Internet-led labour market has become so competitive forcing many organisations from different sectors to embrace e-recruitment. However, realising the value of the e-recruitment from a Requirements Engineering (RE) analysis perspective is challenging. This research is motivated by the results of a failed e-recruitment project conducted in military domain which is used as a case study in this research. After reviewing the various challenges faced in that project through a number of related research domains, this research focuses on two major problems which are the (1) difficulty of scoping, representing, and systematically transforming recruitment problem knowledge towards e-recruitment solution specification; and (2) the difficulty of documenting e-recruitment best practices for reuse purposes in an enterprise recruitment environment. In this paper, a Problem-Oriented Conceptual Model (POCM) with a complementary Ontology for Recruitment Problem Definition (Onto-RPD) is proposed to contextualise the various recruitment problem viewpoints from an enterprise perspective and to elaborate those problem viewpoints towards a comprehensive recruitment problem definition. The POCM and Onto-RPD are developed incrementally using action-research conducted on three real case studies: (1) Secureland Army Enlistment, (2) British Army Regular Enlistment, and (3) UK Undergraduate Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). They are later evaluated in a focus group study against a set of criteria. The study showed that the POCM and Onto-RPD provide a strong foundation for representing and understanding the e-recruitment problems from different perspectives.

This study presents a transversal investigation, that we performed at Fundeni hospital, into the therapeutic benefits and efficacy of Emicizumab, a non-factor therapy, in the context of hemophilia A. Ten patients diagnosed with hemophilia A were closely monitored, using clinical and laboratory resources, during the course of Emicizumab treatment, with an average of 12.8 months. Among these patients, six exhibited anti-factor VIII inhibitors, changing the medical approach and adding complexity to their clinical profiles. A comprehensive approach was adopted to assess the coagulation status of patients under Emicizumab therapy. The study employed several key coagulation monitoring tools, of which including thrombin generation time (TGT) and thrombelastography (TEG). These methodologies proved highly valuable results in evaluating the patients' coagulation profiles during the treatment regimen. Additionally, traditionally coagulation assays were utilized to gain a comprehensive understanding of the overall coagulation dynamics. Noteworthy, impressive outcomes emerged from the study. During prophylaxis with Emicizumab all patients had experienced a reduced number of bleeding events. Moreover, a subset of these patients underwent major surgical procedures (orthopedic joint replacements) with successful outcomes. These findings underscore the potential of Emicizumab therapy as an effective option for hemophilia A patients, including those that presented a prompt production of anti-factor VIII inhibitors. As for the outcomes, this transversal study sheds some light on the positive impact of Emicizumab therapy in addressing the coagulation challenges posed by hemophilia A. The utilization of global coagulation assays, such as thrombin generation time, thrombelastography and combined with traditional coagulation assays, used as monitoring tools highlights their significance once more in evaluating the therapeutic response. This research contributes by providing physicians with valuable insights to the field, offering a potential avenue for improved patients’ care and treatment strategies that translate in enhanced quality of life for hemophilia A patients undergoing Emicizumab therapy.

Vitamin E facilitates testicular development and semen quality in farm animal. And most research tends to investigate antioxidant roles of Vitamin E in reproductive health; some research also find potential non-antioxidant roles of Vitamin E. To further uncover the mechanism by which Vitamin E modulates reproductive health, the paper reviews specific function of Vitamin E and candidate genes involved in male reproductive performance promoted by Vitamin E. The review found that cell proliferation (PDPN, BMP, Myc, AMPKa, GSK3β, PPARγ, CDK4, CDK6, Ki67, PCNA, Cyclin A2, Cyclin B1, Cyclin B3, BLM, REL, KLHL25)-, cell apoptosis (BCL-2, Caspase 9, Bax)-, spermatogenesis (CatSper1, CatSper2, NDRG1, CYP26B1, FSCN3, FLNA, SPCS3, YBX3, RARS)-, hormone receptor (PGR, FSHR, AR)-related genes are the underlying key points. And two miRNAs, miR-107 and miR-493-3p, which mediate cell cycle process, are also identified in response to Vitamin E treatment. The paper paves the way for a comprehensive understanding about effect of Vitamin E on testis development and semen quality in domestic animals.

