenotyping exists, it is still in its infancy, with whole blood being overwhelmingly the primary biofluid collected through the collection method of dried blood spots. Research into metabolic phenotyping of microsamples is limited; however, with advances in commercially available microsampling devices, common barriers such as volumetric inaccuracies and the ‘haematocrit effect’ in dried blood spot microsampling can be overcome. In this review, we provide an overview of the common uses and workflows for mi-crosampling in metabolic phenotyping research. We discuss the advancements in technologies, highlighting key considerations and remaining knowledge gaps for employment of microsamples in metabolic phenotyping research. Supporting the translation of research from the ‘bench to the community’.

Hazardous toxic metals, such as lead and cadmium, and to a lesser extent aluminum, are extensively recognized as detrimental for health following ingestion within food and water, or following inhalation. Gut and food-derived microbes, by interacting with heavy metals, may actively or passively modulate their bioavailability inside the gut, either by adsorption or by sequestration. Such a bioremediation within the gut implies the selection of safe microbes, based on their specific capacities to immobilize metals. We investigated the metal removal ability of 225 bacteria toward the potential harmful trace elements lead, cadmium and aluminum in vitro, using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry analysis. Interspecies and intraspecies comparisons were addressed and discussed among bacteria from the phylum Firmicutes, which are mostly lactic acid bacteria, including Lactobacillus spp, with some Lactococcus, Pediococcus and Carnobacterium representatives, Actinobacteria as well as Proteobacteria. The effect on mixture of lead and cadmium was also investigated. Although the purpose of such a screening is so far not to elucidate each of the various strain specific- and metal dependent- mechanisms of heavy metal removal, we identified potential bacteria which are able to alleviate Pb(II) and Cd(II) concerns in order to propose performing candidate probiotics for metal xenobiotic bioremediation.

In order to assess the human exposure risks from the release of contaminants from water pipes made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), experiments were carried out by subjecting the PVC pipe material to burning and leaching conditions followed by analysis of the emission and leachate samples. The emissions of burning pipes were analyzed by both infrared spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The emission results indicate the presence of chlorinated components including chlorine dioxide, methyl chloride, methylene chloride, allyl chloride, vinyl chloride, ethyl chloride, 1-chlorobutane, tetrachloroethylene, chlorobenzene, and hydrogen chloride were detected in the emissions of burning PVC pipes. Furthermore, the concentrations of benzene, 1,3-butadiene, methyl methacrylate, carbon monoxide, acrolein, and formaldehyde were found at levels capable of affecting human health adversely. The analysis of PVC pipe leachates using GC-MS shows that there are 40-60 tentatively identified compounds, mostly long-chain hydrocarbons such as tetradecane, hexadecane, octadecane, and docosane, were released when the burned PVC materials were soaked in deionized water for one week. Quantitative analysis shows that 2-butoxyethanol, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, and diethyl phthalate were found in the burned PVC polymer at the average levels of 2.7, 14.0, and 3.1 micrograms per gram (g/g) of pipe material. This study has significant implications for understanding the benzene contamination of drinking water in the aftermath of wildfires that burned polymer pipes in California.

Reef-dwelling calcifiers face numerous environmental stresses associated with anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, including ocean acidification and warming. Photosymbiont-bearing calcifiers, such as large benthic foraminifera, are particularly sensitive. To gain insight into their resistance and adaptive mechanisms to climate change, Amphistegina lobifera from the Gulf of Aqaba were cultured under elevated pCO2 (492, 963, and 3182 ppm) fully-crossed with elevated temperature (28°C and 31°C) for two months. Differential protein abundances in host and photosymbionts amongst treatments were investigated alongside physiological responses and microenvironmental pH variations. Over 1000 proteins were identified, of which one-third varied significantly between treatments. Thermal stress induced protein depletions, along with reduced holobiont growth. Elevated pCO2 caused only minor proteomic alterations and color changes. However, combined stressors reduced pore sizes and increased microenvironmental pH, indicating adaptive modifications to gas exchange. Notably, substantial proteomic variations at moderate-pCO2 and 31°C indicate cellular stress, while stable physiological performance at high-pCO2 and 31°C is scrutinized by putative decreases in test stability. Our experiment shows that the effects of climate change can be missed when stressors are assessed in isolation, and that physiological responses should be assessed across organismal levels to make more realistic predictions for the fate of reef calcifiers.

We propose a notion of $(q,\sigma,\tau)$-differential graded algebra, which generalizes the notions of $(\sigma,\tau)$-differential graded algebra and $q$-differential graded algebra. We construct two examples of $(q,\sigma,\tau)$-differential graded algebra, where the first one is constructed by means of generalized Clifford algebra with two generators (reduced quantum plane), where we use a $(\sigma,\tau)$-twisted graded $q$-commutator. In order to construct the second example, we introduce a notion of $(\sigma,\tau)$-pre-cosimplicial algebra.

This study aimed to evaluate the capacity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for Cadmium absorption in Milk. Nowadays one of the most serious problems is heavy metals pollution. Applying microorgaisms as a novel biotechnology is so useful especially in foodstuffs. Among the biosorbents for heavy metals’ removal, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has got an increasing attention due to its popularity in food industry. In this regard, the effects of some important factors such as the initial metal concentration, biomass concentration and contact time on the biosorption capacity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were studied. The biosorption was analyzed by the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The maximum Cd bioremoval (70%) was at 80 μg/L of this metal concentration in milk samples containing 30×10⁸ CFU Saccharomyces cerevisiae at the end of storage time (the 4^th day). There were no significant differences in sensory and physicochemical properties of milk samples during storage (p < 0.05). The isotherm studies followed by two popular models; Langmuir and Freundlich and the results showed a better fit to the Langmuir isotherm. All together, the results of this project demonstrated that the approach of using this valuable yeast, could be applied for food and drinks’ detoxification and producing healthier foods.

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many virus-binding monoclonal antibodies have been developed for clinical and diagnostic purposes. This underlines the importance of antibodies as universal bioanalytical reagents. However, little attention is given to the reproducibility crisis that scientific studies are still facing to date. In a recent study, not even half of all research antibodies mentioned in publications could be identified at all. This should spark more efforts in the search for practical solutions for the traceability of antibodies. For this purpose, we used thirty-five monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 to demonstrate how sequence-independent antibody identification can be achieved by simple means applied onto the protein. First, we examined the intact and light chain masses of the antibodies relative to the reference material NIST-mAb 8671. Already half of the antibodies could be identified based solely on these two parameters. In addition, we developed two complementary peptide mass fingerprinting methods with MALDI-TOF-MS that can be performed in 45 minutes and had a combined sequence coverage of over 80%. One method is based on the partial acidic hydrolysis of the protein by 5 mM of sulfuric acid at 99 °C. Furthermore, we established a fast way for a tryptic digest without an alkylation step. We were able to show that the distinction of clones is possible simply by a brief visual comparison of the mass spectra. In this work, two clones originating from the same immunization gave the same fingerprints. Later, a hybridoma sequencing confirmed the sequence identity of these sister clones. In order to automate the spectral comparison for larger libraries of antibodies, we developed the online software ABID 2.0 (https://gets.shinyapps.io/ABID/). This open-source software determines the number of matching peptides in the fingerprint spectra. We propose that publications and other documents critically relying on monoclonal antibodies with unknown amino acid sequences should include at least one antibody fingerprint. By fingerprinting an antibody in question, its identity can be confirmed by comparison with a library spectrum at any time and context.

In this paper, we derive multifarious relationships among the two types of higher order q-Daehee polynomials and p-adic gamma function via Mahler theorem. Also, we compute some weighted p-adic q-integrals of the derivative of p-adic gamma function related to the Stirling numbers of the both kinds and the q-Bernoulli polynomials of order k.

Mulberry is an economically significant crop for the sericulture industry worldwide. Stresses such as drought exposure have a significant influence on plant survival. Metabolome directly reflects plant physiological status; thus, a way to assess this impact is to perform a global metabolomic analysis. This study investigated the effect of drought stress on mulberry Yu-711 metabolic balance using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based on an untargeted metabolomic approach. For this objective, Yu-711 leaves were subjected to two weeks of drought stress treatment and control without drought stress. Multivariate and univariate statistical analyses highlighted numerous differentially-accumulated metabolic elements as a function of time and treatment. Drought stress led to a more differentiated metabolites response than the control. We found that the levels of total lipids and galactolipids, and phospholipids (PC, PA, PE) were significantly altered, producing 48% of the total differentially expressed metabolites. Fatty acyls were the most abundant lipids expressed and decreased considerably by 73.6%. Prenol lipids class of lipids increased in drought leaves. Other classes of metabolites, including polyphenols( flavonoids and cinnamic acid), organic acid (amino acids), carbohydrates, benzenoids, and organoheterocyclic, all had a dynamic trend in response to the drought stress. However, their levels under drought stress generally decreased significantly compared to the control. These results provide an overview of the metabolic profile of the mulberry plant through differentially-accumulated compounds and provide a better understanding of global plant metabolic changes in defense mechanisms.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) represents around 3% of all cancers, within which clear cell RCC (ccRCC) are the most common type (70–75%). The RCC disease regularly progresses asymptomatically and upon presentation is recurrently metastatic, so an early method of detection is necessary. The identification of one or more spe-cific biomarkers measurable in biofluids (i.e urine) by combined approaches could surely be appropriate for this kind of cancer, especially due to easy obtainability by non invasive method. OLR1 is a metabolic gene that encodes for the Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein re-ceptor-1 (LOX-1), implicated in inflammation, atherosclerosis, ROS and metabolic disor-der-associated carcinogenesis. Specifically, LOX-1 is clearly involved in tumor insurgence and progression of different human cancers. This work reports for the first time the presence of LOX-1 protein in ccRCC urine and its peculiar distribution in tumoral tissues. In parallel, urine samples headspace has been analyzed for the presence of the volatile compounds (VOCs) by SPME-GC/MS and gas sensor array. In particular, it was found by GC/MS analysis that 2-Cyclohexen-1-one,3-methyl-6-(1-methylethyl)- correlates with LOX-1 concentration in urine. Thus, the combined approach of VOCs analysis and protein quantification could led to promis-ing results in terms of diagnostic and prognostic potential for ccRCC tumor.

In the present paper, the (p,q)-Hermite based Apostol type Frobenius-Euler polynomials and numbers are firstly considered and then diverse basic identities and properties for the mentioned polynomials and numbers, including addition theorems, difference equations, integral representations, derivative properties, recurrence relations. Moreover, we provide summation formulas and relations associated with the Stirling numbers of the second kind.

Barbera d'Asti - including Barbera d'Asti superiore - and Nizza are two DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) wines produced in Piemonte (Italy) from Barbera grape variety. Differences among them arise in the production specifications in terms of purity, ageing and zone of production, in particular with concern to Nizza, which has more stringent rules and can therefore be considered as the one with the highest market value, with even three-fold more average prices. To guarantee producers and consumers, authentication methods must be developed in order to distinguish among the different wines. As the production zones totally overlap, it is important to verify whether the distinction is possible or not according to metals content, or whether chemical markers more linked to winemaking are needed. In this work, Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) elemental analysis and multivariate data analysis are used to study the authentication and traceability of samples from the three designations of 2015 vintage. The results show that, as far as elemental distribution in wine is concerned, work in the cellar, rather than geographic provenance, is crucial for the possibility of distinction.

In this paper, a new class of q-Hermite based Frobenius type Eulerian polynomials is introduced by means of generating function and series representation. Several fundamental formulas and recurrence relations for these polynomials are derived via different generating methods. Furthermore, diverse correlations including the q-Apostol-Bernoulli polynomials, the q-Apostol-Euler poynoomials, the q-Apostol-Genocchi polynomials and the q-Stirling numbers of the second kind are also established by means of the their generating functions.

In this paper, we investigate several relations for p-adic gamma function by means of their Mahler expansion and fermionic p-adic q-integral on ℤ_{p}. We also derive two fermionic p-adic q-integrals of p-adic gamma function in terms of q-Boole polynomials and numbers. Moreover, we discover fermionic p-adic q-integral of the derivative of p-adic gamma function. We acquire a representation for the p-adic Euler constant by means of the q-Boole polynomials. We finally develop a novel, explicit and interesting representation for the p-adic Euler constant including Stirling numbers of the first kind.

In this paper, we investigate p-adic q-integral (q-Volkenborn integral) on ℤ_{p} of p-adic gamma function via their Mahler expansions. We also derived two q-Volkenborn integrals of p-adic gamma function in terms of q-Daehee polynomials and numbers and q-Daehee polynomials and numbers of the second kind. Moreover, we discover q-Volkenborn integral of the derivative of p-adic gamma function. We acquire the relationship between the p-adic gamma function and Stirling numbers of the first kind. We finally develop a novel and interesting representation for the p-adic Euler constant by means of the q-Daehee polynomials and numbers.

Mushrooms are unexploited treasures of secondary metabolites. Analysis of the chemical constituents of these mushrooms would be necessary for the assessment of their pharmacological and biological activities. This study aimed at profiling of mycochemical constituents of five wild mushroom extracts thereby understanding their biological and pharmacological properties. Mushrooms were collected from Arabuko-Sokoke and Kakamega National Reserved Forests, Kenya. Specimens were identified by both morphological and molecular methods. Bioactive compounds were extracted using chloroform, 70% ethanol, and hot water solvents. Chloroform, 70% ethanol, and hot water extracts of Auricularia auricula-judae, Microporus xanthopus, Termitomyces umkowaani, Trametes elegans, and Trametes versicolor were determined using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). From all extracts, a total of fifty-one (51) compounds were identified and grouped into carboxylic acids, esters, phenols, fatty acids, alcohol, epoxides, aldehyde, fatty aldehyde, isoprenoid lipids, and steroid. Of the total compounds, Oleic acid (72.90%) from Trametes elegans was detected abundantly. Most of the compounds obtained from the chloroform extract of Trametes elegans and 70% ethanol extract of T. umkowaani are fatty acids. The identified compounds have revealed many biological and pharmacological activities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, insecticidal, anti-helminthic, larvicidal, vasodilator, antihypertensive, hepatoprotective, anticancer, antidiabetic, antifertility anti-diuretic, antiasthma, antifouling, anti-dermatophytic, antispasmodic, anti-hypocholesterolemic, nematicide, pesticide, immunostimulant, antiarthritic, and antihistaminic. These fatty acids are particularly playing important roles in the anti-inflammatory, hypocholesterolemic anticancer, and anti-biofilm formation activities. The presence of these bioactive components suggests that the extracts of five wild mushrooms could be good sources of secondary metabolites for drug discovery.

Circulating atypical cells (CAC) are released from a primary tumour site into peripheral blood and are indicators of cancer metastasis. CAC occur at very low frequency in circulating blood, and their detection remains challenging. Moreover, white blood cells (WBC) are the major contaminant in enriched CAC samples. Here, we developed matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) as a novel CAC characterization platform. Main spectra profiles (MSP) of normal and cancer cells were generated by MALDI-TOF MS, and a cell-main spectra database was then compiled and analysed using the MALDI Biotyper software. Logarithmic scores accurately predicted distinct cell types. The feasibility of this workflow was then validated using simulated samples, which were prepared by 5,000 WBC of three healthy individuals spiked with varying numbers (3, 6, 12, 25, 50 and 100) of lung, colon, or prostate cancer cells. MALDI-TOF MS was able to detect cancer cells down to six cells over the background noise of 5,000 WBC with significantly higher predictive scores as compared to WBC alone. Further development of cell-MSP database to cover all cancer types sourced from cell lines and patient tumours may enable the use of MALDI-TOF MS as a cancer-screening platform in clinical settings in the future.

NH4Cl is one of the nitrogen sources for microalgal cultivation. However, excessive amounts of NH4Cl affects microalgal physiology and biomass contents. In this study, the effects of ammonium on microalgal growth and TAG content in the green microalga (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) was investigated. Microalgal growth and TAG content under photoautotrophic conditions were found to be unchanged with 17 mM of ammonium, while this compound interfered with microalgal growth and induced TAG content under mixotrophic conditions with acetate supplementation. This suggested that ammonium could induce TAG production when acetate occurred in microalgal cultivation. Further, the effects of two different concentrations of NH4Cl (17 mM and 60 mM) on the cells under mixotrophic conditions were investigated. The results showed that both concentrations reduced microalgal growth, but induced total lipid and TAG content, especially after a 4-day cultivation. The oxygen evolution and Fv/Fm ratio showed that both concentrations completely inhibited the oxygen evolution on Day 4. The 60 mM NH4Cl reduced the Fv/Fm ratio from 0.7 to 0.48 indicating that ammonium supplementation directly affects the microalgae photosynthesis performance. A total of 1782 proteins were successfully identified using proteomics analysis. Among them, there were nine overexpressed proteins and four proteins were underexpressed. Using the protein–ligand interaction analysis, nitrogen metabolism is involved under NH4Cl conditions. This information can provide biochemical knowledge for microalgae development for sustainable energy usage.