Clinical training in medical schools in Spain is performed by rotations in university hospitals. During these internships, students are expected to acquire and master basic procedural skills. However, the assessment tools available rarely check whether these skills are completely acquired by the students. We have used an e-portfolio to determine the optimal number of times the students need to repeat a procedure to be able to perform it independently. The results were compared with the actual performance during the internships. An e-portfolio collected qualitative information about the internships. Quantitative information was also requested about the number of times each clinical skill was performed. Later, a survey asked these students and their teachers the optimal number of times each skill should be repeated before it could be considered fully acquired. The questionnaire was answered by 98.6% of the students and 70.3% of their teachers. Out of the 21 clinical skills and procedures selected, both students and their tutors agreed in a similar optimal value in 16 of them; only in five of them, teachers thought that students needed a greater number of times than that selected by the students. When these optimal values were compared with the actual values recorded in the portfolio during the internships, it was found that about half of the clinical skills were carried out less frequently than expected, thus providing an important feedback about the internships. Quantitative information collected in portfolios reveals a moderate mismatch between students and tutors perceptions of their training needs.

In this article, a method for the moisture mapping of the soil surface of agrophytocenosis was proposed using neural network based on synchronized radar and multispectral optoelectronic data of Sentinel-1,2. To verify the developed method, data from two experimental plots were used. These plots were located two on irrigated soybean crops. The first of them was located on the right bank (1st plot) and the second one on the left bank (2nd plot) of the down part of Volga River. Two experimental soil moisture geo-datasets were done by measurements and geo-referencing points using gravimetric method (1st plot) and with proximal sensing method (2nd plot) using Soil Moisture Sensor ML3-KIT (THETAKIT, Delta). The soil moisture retrieval algorithm was based on the use of a neural network to predict reflection coefficient of an electromagnetic wave from the soil surface, followed by inversion into soil moisture using a dielectric model that takes into account the soil texture. The input parameter of the neural network was the ratio of the microwave radar vegetation index (calculated on the basis of Sentinel-1 data) to the index (calculated on the basis of data of multispectral optoelectronic channels 8 and 11 of Sentinel-2). Such way calculated index reveals showed a significantly greater dependence on soil moisture than on vegetation height that was been used in previous studies. The retrieved values of soil moisture were compared with the soil moisture measured in-situ. The proposed method with a determination coefficient of 0.44-0.65 and a standard deviation of 2.4%-4.2% for the 1st plot as well as with and of the same metrics for the 2nd allows predicting the soil moisture of both a test plots covered by soybean plants, relative to soil moisture measured in-situ. The conducted research created the scientific basis for a new technology for remote sensing the moisture content of the soil surface of agrophytocenosis as an element of the precision farming system and agroecology.

Historically, viral hepatitis is a considerable public health problem in Central Asian countries, which may have worsened after dissolution of the Soviet Union. However, up-to-date seroepidemiological studies are lacking. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to provide current estimates of seroprevalence of viral hepatitis in Kyrgyzstan, one of the economically least developed countries in the region. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study in 2018 in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek (n=1075). Participants, children and adults, were recruited from an outpatient clinic. Data were collected during face-to-face interviews. A blood sample (6 ml) was collected from each participant and tested with ELISA for the presence of serological markers for five viral hepatitides (A, B, C, D and E). Poststratification weighting was performed to obtain nationally representative findings. The overwhelming majority of the study participants were positive for anti-HAV (estimated seroprevalence, 75.3%; 95% confidence interval: 72.5–77.9%). The weighted seroprevalence estimates of HBsAg, anti-HCV and anti-HDV were 2.2% (1.5–3.3%), 3.8% (2.8–5.1%), and 0.40% (0.15–1.01%), respectively. Anti-HEV seropositivity was 3.3% (2.4–4.5%). Of the 33 HBsAg positive participants, five (15%) were anti-HDV positive. Our study confirms that Kyrgyzstan remains a high endemic country for hepatitis virus A and C infections. However, seroprevalences of HBV and HDV were lower than previously reported, and based on these data, the country could potentially be reclassified from high to (lower) intermediate endemicity. The observed anti-HEV seroprevalence resembles the low endemicity pattern characteristic of high-income countries.

On Feb. 6^th, 2020, FDA implemented the enforcement priorities against all flavored, cartridge-based e-cigarettes other than menthol and tobacco flavors. This ban undermined the products’ attraction to vapers, so e-cigarette manufacturers added flavorants of other attractive flavors into tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes and re-established attractions. Both the sales of e-cigarettes and posts on social media suggested that the manufacturers’ strategies are likely “successful”. The re-established attraction causes not only a public health issue, but also threats to the health of individual vapers. Research has shown an increase in toxicity associated with the flavorants commonly used in flavored e-cigarettes that are likely added in tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes based on tobacco-derived and synthetic tobacco free nicotine, and these other flavors are associated with higher clinical symptoms not often induced by only natural traditional tobacco flavors. The additional health risks posed by the flavorants are pronounced even without considering the interactions of toxicology of the different tobacco flavorants, and more research should be done to understand the health risks thoroughly and to take proper actions accordingly for regulation of these emerging products.

This study describes the development of an image-based insect trap diverging from the plug-in camera insect trap paradigm. In short, a) it does not require manual annotation of images to learn how to count targeted pests and, b) it self-disposes the captured insects, and therefore is suitable for long-term deployment. The device consists of an imaging sensor integrated with Raspberry Pi microcontroller units with embedded deep learning algorithms that count agricultural pests inside a pheromone-based funnel trap. The device also receives commands from the server which configures its operation while an embedded servomotor can automatically rotate the detached bottom of the bucket to dispose of hydrated insects as they begin to pile up. Therefore, it completely overcomes a major limitation of camera-based insect traps: the inevitable overlap and occlusion caused by the decay and layering of insects during long-term operation, thus extending the autonomous operational capability. We study cases that are underrepresented in literature such as counting in situations of congestion and significant debris using crowd counting algorithms encountered in human surveillance. Finally, we perform comparative analysis of the results from different deep-learning approaches (YOLO7/8, crowd counting, deep learning regression) and we open-source the code and a large database of Lepidopteran plant pests.

Wobbling motion as an exotic collective mode in nuclei without axial symmetry, was intensively discussed during the last few years. The observation of the newly proposed transverse wobbling, first reported in $^{135}$Pr and soon after in nuclei from other mass regions, was considered as a significant discovery in low-spin nuclear structure. However, both the reported experimental results and the proposed theoretical models were lively questioned in a series of works devoted to the investigation of the low-spin wobbling mode in the same nucleus. The electromagnetic properties of the $\Delta I=1$ transitions connecting the one- to zero-phonon and the two- to one-phonon wobbling bands in $^{135}$Pr were recently remeasured, demonstrating their predominant $M1$ magnetic character which is in contradiction with the wobbling motion interpretation. These new experimental observables being well reproduced by both quasiparticle-plus-triaxial-rotor model and interacting boson-fermion model calculations, are against the previously proposed wobbling characteristics of the low-spin bands in $^{135}$Pr. On the other hand, we obtained conclusive experimental evidence for the theoretically suggested transverse wobbling bands at medium spin in $^{136}$Nd. The comparison of the experimental data with calculations utilizing the triaxial projected shell model and a new developed particle-rotor model with frozen orthogonal geometry of the active nucleons, supports the description in terms of transverse wobbling of medium-spin bands in triaxial even-even nuclei.

The new need to move to an online mode of administration has necessitated the adoption of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). The conventional paper-based administrative memorandum is relatively costly, requires manpower, insecure and non-confidential, prone to unauthorized access and has a relatively slow cycle time; among others. An electronic memo (e-memo) can save cost, offer high speed of processing, reliability and security. The aim of this work was to conceptualize, design and develop a novel semantic web-based memo platform that allows for handling memos within an organization. The tools used include HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, jQuery and AJAX, MySQL. The developed system was tested in three stages. Testing was done in the Department of Computer Science of the institution of case study, then in the Faculty of Science and finally in the entire Lagos State University. Agile development method was used in the development process. The designed system was hosted on a cloud-server and a total of 43 test cases were considered and an average of four minutes was recorded for a complete memo cycle. eMemo allows users to generate, sign, treat and memo electronically. It is such a useful tool that will enhance information processing in a faster, standardized and more secure manner.

The motivation for investigating the issues presented in this article stemmed from a need to understand better the relationship in long-established physics formulas and extract the information they provided using conventional methods. Based on the definition of magnetic flux quantization, which is based on a combination of fundamental physical constants, the Planck constant, and the particle’s elementary charge, this work explores the results that arise when this equation is combined with the equation of the Bohr-level electrostatic force acting on the electron, which leads to a new mathematical relationship between the combined expressions. The new relationship yields novel theoretical findings related to the known universal constants. Following this insight, the formalism developed in this paper indicates that the mass of the electron and other subatomic particles is associated with the magnitude of the square of the magnetic flux quantum, which makes up the particle. This conclusion is not as strange as it may seem, as the square of the magnetic flux quantum appears in the context of magnetic energy in a current loop and, according to Einstein’s special theory of relativity, energy is equivalent to mass. Another aspect described at the end of this paper demonstrates the connection between the square of the magnetic flux quantum through the Bohr radius and the significance of the wave function in the atom. The theoretical results are in full accordance with experimental results published by NIST CODATA 2018 that I’ve used, which validates the existence of the relationship.