As a critical transmitter, the compact 532 nm lasers operating on high repetition and narrow pulse widths have been used widely for airborne or space-borne laser active remote sensing. We developed a free space pumped TEM₀₀ mode sub-nanosecond 532 nm laser that occupied a volume of less than 125 mm × 50 mm × 40 mm (0.25 liters). The fundamental 1064 nm laser consists of a passively Q-switched composite crystal microchip laser and an off-axis, two-pass power amplifier. The pump sources were two single-emitter semiconductor laser diodes (LD) of 808 nm with a maximum continuous wave (CW) power of 10 W each. The average power of fundamental 1064 nm laser was 1.26 W with the laser operating at 16 kHz repetition rates, and 857ps pulse widths. Since the beam distortion would be severe in microchip lasers in terms of the increase in heat load, for obtaining a high beam quality of 532 nm, the beam distortion was compensated by adjusting the distribution of pumping beam in our experiment of fundamental amplification. Furthermore, better than 0.6 W average power, 770 ps, beam quality of M² ＜1.2, and 16 kHz pulse output at 532 nm was obtained by a Type I LiB₃O₅ (LBO) crystal in the critical phase matching (CPM) regime for second harmonic generation (SHG).

The present work was performed to evaluate the levels of phytochemical constituents and the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of marine red seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii) and seagrass (Cymodocea serrulata). Quantitative phytochemical analysis, antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity against 5 potential pathogenic bacteria was investigated. In both cases were found presence of flavonoids, tannins, phenolic compounds, glycosides, steroids, carbohydrates and ashes. Alkaloids were only found in K. alvarezii, buy not in C. serrulata. The antimicrobial properties of both K. alvarezii and C. serrulata chloroform extracts were found to be antagonis-tically effective against the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis and the gram-negative bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio harveyi and Klebsiella pneu-moniae. GC‒MS analysis revealed the presence of 94 bioactive compounds in K. alvarezii and 104 C. serrulata, including phenol, decane, dodecane, hexadecane, vanillin, heptadecane, diphenyla-mine, benzophenone, octadecanoic acid, dotriaconate, benzene, phytol, butanoic acid, and 2-hydroxyl-ethyl ether, which played a vital role in antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Thus, in view of the results, both K. alvarezii and C. serrulata could be considered as sources of ingre-dients with appreciable nutritional and medicinal value.

In this paper, we introduce the (ρ,q)-analogue of the p-adic factorial function. By utilizing some properties of (ρ,q)-numbers, we obtain several new and interesting identities and formulas. We then construct the p-adic (ρ,q)-gamma function by means of the mentioned factorial function. We investigate several properties and relationships belonging to the foregoing gamma function, some of which are given for the case p = 2. We also derive more representations of the p-adic (ρ,q)-gamma function in general case. Moreover, we consider the p-adic (ρ,q)-Euler constant derived from the derivation of p-adic (ρ,q)-gamma function at x = 1. Furthermore, we provide a limit representation of aforementioned Euler constant based on (ρ,q)-numbers. Finally, we consider (ρ,q)-extension of the p-adic beta function via the p-adic (ρ,q)-gamma function and we then investigate various formulas and identities.

Tuning fork gyroscopes (TFGs) are promising for potential high-precision applications. This work proposes and experimentally demonstrates a novel high-Q dual mass tuning fork microelectro-mechanical system (MEMS) gyroscope utilizing three-dimensional (3D) packaging techniques. Except for two symmetrically-decoupled proof masses (PM) with synchronization structures, a symmetrically-decoupled lever structure is designed to force the antiparallel, antiphase drive-mode motion and basically eliminate the low-frequency spurious modes. The thermoelastic damping (TED) and anchor loss are greatly reduced by the linearly-coupled, momentum- and torque-balanced antiphase sense mode. Besides, a novel 3D packaging technique is used to realize high Q-factors. A composite substrate encapsulation cap, fabricated by through-silicon-via (TSV) and glass-in-silicon (GIS) reflow processes, is anodically bonded to the sensing structures at wafer scales. A self-developed control circuit is adopted to realize loop control and characterize gyro-scope performances. It is shown that a high-reliability electrical connection together with a high-air-impermeability package can be fulfilled with this 3D packaging technique. Furthermore, the Q-factors of the drive and sense modes reach up to 51947 and 49249, respectively. This TFG realizes a wide measurement range of ±1800° /s and a high resolution of 0.1° /s with a scale-factor nonlinearity 720 ppm after automatic mode-matching. Besides, the long-term zero-rate output (ZRO) drift can be effectively suppressed by temperature compensation, inducing a small angle random walk (ARW) of 0.923°/√h and a low bias instability (BI) of 9.270°/h.

Soybean, maize and bean are crops of great economic importance, but in the last years suffered with infestations of the caterpillar Helicoverpa armigera, being the main problem the resistance of this pest to most pesticides. Avermectin emamectin benzoate was recently released to control this pest. Other avermectins, like abamectin, doramectin, eprinomectin and ivermectin are used in large scale because they potent acaricidal, anthelmintic, and insecticidal activities. Thus, a simple and fast method for the determination of avermectins in these crops based on a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) extraction procedure and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) analysis was developed and validated. For extraction, water followed by acetonitrile:isopropanol and a partition step with salts was stablished. With the clean-up step using activated EMR-Lipid, limits of detection of 1.2 μg kg-1 for abamectin, doramectin, emamectin benzoate and ivermectin, and of 2.4 μg kg-1 for eprinomectin were achieved. Accuracy and precision evaluated at low levels presented satisfactory results. The method was successfully applied in commercial samples and is a good alternative for routine analysis.

The aquaculture industry has become a sustainable provider of food to humans. Remaining challenges include disease issues, as well as ethical concerns for discomfort and stress among farmed fish. There is a need for reliable biomarkers to monitor welfare in fish, and the stress hormone cortisol has been suggested as a good candidate. This study presents a novel method for measurement of cortisol in fish feces based on enzymatic hydrolysis, liquid-liquid extraction, derivatization, and finally instrumental analysis by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Hydrolysis and extraction conditions were optimized. Cortisol appeared to be mostly conjugated to sulfate and less conjugated to glucuronic acid in the studied samples of feces from farmed Atlantic salmon. The method was suitable for quantification of cortisol after enzymatic deconjugation by either combined glucuronidase and sulfatase activity, or by glucuronidase activity alone. The limit of detection was 0.15 ng/g and the limit of quantification was 0.34 ng/g, and the method was linear (R2>0.997) up to 380 ng/g, for measurement of cortisol in wet feces. Method repeatability and intermediate precision were acceptable, both with a CV of 11%. Stress level was high in fish released into seawater, and significantly reduced after eight days.

In this article, two elliptical-ovel-shaped cylindrical dielectric resonator based wideband Graphene inspired reconfigurable metasurface absorber is designed on diffused quartz substrate having a relative permittivity of 3.75 and conductivity 2200Kg/m3 with height of 25μm. This metasurface having gold plated ground in microstrip with 5μm which is essential by calculating skin depth at 2.0THz frequency. Two elliptical ovel shaped patches with Graphene plated having built in potential varies 0-2.5eV and relaxation time 1.0ps at 290oK. By changing the relaxation time of Graphene 0.1ps-0.3ps its resonance frequency also varies i.e., reconfigurable property they provide without adding any active i.e., PIN diode components. The proposed MS is designed having a dimension of 100×100μm2 is designed on a microstrip. This MS works in the range of 1.6-2.38THz having more than 90% absorbance with two transmission zero at 2.1THz and 2.3THz having high Q ˃ 50 which is used to determine the sensitivity where the proposed MS used as a sensor to determine hemoglobin (Blood Glucose level) and urine (Uric acid) by changing their refractive index from 1.34-1.43. Maximum sensitivity achieved at 2000GHz/RIU and average sensitivity for hemoglobin and urine sensing achieved 833.33GHz/RIU, FOM-8.33 and 4277.7733GHz/RIU, FOM-555.55 respectively.

Alterations in the carnitine shuttle system may be an indication of the presence of cancer. As such, in-depth analyses of this pathway in different malignant tumors could be important for the detec-tion and treatment of this disease. The current study aims to assess the profiles of carnitine and acylcarnitines in gliomas with respect to their grade, the presence of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations, and 1p/19q co-deletion. Brain tumors obtained from 19 patients were sampled on-site using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) immediately following excision. Analytes were desorbed and then analyzed via liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. The results showed that SPME enabled the extraction of carnitine and 22 acylcarnitines. An analysis of the correlation factor revealed presence of two separate clusters: short-chain and long chain car-nitine esters. Slightly higher carnitine and acylcarnitine concentrations were observed in the higher malignancy tumor samples (high vs low grade), and in those samples with worse projected clinical outcomes (without vs with IDH mutation; without vs with 1p/19q co-deletion). Thus, the proposed chemical biopsy approach offers a simple solution for on-site sampling that enables sample preservation, thus supporting comprehensive multi-method analyses.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory neurodegenerative autoimmune disease characterized by aberrant infiltration of immune cells into the central nervous system (CNS) and by the loss of myelin. Sclerotic lesions and various inhibitory factors hamper remyelination processes within the CNS. MS patients typically experience gradual cognitive and physical disabilities as the disease progresses. The etiology of MS is still unclear and emerging evidence suggests that microbiome composition could play a much more significant role in disease pathogenesis than was initially thought. Initially believed to be isolated to the gut microenvironment, we now know that the microbiome plays a much broader role in various tissues and is essential in the development of the immune system. Here, we present some of the unexpected roles that the microbiome plays in MS and discuss approaches for the development of next-generation treatment strategies.

Acrylamide is probably carcinogenic to humans (International Agency for Research on Cancer, group 2A) with major occurrence in heated, mainly carbohydrate-rich foods. For roasted coffee, a European Union benchmark level of 400 µg/kg acrylamide is of importance. Regularly, the acrylamide contents are controlled using liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This reference method is reliable and precise but laborious because of the necessary sample clean-up procedure and instrument requirements. This research investigates the possibility of predicting the acrylamide content from proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra that are already recorded for other purposes of coffee control. In the NMR spectrum acrylamide is not directly quantifiable, so that the aim was to establish a correlation between the reference value and the corresponding NMR spectrum by means of a partial least squares (PLS) regression. Therefore, 40 commercially available coffee samples with already available LC-MS/MS data and NMR spectra were used as calibration data. To test the accuracy and robustness of the model and its limitations, 50 coffee samples with extreme roasting degrees and blends were additionally prepared as test set. The PLS model shows an applicability for the varieties C. arabica and C. canephora, which were medium to very dark roasted using drum or infrared roasters. The root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) is 79 µg/kg acrylamide (n=32). The PLS model is judged as suitable to predict the acrylamide values of commercially available coffee samples. On the other hand, very light roasts containing more than 1000 µg/kg acrylamide are currently not suitable for PLS prediction.

High molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) and Low molecular weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS) in mature grains play important roles in the formation of glutenin macropolymer and gluten quality. To characterize the expressed glutenin genes of the bread wheat variety Xinmai 26 during seed development, in this study, we measured the dough rheological properties of mature grains through farinograph and gluten testing system, and revealed its strong gluten quality. The compositions of HMW-GS and LMW-GS were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Further, a total of 18 full-length transcripts were obtained by third-generation RNA sequencing, including 5 transcripts of HMW-GS genes and 13 transcripts of LMW-GS genes (8 intact genes and 5 pseudogenes). The deduced protein structures of transcript sequences exhibit the typical HMW-GS and LMW-GS structural characteristics. Moreover, a specific functional marker was developed to make better use of the extra cysteine residue of 1Dx5 subunit. This study provides an efficient method to accurately identify glutenin genes in bread wheat through matching full-length transcripts to their spectrum of glutenin, which will be helpful to understand the contributions of glutenin genes to wheat quality.

Rickettsia and Coxiella burnetii are zoonotic tick-borne pathogens that can cause febrile illnesses with or without other symptoms in humans but may cause subclinical infections in animals. There are only a few reports on the occurrence of these pathogens in cattle and water buffaloes in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. In this study, molecular detection of Rickettsia spp. and C. burnetii in the blood and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus ticks of cattle and water buffaloes from five provinces in Luzon Island of the Philippines was done. A total of 620 blood samples of cattle and water buffaloes and 206 tick samples were collected and subjected to DNA extraction. After successful amplification of control genes, nested PCR was performed to detect gltA of Rickettsia and com1 of C. burnetii. No samples were positive for Rickettsia while 10 (cattle – 7, water buffaloes - 3) or 1.6% of blood and 5 or 1.8% of tick samples were C. burnetii-positive. Sequence analysis of the positive amplicons showed 99-100% similarity to reported C. burnetii isolates. This molecular evidence on the occurrence of C. burnetii in Philippine ruminants and cattle ticks and its zoonotic nature should prompt further investigation and surveillance to facilitate its effective control.

Bioactive fractions were isolated from the leaves extract of Kalanchoe pinnata and subjected to scrutiny for their prospective anti-obesity properties. An array of in vitro phytochemical, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibition assays were executed, which dis-cerned fractions F1 and F2 as the most effective fractions. These fractions were sub-sequently studied through in vivo experiments, affirming that F2 as the most potent fraction. Further characterization of F2 was conducted via HPTLC MS-MSn tech-niques. The outcomes demonstrated that F2 produced a notable anti-obesity effect in obese mice, reducing their body weight and lipid metrics, and leading to advanta-geous changes in their organs. An analytical examination of F2 revealed the existence of four principal compounds, which were subsequently subjected to in silco molecular docking and dynamic analysis, confirming their aptitude for binding to selected pro-teins. These findings imply that the utilization of Kalanchoe pinnata leaves could pro-vide a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of obesity.

Emerging of mass-spectroscopy with inductively-coupled plasma (ICP-MS) made possible to study the microelement composition of crude oil and its derivatives (with the limit of detection at the ppt level). We have studied the crude oil composition of some West Siberian and Tatarstan oilfields with the ICP-MS method to detect 50 rare, rare-earth, and other microelements. The elemental composition is reasonably comparable to their concentrations in ultrabasites whereas the contents of most of the elements are low to the limit. On the diagrams of rare-earth elements, one can see the prevalence of light lanthanides and positive europium anomaly. The study shows that crude oils have a specific microelement composition that stands out from other geological systems.

Abuse of amphetamine-related drugs (ARDs) causes traffic accidents, violence, and overdose. In forensic toxicology, analysis for ARDs in biological samples can help identify those driving or performing other tasks under the influence of drugs, clarify the cause of death, and identify recent drug users. In this study, we validated a pseudo-isocratic UPLC-qTOF-MS method following mixed mode cation exchange (MMSPE) extraction for analysis of ARDs in blood. The procedure requires 250 μL of blood to achieve a limit of quantification (LOQ) and detection (LOD) of 20 ng/mL for all analytes. In aged animal blood samples, extraction recoveries of 63-90% and matrix effects of 9-21% were observed. Precision and accuracy for all analytes were within 20% and 89–118%, respectively. The analytical method was developed and validated in accordance with the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Toxicology (SWGTOX) Standard. It has acceptable accuracy and precision for use in doping control and forensic toxicology.