In this work, an embroidered textile moisture sensor is presented. The sensor is based on a capacitive interdigitated structure embroidered on a cotton substrate with an embroidery conductor yarn composed by 99% pure silver plated nylon yarn 140/17 dtex. In order to evaluate the sensor sensitivity, the impedance of the sensor has been measured by means of a LCR meter from 20 Hz to 20 kHz on a climatic chamber with a sweep of the relative humidity from 25% to 65% at 20 ºC. The experimental results show a clear and controllable dependence of the sensor impedance with the relative humidity. Moreover, the reproducibility of the sensor performance subject to the manufacturing process variability and washing process is also evaluated. The results show that the manufacturing variability introduce a moisture measurement error up to 4%. The washing process impact on the sensor behavior after applying the first washing cycle implies a sensitivity reduction higher than 14%. Despite these effect, the textile sensor keeps its functionality and can be reused in standard conditions. Therefore, these properties point out the usefulness of the proposed sensor to develop wearable applications on health and fitness scope including the user needs to have a life cycle longer than one-time use

Despite the uptake of tobacco smoking declining in the UK, smoking is still the leading cause of preventable poor health and premature death. While improved approaches to smoking cessation are necessary, encouraging and assisting smokers to switch by using substantially less toxic non-tobacco nicotine products may be a possible option. To date few studies have investigated the rates of smoking cessation and smoking reduction associated with the free provision of electronic-cigarettes (e-cigarette) to smokers. In this study the Blu Pro e-cigarette was given to smokers for use in place of tobacco for 90 days. The rates of smoking abstinence and daily smoking patterns were assessed at baseline 30 days, 60 days and 90 days. The response rate was 87%. After 90 days, the complete abstinence rate was 36.5% from 0% at baseline. Frequency of daily smoking reduced from 88.7% to 17.5% (P<0.001) and median consumption of cigarettes/day from 15 to 5 (P<0.001). Median days per month participants smoked also dropped from 30 to 13 after 90-days (P<0.001). On the basis of these results there may be value in smoking cessation services and other services ensuring that smokers are provided with e-cigarettes at zero or minimal costs for at least a short period of time.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are a serious healthcare concern that must be treated with appropriate antibiotic therapy. However, antibiotic resistance among UPEC strains is increasing, particularly among individuals with recurrent illness. The proliferation of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) generating UPEC, as well as the increase of UPEC strains that display resistance to several antimicrobial drugs, adds to the difficulty of managing UTIs. UPEC strain genetic variants have a significant influence in their capacity to resist antimicrobial agents and adapt to changing environments. Understanding the genomic landscape of developing UPEC strains is critical for understanding the genetic basis of their resistance. Furthermore, tracking these genetic strains is critical for identifying patterns of resistance spread, directing infection control efforts, and educating.

Abstract: There are a large number of cross-linked chemical bonds such as tight disulfide bonds, hydrogen bonds,and salt bonds in keratin, which makes it difficult to break the structural stability of the protein using conventional methods. The degradation of feather waste using keratinases produced by microorganisms has the advantage of being efficient and environmentally friendly. In this study, 23 strains capable of producing transparent circles were obtained via preliminary screening with skim milk as the sole carbon and nitrogen source, and 9 strains capable of degrading feathers were obtained via rescreening with feathers as the sole carbon and nitrogen source. Finally, through the determination of enzyme activity, the strain CY-A with a high ability to degrade feathers was obtained. The strain was identified as Bacillus tequilensis via morphological observation, physiological and biochemical identification, and 16 S rRNA molecular biology. The keratinase gene (bta) of Bacillus tequila was cloned, and its full-length gene sequence was 1110 bp, containing an open reading frame of 1089, encoding 369 amino acids (GeneBank accession number OR733336). The physicochemical properties, secondary structure, and tertiary structure of the recombinant protein were analyzed using bioinformatics tools such as ProtParm, SOPMA, MEGA, and SWISS-MODELS. It was found that the relative molecular mass was 37.953 kD and that the isoelectric point was 8.48. The protein was a hydrophilic protein. The keratinase bta gene was ligated to the expression vector pET28a(+) using T4 ligase, and the recombination expression plasmid pET28-bta was constructed and transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) to obtain recombinant engineered bacteria. The expressed keratinase was purified using a Ni2+ affinity chromatography column to obtain recombinant bta keratinase bta with a molecular weight of 37.953 kD. The identification and characterization of this keratinase gene provides some theoretical basis for the further enhancement of keratinase activity by means of genetic engineering.