Coxiella burnetii (Derrick) Philip, the causative agent of Q fever, is mainly transmitted by aerosols, but ticks can also be a source of infection. Transstadial and transovarical transmission of C. burnetii by Hyalomma lusitanicum (Koch) has been suggested. There is a close relationship between this tick species, wild animals and C. burnetii but the transmission in a natural environment has not been demonstrated. In this study, we collected 80 engorged nymphs of H. lusitanicum from red deer and wild rabbits. They molt to adults under laboratory conditions and we feed them artificially through silicone membranes after a preconditioning period. C. burnetii DNA was tested in ticks, blood and feces samples using real-time PCR. The pathogen was found in 36.25% of fed adults demonstrating that transstadial transmission from nymph to adult occurs in nature. The presence of DNA in the 60% of blood samples confirms that adults transmit the bacteria during feeding. Further studied are needed about co-feeding and other possible transmission routes to define the role of this tick species in the cycle of C. burnetii.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) causes severe inflammation and airway pathology in children and the elderly by infecting the epithelial cells of the upper and lower respiratory tract. RSV replication is sensed by intracellular pattern recognition receptors upstream of the IRF and NF-B transcription factors. These proteins coordinate an innate inflammatory response via Bromodomain containing protein 4 (BRD4), a protein that functions as a scaffold for unknown transcriptional regulators. To better understand the pleiotropic regulatory function of BRD4, we examine the BRD4 interactome and identify how RSV infection dynamically alters it. To accomplish these goals, we leverage native immunoprecipitation and Parallel Accumulation – Serial Fragmentation (PASEF) mass spectrometry to examine BRD4 complexes isolated from human alveolar epithelial cells in the absence or presence of RSV infection. In addition, we explore the role of BRD4’s acetyl-lysine binding bromodomains in mediating these interactions by using a highly selective competitive bromodomain inhibitor. We identify 101 proteins that are significantly enriched in the BRD4 complex and are responsive to both RSV-infection and BRD4 inhibition. These proteins are highly enriched in transcription factors and transcriptional coactivators. Among them, we identify members of the AP1 transcription factor complex, a complex important in innate signaling and cell stress responses. We independently confirm the BRD4/AP1 interaction in primary human small airway epithelial cells. We conclude that BRD4 recruits multiple transcription factors during RSV infection in a manner dependent on acetyl-lysine binding domain interactions. This data suggests that BRD4 recruits transcription factors to target its RNA processing complex to regulate gene expression in innate immunity and inflammation.

Erlotinib inhibits epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase activity and is used to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite its high efficacy, recurrence can occur in patients who become resistant to the drug. To address the underlying mechanism of Erlotinib resistance, we investigated additional mechanisms related to mode-of-drug-action, by multiple protein-binding interactions, besides EGFR by using drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods with non-labeled Erlotinib. DNA polymerase alpha subunit B (POLA2) was identified as a new Erlotinib binding protein that was validated by the DARTS platform, complemented with cellular thermal shift assays. Genetic knock-down of POLA2 promoted the anti-proliferative effect of the drug in the Erlotinib-resistant cell line H1299 with high POLA2 expression, whereas overexpression of POLA2 restored anti-proliferative effects in the Erlotinib-sensitive cell line HCC827 with low POLA2 expression. Importantly, POLA2 expression levels in four NSCLC cell lines were positively correlated with anti-proliferative Erlotinib efficacy, verified by bio-statistical analysis (Pearson correlation coefficient, R=0.9886). These results suggest that POLA2 is a novel complementary target protein of Erlotinib, and could clinically provide validity as a surrogate marker for drug resistance in patients with NSCLC.

The proliferation of mobile and IoT devices, coupled with the advances in the wireless communication capabilities of these devices, have urged the need for novel communication paradigms for such heterogeneous hybrid networks. Researchers have proposed opportunistic routing as a means to leverage the potentials offered by such heterogeneous networks. While several proposals for multiple opportunistic routing protocols exist, only a few have explored fuzzy logic to evaluate wireless links status in the network to construct stable and faster paths towards the destinations. We propose FQ-AGO, a novel Fuzzy Logic Q-learning Based Asymmetric Link Aware and Geographic Opportunistic Routing scheme that leverages the presence of long-range transmission links to assign forwarding candidates towards a given destination. The proposed routing scheme utilizes fuzzy logic to evaluate whether a wireless link is useful or not by capturing multiple network metrics, the available bandwidth, link quality, node transmission power, and distance progress. Based on the fuzzy logic evaluation, the proposed routing scheme employs a Q-learning algorithm to select the best candidate set toward the destination. We implement FQ-AGO on the NS-3 simulator and compare the performance of the proposed routing scheme with three other relevant protocols: AODV, DSDV, and GOR. For precise analysis, we consider various network metrics to compare the performance of the routing protocols. Our simulation result validates our analysis and demonstrates remarkable performance improvements in terms of total network throughput, packet delivery ration, and end-to-end delay.

A convenient and fast multiresidue method for the efficient identification and quantification of 72 pesticides belonging to different chemical classes in red and white grape wines have been developed. The analysis was based on gas chromatography tandem quadrupole mass spectrometric determination (GC–MS/MS). An optimization strategy involved the selection of MWCNTs amount and cleanup procedure cycle times for m-PFC was performed to achieve ideal recoveries and reduce sample matrix compounds in the final extracts. The optimized procedure obtained consistent recoveries between 70.2 and 108.8% (70.2% and 108.8% for white wine, 72.3% and 106.0% for red wine) , with relative standard deviations (RSDs) generally lower than 8.3% at three spiking levels of 0.01, 0.05 and 0.2 mg/kg. Linearity was studied in the range between 0.005 and 0.2 mg/kg using pesticide standards prepared both in pure solvent and in the presence of matrix, showing coefficients of determination (R²) higher than 0.985 for all the pesticides. To improve accuracy, matrix matched calibration curves were used for calculating the quantification results. Finally, the method was used successfully in detecting pesticide residues in commercial gape wines.

Jatropha multifida L. is a plant belong to Euphorbiaceae family used in Benin pharmacopoeia because of its medicinal properties. The objective of this work is to appreciate the therapeutic power of this plant through the evaluation of some of its biological activities. After the preliminary phytochemistry, the polyphenols and flavonoids were quantified and identified by the LC-MS-ESI. The antimicrobial power of the extracts was investigated by agar medium diffusion. The antioxidant power of the extracts was evaluated by the reduction of the DPPH radical, the ABTS radical cation, the feric ion (FRAP) and the lipid peroxidation (LPO). Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by inhibition of protein (albumin) denaturation. Indeed, different phenolic and flavonoid compounds namely, 2-Hydroxybenzoic acid, o-Coumaroylquinic acid, Apigenin-apiosyl-glucoside, Luteolin-galactoside, Luteolin-glucoside, Luteolin-rhamnoside, Quercetin-glucoside, Quercetin-arabinoside, Dicaffeoyquinic acid, Kaempferol-rhamnoside were identify. The J. mutifida extracts has a bactericidal effect with reference strains of wich CMBs vary from 22.67 mg/ml (S. aureus, S. enteridis, L. monocytogenes and C. albicans) to 47.61 mg/ml (E. coli) and with the meat isolated strains (S. equorum, S. saprophiticus, S. haemoliticus, S. cohnii and S. lentus). Ethanolic extract show the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ = 0.72±0.03 mg/ml) while methanolic extract showed the highest ferric ion reduction (46.23±1.10 µgEAA/g). Contrary to the FRAP method, the reducing power with ABTS method of water-ethanolic extract was greater (0.49±0.11 mol ET/g). The same extract show the highest albumin denaturation inhibition power (97.31±0.35%) at 1000µg/ml. J. multifida extracts are rich in bioactive compound with good biological activity

The enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157: H7 EspF is known to be a multifunctional effector that triggers several damage processes in the host cells. However, in the process of EHEC O157: H7 infection, the interactions between EspF, its N- or C-terminus, and host proteins are still unclear. In this work, we use co-immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry (CoIP-MS) to screen the interactions between EspF/EspF-N/EspF-C terminus and host proteins. A total of 311 host proteins are analyzed. The N-terminus of EspF is found to interact with 192 proteins, whereas 205 proteins interact with the C-terminus. These proteins are mainly involved in RNA splicing, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and a variety of metabolic signaling pathways. Surprisingly, MS results reveal that EspF can also phosphorylate H2AX, suggesting that EspF may directly mediate DNA damage. Here, by western blot and immunofluorescence (IF), we verified that EspF can cause phosphorylation of H2AX and mediates cell multi-nuclearation and cell hypertrophy. Furthermore, we verify here for the first time that SMC1 interacts with EspF -C-terminus, and provide evidence that EspF increases p-SMC1 levels. p-SMC1 is known to influence S-phase cell cycle arrest and usually increases during periods of DNA damage. Our work revealed a novel interaction between EspF and the host protein SMC1 and lays a foundation for further research on EspF-mediated host DNA damage, apoptosis, and even colorectal carcinogenesis.

The importance of a properly regulated immune response has been explored through various research-oriented methods. It has proved that having an effective and well-regulated immune response helps prevent many minors and serious diseases. Any kind of dysregulation in the working of the immune system may lead to severe consequences. An autoimmune disorder is one such consequence in which the component of the immune system starts targeting self-cells of the body, treating them as self-antigen producing autoantibodies and immune complexes resulting from the failure of immune responses both at a central and peripheral level. Currently, many autoimmune disorders are prevailing across the world, and new diseases need attention.In this review, we have written about the functions of T cell, LncRNAs and also some interactions between the LncRNAs and miRNAs in the pathogenesis of Multiple sclerosis (MS), Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Type 1 diabetes (T1D), Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To find the functions of these autoimmune disorders we have done intensive literature search during this we also found that GAS5 and MALAT are common in MS, SLE, T1D, RA. And finally, we have also mentioned the therapeutic drugs which neutralizes the different cluster of differentiation (CDs) and also suppresses the T cell differentiation in MS, SLE and RA. For T1D therapeutic strategies and various types of insulin are mentioned.

Objective: To study the changes in urine metabolism in female water polo players before and after high-intensity training by using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and to explore the biometabolic characteristics of urine after training and competition. Methods: Twelve young female water polo players (except goalkeepers) from Shanxi Province were selected. A 4-week formal training was started after one week of acclimatization according to experimental requirements. Urine samples (5 ml) were collected before formal training, early morning after 4 weeks of training, and immediately after 4 weeks of training matches, and labeled as T1, T2, and T3, respectively. The samples were tested by LC-MS after pre-treatment. XCMS, SIMCA-P 14.1, and SPSS16.0 were used to process the data and identify differential metabolites. Results: On comparing the immediate post-competition period with the pre-training period (T3 vs T1), 24 differential metabolites involved in 16 metabolic pathways were identified, among which niacin and niacinamide metabolism and purine metabolism were potential post-competition urinary metabolic pathways in the untrained state of the athletes. On comparing the immediate post-competition period with the post-training period (T3 vs T2), 10 metabolites involved in 3 metabolic pathways were identified, among which niacin and niacinamide metabolism was a potential target urinary metabolic pathway for the athletes after training. Niacinamide, 1-methylnicotinamide, 2-pyridone, L-Gln, AMP, and Hx were involved in two metabolic pathways before and after the training. Conclusion: Differential changes in urine after water polo games are due changes in the metabolic pathways of niacin and niacinamide.

Fungal infections are more predominant in agricultural and clinical fields. Aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus leads to respiratory failure in patients along with various illnesses. Due to the limitation of antifungal therapy and antifungal drugs, there is an emergence to develop efficient antifungal compounds from natural sources to cure and prevent fungal infections. The present study deals with the investigation of the mechanism of active compounds from our candidate agonist Aspergillus giganteus for aspergillosis. The integrity of treated Aspergillus fumigatus cell membrane and nuclear membrane was analyzed by determining the release of cellular materials. The antagonistic potential of antifungal compounds on the pathogen was confirmed by SEM analysis. The effective concentration of antifungal compounds (AFCs) was found to be 250µg/ml. The GC-MS profiling has revealed the bioactive metabolites responsible for the antagonistic nature of Aspergillus giganteus. The bioavailability and toxicological properties of pathogenesis related proteins have proved the efficiency of pharmacokinetic properties of selected compounds. Interaction of sarcin, thionin, chitinase and its derivatives from Aspergillus giganteus with the virulence proteins of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase, N-myristoyl transferase and Chitinase have proved the druggable nature of the antifungal compounds.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects more than 2 million people worldwide. Increasing knowledge about MS in different populations has advanced our understanding of disease epidemiology and variation in the natural history of MS among White and minority populations. In addition to differences in incidence, African American (AA) and Hispanic patients have greater disease burden and disability in earlier stages of disease compared to White patients. To further characterize MS in AA and Hispanic populations, we conducted a retrospective chart analysis of 112 patients treated at an MS center in Houston, Texas. Here, we describe differences in clinical presentation, MRI findings, treatment regimens, disability progression, and relapse rate. We found that patients who were evaluated by a neurologist at symptom onset had significantly decreased odds of greater disability [defined as Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) &gt; 4.5] at last presentation compared to patients who were not evaluated by a neurologist (OR: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.16-0.9). We also found that active smokers had significantly increased odds of greater disability both at diagnosis and at last clinical encounter compared to nonsmokers (OR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.10-7.10, OR= 2.44, 95% CI: 1.35-6.12, p= 0.01, respectively). Assessment of the degree of brain atrophy and progression over time along with enumeration of T1, T2, and gadolinium-enhancing brain lesions did not reveal differences across groups.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) synthesized by sphingosine kinase (SPHK) is a signaling molecule, involved in cell proliferation, growth, differentiation, and survival. Indeed, a sharp increase of S1P was linked to the pathological outcome with inflammation, cancer metastasis or angiogenesis etc. In this regard, the SPHK/S1P axis regulation has been a specific issue in anticancer strategy to turn accumulated sphingosine (SPN) into cytotoxic ceramides (Cers). For these purposes, there have been numerous chemicals synthesized for SPHK inhibition. In this study, we investigated the comparative efficiency of dansylated PF-543 (DPF-543) on the Cers synthesis along with PF-543. DPF-543 deserved attention in strong cytotoxicity, due to the cytotoxic Cers accumulation by ceramide synthase (CerSs). DPF-543 exhibited dual actions on Cers synthesis by enhance the serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) activity, and by inhibiting SPHKs which eventually induced an unusual environment of the high amount of 3-ketosphinganine and sphinganine (SPA). SPA in turn was consumed to synthesize Cers via de novo pathway. Interestingly, PF-543 increased only the SPN level, but not for SPA. In addition, DPF-543 mildly activates acid sphingomyelinase (aSMase) that contributes a partial increase on Cers. Collectively, a dansyl-modified DPF-543 relatively en-hanced Cers accumulation via de novo pathway which was not observed in PF-543. Our results demonstrated that the structural modification on SPHK inhibitors is still an attractive anticancer strategy by regulating sphingolipid metabolism.

This study seeks to determine how economic policy uncertainty (EPU) influences investment decisions and the market value of the Pakistan Stock Exchange. The study examines investment and operational data from 249 energy and petroleum companies between 2015 and 2020, in addition to macroeconomic variables such as EPU. This study investigates the moderating effects of EPU on investments in fixed and intangible assets, as well as its effect on Tobin's Q and the market price per share. The outcomes demonstrate that EPU reduces the costs of both tangible and intangible assets for businesses. In addition, companies with a greater Tobin's Q and market price per share are more impacted by uncertain corporate investment policies. However, financial leverage is found to be negatively correlated with share price and positively correlated with earnings per share and earnings per unit. Tobin's Q is positively correlated with financial leverage, indicating that firms that raise capital through debt are more likely to create value for investors. The research indicates that market-dependent enterprises are more susceptible to the unpredictability of monetary policy. Eventually, the findings suggest that consistent and transparent economic policies may increase the efficiency of corporate investment.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a persistent inflammatory disease affecting the central nervous system. Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) is an enzyme crucial in the communication process of B cells, which have a significant impact on the development of MS. Recently, BTK inhibitors have emerged as a promising treatment strategy for MS due to their ability to modulate the immune system. In this study, an extensive literature search was performed utilizing multiple databases, such as PubMed, Embase, and Scopus to examine the potential use of BTK inhibitors in managing cognitive disorders experienced by individuals with MS. We found that BTK inhibitors targeting microglia offer potential advantages for managing neurodegeneration associated with cognitive impairments in MS patients by slowing down degeneration processes effectively. Their ability to impact microglial function and penetrate the CNS positions them as promising candidates for improving cognitive function. This study suggests that BTK inhibitors provide new possibilities for managing inflammatory and neurodegenerative phases of MS through their effects on microglia activation pathways. Further research and clinical trials are necessary to fully explore their efficacy in treating MS while addressing barriers related to cognitive impairment.

In this paper, inspired by Jleli and Samet [journal of inequalities and applications 38 (2014) 2 1–8] we introduce two new classes of auxiliary functions and utilize the same to define (q, y)R-weak 3 contractions. Utilizing (q, y)R-weak contractions, we prove some fixed point theorems in the setting 4 of relational metric spaces. We employ some examples to substantiate the utility of our newly proved 5 results. Finally, we apply one of our newly proved results to ensure the existence and uniqueness of 6 solution of a Volterra-type integral equation.