The pandemic was an enormous experience all over the world. The type of living, working and study were changed irreversibly. Facing the opportunity to establish old frames of education in universities is impossible. The adoption of new ways of teaching and assessments reveal their convenience and in the same way their weak points. In response to that stage, on 14 December 2022, the EU parliament accepted the "Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030", for the establishment of a digital transformation community (EU 2022). Trakia University had an online assessment system, quizzes for self-training, and final exams, developed in 2008 on Moodle virtual learning environment. During the pandemic, online exams and lectures were conducted using platforms like BigBlueButton in Moodle or Google Meets. The article gives the results of online exams before, during, and after the pandemic. The outcome, without doubt, displays the lowering knowledge level or performance during the social isolation due to COVID-19, and after, and the reasons are discussed. During the second year of the pandemic was mentioned also a high dropout of students. Now the situation is returning to the previous levels, before the pandemic, but the quality of education is not yet reached. The article values the grades results of session exams and has the intention to clarify the influence of the pandemic period on the excellence of high institution education.

Vitamin E is a group of eight compounds divided into two subgroups: four tocopherols (α-, β-, γ-, and δ-) and four tocotrienols (α-, β-, γ-, and δ-). α-Tocopherol is considered the most biologically active form. This review paper summarizes the current knowledge and historical progression of vitamin E research, with particular emphasis on its role in animal nutrition. Early studies in the 1920s identified vitamin E’s role in preventing neonatal mortality in rats. Over the following decades, scientists discovered the compound’s chemical structure and its importance for the immune system, skin health, anti-inflammatory properties, hormonal balance, and other bodily functions. Production of vitamin E products has evolved, starting with isolating the vitamin from natural sources and advancing to synthesizing it with greater efficiency and standardized potency units. Early animal studies focused on reproductive health and growth disorders, but further research demonstrated the importance of vitamin E in preventing encephalomalacia in domestic fowl and muscular dystrophy in rabbits and other animals. Today, vitamin E is commonly used as a feed additive to meet animals’ requirements and assure immune function and overall health. Despite much knowledge on vitamin E’s role in animal nutrition, many questions remain unanswered, and current research aims to determine optimal supplementation levels, interactions with other nutrients, impacts on gene expression, cell signaling and communication, and effects of supranutritional dosages in livestock. Vitamin E has a long and fascinating history in scientific research, with significant advancements in understanding its chemical structure and biological activity. In animal nutrition, vitamin E continues to play an important role in improving animal health, and ongoing research will continue to expand our understanding of its benefits and mechanisms of action.

From professors overwhelmed by anxiety-driven e-mails from students, through faculty and administrative staff wasting valued time on e-mail minutia, misuse of electronic mail in the academy has become ubiquitous. After a brief overview of the unique features of e-mail communication, this study provides insight and guidelines to plan new educational activities on healthy and productive utilization of e-mail in the academy of the digital era. The overall aim is to prioritize scholarly deep work by focusing on teaching and research work, freeing working time wasted on unproductive use of e-mail.

In this paper, I investigate Hyers-Ulam-Rassias stabilities of the general quintic functional equation and the general sextic functional equation.

Polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable polymers synthesized in cytoplasmic granules in bacteria, such as Cupriavidus necator (Ralstonia eutropha), Alcaligenes latus, Pseudomonas spp., Comamonas spp. and other species. PHAs accumulation occurs in response to stress conditions, i.e. under high carbon and low nitrogen (24:1 ratio). PHA can be synthesized using recombinant microorganisms (provided with the operon phbA/phbB/phbC), escaping the constrains of nutrient request, except addition of high amount of sugar (glucose, lactose, fructose). In this study; E. coli was genetically modified for PHB production in biofermentors. The production of PHA at industrial scale requires a continuous supplementation of fermentable sugars to support the availability of nutrients and to assess the level of the exponential growth phase; since sugars are required either for bacterial growth either for PHA synthesis and energy storage. The biofermentors need to be run in automated system. Sensors are used at many points in fermentators; in the evaluation of parameters: consumption of sugars; cell density; quantification of PHB synthesis. The need of operational control during the fermentation has prompted us to application of three measurements; one unit linked to a Nanodrop to evaluate OD; one linked to a reaction chamber to measure sugars consumed by enzyme based fluorescence detection; and one for bacteria Nile Blue staining and fluorescence intensity reads. The growth of bacteria on three different plant by-products was monitored and PHB production in four days using a banana by-product feed was optimised. These detectors will make possible to exploit the full potential of bioreactors optimizing the time of use and maximizing the number of bacteria synthesizing PHA.

Metabolites are essential intermediate products in metabolism, and metabolism dysregulation indicates different types of diseases. Previous studies have shown that cigarette smoke dysregulated metabolites; however, limited information is available with electronic cigarette (E-cig) vaping. We hypothesized that E-cig vaping and cigarette smoking altered systemic metabolites, and we propose to understand the specific metabolic signature between E-cig users and cigarette smokers. Plasma from non-smoker controls, cigarette smokers, and e-cig users were collected, and metabolites were identified by UPLC–MS (Ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer). Nicotine degradation was activated by e-cig vaping and cigarette smoking with increased concentrations of cotinine, cotinine N-oxide, (S)-nicotine, and (R)-6-hydroxynicotine. Additionly, we found significant decreased concentrations in metabolites associated with tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle pathways in e-cig users verses cigarette smokers, such as: D-glucose, (2R,3S)-2,3-dimethylmalate, (R)-2-hydroxyglutarate, O-phosphoethanolamine, malathion, D-threo-isocitrate, malic acid, and 4-acetamidobutanoic acid. Cigarette smoking significant up-regulated sphingolipid metabolites, such as D-sphingosine, ceramide, N-(octadecanoyl)-sphing-4-enine, N-(9Z-octadecenoyl)-sphing-4-enine, and N-[(13Z)-docosenoyl]sphingosine, verses e-cig vaping. Overall, e-cig vaping dysregulated TCA cycle realted metabolites while cigarette smoking altered sphingolipid metabolites. Both e-cig and cigarette smoke increased nicotinic metabolites. Therefore, specific metabolic signature altered by e-cig vaping and cigarette smoking could serve as potential systemic biomarkers for early cardiopulmonary diseases.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance. The current killed vaccine provides serovar-specific protection without sterilizing immunity. Several surface antigens, including Leptospira immunoglobulin-like proteins (LigA and LigB), have been identified as subunit vaccine candidates; however, they require potent adjuvants. Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), including lipid A, is a well-known immunostimulatory agent, and the formulation of Monophosphoryl Lipid A (MPLA) in Alum is a clinical adjuvant. Being less endotoxic, we tested the adjuvant activity of lipid A purified from L. interrogans serovar Pomona (PLA) for its ability to activate innate and enhance antigen-specific adaptive immune response. PLA-induced activation of macrophages similar to levels induced by MPLA, albeit at a much higher dose, indicating that it is less stimulatory than MPLA. Mice immunized with a Variable portion of LigA (LAV) formulated in Alum and PLA (LAV-Alum-PLA) induced significantly higher levels of LAV-specific humoral and cellular immune response than Alum but similar to levels induced by Alum-MPLA. The adjuvant activity of PLA seems to be quite similar to MPLA and primarily mediated through enhanced recruitment, activation, and uptake of antigens by innate immune cells. Moreover, like MPLA, the PLA formulation was able to generate a long-term memory response. Most importantly, PLA demonstrated better potency than MPLA formulation and generated sterilizing immunity against challenge in a hamster model of leptospirosis. Altogether, our study has provided important insight into the adjuvant activity of Leptospira lipid A and has opened avenues for the development of LPS-based vaccines against this dreadful zoonosis.