In this study, we introduce a new class of bi-univalent functions using q-Janowski Function. We derive the Fekete-Szegö functional problems for functions in this new subclass, as well as estimates for the Taylor-Maclaurin coefficients |α2| and |α3|. Furthermore, a collection of fresh outcomes are3 presented by customizing the parameters employed in our initial discoveries.

We construct a novel family of summation-integral type hybrid operators in terms of shape parameter $\alpha\in \lbrack 0,1]$ in this paper. Basic estimates, rate of convergence, and order of approximation are also studied using the Korovkin theorem and the modulus of smoothness. We investigate the local approximation findings for these sequences of positive linear operators utilising Peetre's K-functional, Lipschitz class, and second-order modulus of smoothness.

Epilepsy is a heterogenous neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures, mitochondrial stress, and neurodegeneration. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a gasotransmitter, promotes mitochondrial function and biogenesis, elicits neuromodulation and neuroprotection, and may acutely suppress seizures. A major gap in knowledge remains in understanding the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and progressive changes in H2S levels following acute seizures and during epileptogenesis. We thus sought to quantify changes in H2S and its methylated metabolite (MeSH) via LC-MS/MS subsequent to acute maximal electroshock and 6 Hz 44 mA seizures in mice, as well as in the corneal kindled mouse model of chronic seizures. Plasma H2S was acutely reduced after a maximal electroshock seizure. H2S or MeSH levels in whole brain homogenate and expression of related genes in corneal kindled mice were not altered. However, plasma H2S and MeSH levels were significantly lower during kindling, but not after established kindling. Morever, we demonstrated a time-dependent increase in expression of mitochondrial membrane integrity-related proteins, Opa1, Mfn2, Drp1, and Mff during kindling, which did not correlate with gene expression. Taken together, short-term reductions in plasma H2S could be a novel biomarker for seizures. Future studies should further define the role of H2S and mitochondrial stress in epilepsy.

Brain tumors are neoplasms with one of the highest mortality rates. Therefore, the availability of methods that allow the quick and effective diagnosis of brain tumors and selection of appropriate treatments is of critical importance for patient outcomes. In this study, coated blade spray-mass spectrometry (CBS-MS), which combines the features of microextraction and fast ionization methods, is applied for the analysis of brain tumors. In this approach, a sword-shaped probe is coated with a sorptive material to enable the extraction of analytes from biological samples. The analytes are then desorbed using only a few microliters of solvent, followed by the insertion of the CBS device into the interface on the mass spectrometer source. The results of this proof-of-concept experiment confirmed that CBS coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) enables the rapid differentiation of two histologically different lesions: meningiomas and gliomas. Moreover, quantitative CBS-HRMS/MS analysis of carnitine, the endogenous compound, previously identified as discriminating metabolite showed good reproducibility with the variation below 10% when using a standard addition calibration strategy and deuterated internal standards for correction. The resultant data show that the proposed CBS-MS technique can be useful for on-site qualitative and quantitative assessments of brain tumor metabolite profiles.

The aim of the study was to gain deeper insights in the potential for polyclonal stimulation of PBMC from cows and pigs with banana lectin (BanLec) from Musa paradisiaca. BanLec induced a marked proliferative response in cow and pig PBMC. The response in pigs was even higher than to Concanavalin A. Molecular processes associated with respective responses were examined with differential proteome analyses. Discovery proteomic experiments was applied to BanLec stimulated PBMC and cellular and secretome responses were analyzed with label free LC-MS/MS. In PBMC, 3955 proteins were identified. After polyclonal stimulation with BanLec, 459 proteins showed significantly changed abundance in PBMC. In respective PBMC secretomes, 2867 proteins were identified with 231 differentially expressed candidates as reaction to BanLec stimulation. The transcription factor `E74 like ETS transcription factor 1 (ELF1)` was solely enriched in BanLec stimulated PBMC. BanLec induced secretion of several immune regulators, amongst them positive regulators of activated T cell proliferation and Jak-STAT signaling pathway. Top changed immune proteins were CD226, CD27, IFNG, IL18, IL2, CXCL10, LAT, ICOS, IL2RA, LAG3 and CD300C. BanLec stimulates PBMC of cows and pigs polyclonally and induces IL2 pathway and further proinflammatory cytokines. Proteomics data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD027505.

The increased emergence of multidrug-resistant Helicobacter pylori influences the prevention of stomach cancer. Zingiber officinale is a plant usually used in folk medicine to treat a variety of diseases involving infections, nausea, vomiting, peptic ulcer, dyspepsia, and inflammation. This study was conducted to evaluate the ability of Z. officinale extract to combat resistant H. pylori. The disc diffusion, microdilution, and microplate assays were performed to evaluate the susceptibility to antibiotics, and the antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of the Z. officinale extracts. Using the checkerboard method, the combined effects of the gentamicin and Z. officinale extract were investigated. In addition, anti-inflammatory activity and GC-MS analysis were determined by the modified protocol. According to the findings, H. pylori isolates exhibited resistance rates of 56.33, 50.0, and 45.85 for metronidazole, gentamicin, and tetracycline, respectively. The methanolic extract of Z. officinale had the strongest effectiveness against resistant H. pylori isolates with MIC of 20.0 to 50.0 µg/ml against both H. pylori isolates and the stranded strain NCTC 11637. Z. officinale extract suppress the biofilm formed by H. pylori isolates with a percentage of 92.96% at 50.0µg/ml, compared with 97.19% for gentamicin at the same concentration. According to FICI values, combination of methanolic Z. officinale extract to gentamicin increases bacterial sensitivity to such drugs. Moreover, the Z. officinale extract exhibits strong anti-inflammatory activity. The GC-MS analysis of Z. officinale extract exhibits 17 different chemical compounds. Conclusions: The Z. officinale extract contain the anti-inflammatory compound gingerol as the main constituent which inhibits the growth of H. pylori and its biofilm, are a promising natural therapeutic alternative or enhance antibiotics activity

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

Dermal pigmentation is a challenging condition due to relative resistance to medical treatment and requirement of multiple sessions with modalities like chemical peels and lasers. There is inadequate literature regarding the efficacy and safety of lasers for dermal pigmentation in Indian skin. One hundred and twenty two patients were enrolled and divided into 4 groups: a) Dermal melasma b) Acquired dermal macular hyperpigmentation c) Nevus and d) Tattoo. Sequential combination of various lasers were used with different protocols for 4 different groups like ablative pixel Er:YAG, intense pulse light based technologies, Q-Switched and Alma Hybrid lasers for treatment of dermal pigmentation. A total of 4-10 sessions were conducted at three weekly intervals. Results were evaluated by comparing photographs at baseline, one month after the last session and then at 6 months interval to assess the relapse. All groups showed a statistically significant reduction in pigmentation. The mean treatment duration was 5-7 months for tattoo, lichen planus pigmentosus and melasma with 6-8 number of sessions. The mean treatment duration for nevus was 7-9 months with 8-10 sessions. Lasers are safe and effective modalities in Indian skin type for treatment of dermal pigmentation. Treatment period and relapse of dermal pigmentation may be reduced by combining resurfacing and chromophore selective lasers along with adequate dietary and lifestyle modifications to minimize complications and recurrence rates.

Paenibacilli are efficient producers of potent agents against bacterial and fungal pathogens, which are of great interest both for therapeutic applications in medicine as well as in agrobiotechnol-ogy. Lipopeptides produced by such organisms play a major role in their inactivation potential. In this work we investigated two lipopeptide complexes, the fusaricidins and the polymyxins, produced by Paenibacillus polymyxa strains DSM 32871 and M1 by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The fusaricidins show potent antifungal activities and are distinguished by an unusual variabil-ity. For strain DSM 32871 we identified numerous yet unknown variants mass spectrometrically. DSM 32871 produces polymyxins of type E (colistins), while M1 forms polymyxins P. For both strains novel, but not yet completely characterized polymyxin species were detected, which pos-sibly are glycosylated. These compounds may be of interest therapeutically, because polymyxins attain increasing attention as last-resort antibiotics against multiresistant pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, the volatilomes of DSM 32781 and M1 were investigated with a GC-MS approach using different cultivation media. Production of volatile organic com-pounds (VOCs) was strain and medium dependent. In particular, strain M1 manifested as an effi-cient VOC-producer that exhibited formation of 25 volatiles in total. A characteristic feature of Paenibacilli is the formation of volatile pyrazine derivatives.