Background: In the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey disposable e-cigarette devices are shown to be the most widely used e-cigarette devices amongst U.S. youth. In this paper we report the results of research designed to estimate the prevalence of use of BIDI® Stick branded e-cigarettes amongst youth (aged 13 to 17), and under-age young adults (aged 18 to 20) in the U.S. Methods: Cross sectional online survey of a nationally representative sample of 1,215 youth (13 17 years) recruited via the IPSOS probability-based KnowledgePanel and 3,370 young adults aged 18 to 24 - amongst whom 1,125 were aged 18 to 20. Results: Amongst youth aged 13 to 17, 0.91% [95% CI: 0.44-1.68] or 190,000 [95% CI: 90,000-350,000] youth reported having ever used a BIDI® Stick branded product and 0.04% [95% CI: 0.00-0.38] or less than 10,000 youth reported currently using a BIDI® Stick branded product. Amongst those young adults aged 18 to 20, 3.90% [95% CI: 2.49-5.81] or 470,000 [95%CI: 300,000-700,000] reported having ever used a BIDI® Stick product whilst 0.60% [95% CI: 0.17-1.55] or 70,000 [95% CI: 20,000-180,000] reported they now use a BIDI® Stick product “every day” or “some days”. Conclusions: The low prevalence of youth and underage adult current use of the BIDI® Stick e cigarette suggests that this product is not responsible for the recent growth in the use of disposable e-cigarettes by youth within the U.S. as demonstrated by the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey.

Health care workers (HCWs), specifically dentists, are at the front line for acquiring blood-borne virus infections. The highest proportion of occupational transmission is through percutaneous injuries via hollow-bore needles. Several studies around the world have reported that hepatitis viruses and human immunodeficiency virus are the main pathogens for most cases of occupationally acquired blood-borne infection. We aim to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis E virus (HEV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among Mexican dentists. Methods. We included 159 dentists who attended the annual meeting at the Medica Sur Clinic & Foundation held in Mexico City in May 2016. A survey was applied in order to obtain data of occupational exposure to blood-borne viruses (BBV). Serum samples were screened serologically using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results. Two dentists (1.2%) were positive for antibodies against HCV antigen, one (0.6%) was positive for antibodies against HBV antigen and three (1.8%) were positive for the detection of IgG antibodies against HEV. Two cases (1.2%) were positive for antibodies against HIV. Conclusions. The infection by HEV was the most prevalent among dentists. However, the prevalence of BBV in dentists was similar to that in the general population.

Introduction The prevalence of adolescent electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has increased in most countries. This study determines the relation between the frequency of e-cigarette use and the frequency and intensity of cigarette smoking. Furthermore, it evaluates the association between the reasons for e-cigarette use and the frequency of its use. Materials and Methods Participants were 68,043 middle and high school students aged 13–18 years from the 2015 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey. Of the 68,043 participants, we analyzed 6,655 adolescents with an experience of e-cigarette use. Results The prevalence of ever using and current (past 30 days) use of e-cigarettes was 10.1% and 3.9%, respectively. Of the ever e-cigarette users, approximately 40% used e-cigarettes for ≥1/month and 8.1% used e-cigarettes daily. Daily e-cigarettes users were 10 times greater among daily cigarette smokers than among cigarette users for <1/month (18.1% vs. 1.8%) and 16 times more prevalent among those smoking ≥20 cigarettes/day than among those smoking <1 cigarette/month (38.9% vs. 2.4%). The most common reason for e-cigarette use was curiosity (22.9%), followed by less harmful than conventional cigarettes (18.9%), smoking cessation (13.1%), and indoor use (10.7%). Curiosity was the most common reason among less frequent e-cigarette users; however, smoking cessation and indoor use were the most common reasons among more frequent users. Conclusions Results showed a positive relation between frequency or intensity of conventional cigarette smoking and frequency of e-cigarette use among Korean adolescents, and frequency of e-cigarette use differed according to the reason for the use of e-cigarettes.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is currently treated with bacterial L-Asparaginase; however, its side effects bring up the special need for improved and efficient novel enzymes development. Previously, we obtained low anti-asparaginase antibody production and high serum enzyme half-life in mice with the P40S/S206C mutant; however, its specific activity was significantly reduced. Thus, our aim was to test single mutants, S206C and P40S, for in vitro and in vivo assays. Our results showed that the drop in specific activity was caused by P40S substitution. Besides, our single mutants were highly stable in biological environment simulation, unlike double mutant P40S/S206C. The in vitro cell viability assay demonstrated that mutant enzymes have higher cytotoxic effect than WT on T-cells derived ALL and on some solid cancer cell lines. The in vivo assays were performed in mice to identify toxicological effects, to evoke immunological response and to study the enzymes pharmacokinetics. From these tests, none of the enzymes was toxic; however, S206C evoked lower physiological changes and immune responses. In relation to pharmacokinetic profile, S206C has two-fold higher activity than WT and P40S two hours after injection. In conclusion, we present bioengineered E. coli asparaginases with high specific enzyme activity and lesser side effects.