French Guiana mosquito fauna diversity encompasses 242 species, of which nearly half of them belong to Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) genus. Whereas several species from Culex genus are important vectors of arbovirus, scarce studies focus on Culex genus, notably due to the inaccurate morphological identification of field-caught females gender. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been reported as a promising method for the identification of mosquitoes. Culex females from French Guiana field were dissected based on morphological classification. Abdomens were used for molecular identification using COI (cytochrome oxydase 1) gene. Legs and thorax of 169 specimens belonging to 13 Culex species,( i.e. Cx. declarator, Cx. nigripalpus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. usquatus, Cx. adamesi, Cx. dunni, Cx. eastor, Cx. idottus, Cx. pedroi, Cx. phlogistus, Cx. portesi, Cx. rabanicolus and Cx. spissipes) were then submitted to MALDI-TOF MS analysis. A high intra-species reproducibility and inter-species specificity of MS spectra for each mosquito body part tested were noticed. A corroboration of the specimen identification was revealed between MALDI-TOF MS, morphological and molecular results. MALDI-TOF MS protein profiling proves to be a suitable tool for identification of neotropical Culex species and will permit to enhance knowledge on this highly diverse Culex mosquitoes genus.

Ferroptosis is a unique variety of non-apoptotic cell death, driven by massive lipid oxidation in an iron-dependent manner. Since Ferroptosis was introduced as a concept in 2012, it was shown it's essential role in the pathogenesis in neurodegenerative diseases and an important role in therapy-resistant cancer cells. Thus, a detailed molecular understanding of both canonical and alternative ferroptosis pathways are required. There is a set of widely used chemical agents to modulate ferroptosis using different pathway targets: Erastin blocks cystine-glutamate antiporter, system xc-; ML210 directly inactivate GPX4; L-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) inhibits γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase, an essential enzyme for glutathione synthesis de novo. Most studies were focused on lipidomic profiling of model systems undergoing death in a ferroptotic modality.

Globally, the use of whole-cell matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) in clinical microbiology laboratories has increased considerably. With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence technology, there is an increasing number of areas devoted to solving problems by implementing machine learning-based methods. Applying the use of artificial intelligence to the analysis of the massive amount of information obtained in the mass spectrum derived from MALDI-TOF MS should be a breakthrough in clinical microbiology. Specifically, it would facilitate a more rapid and accurate strain typing or antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) based on whole-cell MALDI-TOF MS spectra, and hence, it is a promising solution. Even though the reproducibility of peaks could result in some critical problems, computational methods have been developed to address this issue. Therefore, clinical microbiologists are able to perform strain typing or an AST as smoothly and easily as identifying species by using MALDI-TOF MS and artificial intelligence.

In tunnel excavation with boring machines, the tunnel face is supported to avoid collapse and minimise settlement. This article proposes the use of reinforcement learning, specifically the Deep Q-Network algorithm, to predict the face support pressure. The approach is tested both analytically and numerically. By using the soil properties ahead of the tunnel face and the overburden depth as the input, the algorithm is capable of predicting the optimal tunnel face support pressure, adapting to changes in geological and geometrical conditions.

A linear Cauchy problem with polynomial coefficients wich combines q-difference operators for q>1 and differential operators of irregular type is examined. A finite set of sectorial holomorphic solutions w.r.t the complex time is constructed by means of classical Laplace transforms. These functions share a common asymptotic expansion in the time variable which turns out to carry a double layers structure which couples q-Gevrey and Gevrey bounds. In the last part of the work, the problem of confluence of these solutions as q tends to 1 is investigated.

Phagnalon saxatile subsp. saxatileest une espèce sauvage très répandue en Algérie qui est utilisée à des fins médicinales comme analgésique et anticholestérolémique. Cependant, les informations sur son contenu phytochimique sont encore rares. L'objectif de cette étude était d'identifier et de quantifier les composés phénoliques de différents extraits de ses tiges feuillues. A cet effet, les effets de quatre solvants d'extraction ont été étudiés sur la teneur en composés phénoliques et l'activité antioxydante de cette plante. Les extraits préparés avec des solvants polaires (méthanol et eau) contenaient des quantités plus élevées de composés phénoliques et présentaient une meilleure activité antioxydante que les extraits avec des solvants apolaires (hexane, dichlorométhane). L'extrait méthanolique, le plus riche en phénoliques totaux et en flavonoïdes totaux, avait une activité antioxydante significative au regard de la capacité de piégeage du DPPH ° (IC50 de 5,47 µg / mL), Capacité de piégeage ABTS (CI50 de 63,77 µg / mL) et inhibition de l'oxydation de l'acide linoléique (CI50 de 22,71 µg / mL), par rapport aux antioxydants synthétiques. Les acides chlorogéniques et quelques flavonoïdes ont été identifiés et quantifiés par UPLC-DAD-MSn. Les isomères des acides di-O-caféoylquiniques étaient les composés phénoliques les plus concentrés (25,4 mg / g DW) dans l'extrait méthanolique.

The DNA methylation profile of breast cancer differs from that in healthy tissue and can be used as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker. Aim of the study: to compare gene methylation in small malignant breast tumors less than 2 cm and in healthy tissue and fibroadenoma. Methylation of the following 15 genes was studied: MAST1, PRDM14, ZNF177, DNM2, SSH1, AP2M1, CACNA1E, CPEB4, DLGAP2, CCDC181, GCM2, ITPRIPL1, POM121L2, KCNQ1, TIMP3. Methods: analysis was made by our modified MS-HRM method followed confirmation of the results by pyrosequencing. The genes were selected from publications that studied DNA methylation in breast cancer with high genome coverage. The study group included 48 samples of breast cancer, the control group included 24 samples of fibroadenoma and 24 samples of healthy tissue. Results: significant differences were found in methylation of 8 genes: CCDC181, GSM2, ITPRIPL1, ZNF177, CACNA1E, DLGAP2, TIMP3 (all р<0.001), and PRDM14 (р=0.002). The most accurate diagnostic value, based on logistic regression, was shown with the compound of two genes – CCDC181 and ZNF177 (AUC=0.99) in pyrosequencing analysis. Conclusion: small breast cancer tumors have a specific DNA methylation profile that distinguishes them from healthy tissue and benign proliferative lesions.

Our research team compared the performance of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization followed by a time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and genomic DNA extraction followed by sequencing, assembly and alignment for phylogenetic assessment. We performed these comparisons to determine our methodology’s overall efficacy and accuracy for environmental bacteria. In addition, we collected samples from various contaminated rivers in the Dominican Republic. For both methods, we analyzed these results and reported the main differences between each method.

Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standley is a food and medicinal plant with a wide range of applica-tions including anti-proliferative, anti-fertility, anti-HIV and anti-cancerous. The current study investigated the phytochemical constituents of L. siceraria fruits using gas chromatog-raphy/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). GC-MS analysis of L. siceraria n-hexane fruits revealed five isoprenoids which were present in all investigated landraces, 1-Dodecene, 2,3-Dimethyldodecane, E-15-Heptadecenal, Eicosane and Tridecane, 6-propyl. Bioactive molecules with a lower carbon number on their chemical structure such as 1-Dodecene and 2,3-Dimethyldodecane with 12 and 14 carbon structures were recorded at a shorter retention rate range of 9.08-16.29 min over a lower relative peak area ranging from 1.09-6.97 %. While com-pounds with longer carbon chains ranging from 16-20 carbons (E-15-Heptadecenal, Eicosane and Tridecane, 6-propyl) had longer retention rate range of 13.42-18.00 mins over a higher relative peak area range of 2.25-11.41%. An agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis grouped landrac-es into 5 clusters (I -V). Landraces were clustered according to their fruit and seed attributes, and isoprenoid units significant to each cluster. The majority of phytochemicals revealed were terpenoids, these are responsible for attracting pollinators, fruit growth, palatability and attrac-tive aromatic scents. This is the most comprehensive study on the n-hexane fruit phytochemical constituents of different L. siceraria landraces to date.