For better export performance in cross border e-commerce, a contingency model integrates e-commerce into traditional export marketing strategy (EMS) with internal and external determinants of EMS. However, EMS of Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) is understudied. This study validates and modifies existing model for MSMEs. As a qualitative study, multiple sources of data including interviews, internal documents, and group discussions were used regarding business cases of entrepreneurs and supporting organizations in Mongolia and Korea. This research suggets contingency model for MSMEs with modified factors and different strategies in each factor. Specifically, intermal determinants are managerial capability, product competitiveness, and strategic marketing orientation. External determinants are export market competitivceness, export market infrastructure and entry barriers. EMS for MSMEs consists of the same factors with the original model but come up with different strategies. Theoretical and managerial implications were discussed.

The pervasive presence of atmospheric pollution, particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene, instigates aberrant cellular and tissue conditions, precipitating oxidative damage and inflammatory cascades conducive to the onset of cancer, notably mammary cancer. Given the hepatic metabolism of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene, the imperative of employing natural antioxidants becomes apparent. In this study, we delve into the antioxidant and hepato-protective properties of Pistacia lentiscus against 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced toxicity, alongside exploring its potential anticancer attributes. Our investigations unveil Pistacia lentiscus's anti-proliferative efficacy against human breast cancer cell lines. Notably, 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-intoxication escalates body weight, disrupts lipid profiles, and incites serum oxidative damage. Concurrently, hepatic and renal oxidative stress ensue, accompanied by heightened antioxidant enzyme activity in the 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-exposed-group compared to controls (p&lt;0.05). Nonetheless, Pistacia lentiscus co-administration rectifies biochemical imbalances, significantly attenuates oxidative stress aberrations, and augments antioxidant enzyme responses (p&lt;0.05). Importantly, histological analysis evinces Pistacia lentiscus's shielding effect against 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene induced hepatocyte injury and steatosis. Our findings underscore Pistacia lentiscus's robust anti-proliferative, antioxidant, and hepato-protective capacities, mitigating metabolic disturbances, oxidative stress propagation in liver and kidney functions, and potential histological alterations, thereby impeding 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced mammary cancer initiation. We posit that Pistacia lentiscus may serve as a prophylactic agent against breast cancer instigated by this carcinogen.

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, his note as regards descent with modification, added greatly to the knowledge that we already possess of how species have survived down the ages. It is evident that this does not provide the necessary knowledge about the origin of the life on earth. However, it provides remarkable evidence about how life has survived. Looking fundamentally at the cellular construct of organisms, we arrive at the fact that cells, both unicellular and multicellular, have organelles that enable them communicate with one another. This ability for living organisms, down to the lowest - cellular life - to communicate is what I refer to as Biological interaction. It is necessary that we articulate more about this concept and see how this all comes to bear as regards Homeostasis. In reference to the latter, it is to be made known that every living organism is also intrinsically aimed towards a projected linear motion in its time riddled existence. This is to say that every living organism operates on an foundational process, amongst others, known as Homeostasis. We understand this term to mean balance that the living system strives to maintain. However etymologically speaking it means staying the same. How has this homeostatic process added to the fostering of life via biological interaction? How is biological interaction fundamental to the theory of evolution?

In the recent century, the tourism industry and within it the tourism economy are one of the most important and fundamental sectors of engaged business. E-tourism can be used as a dynamic tool in up to date areas of informative information and tourism marketing will be considered as a suitable field for the tourism industry. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between climate change and the amount of revenues from the tourism industry relying on a tool called e-tourism, and informing and providing services through this way so that Iran can achieve a greater share of export of a single-product oil economy combined with economic growth and sustainable development goals. The method of this research is descriptive-analytical.

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) mediating resistance in Enterobacterales is a global public health issue, especially in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Cameroon. ESBL-producing Enterobacterales reduce therapeutic options and lead to the use of last resort drugs such as carbapenems even in vulnerable populations like children under five years. This study aims at determining the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-Ec) isolated from children under five years with and without diarrhoea in two health care facilities in Dschang. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 3 February to 19 May 2022 in two hospitals in the city of Dschang, Cameroon. Stool collected were cultured on Eosine Methylen Blue (EMB) medium. Enterosystem 18 R kit was used for bacterial identification. Evaluation of the resistance patterns and detection of ESBL production were performed with, the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method and CHROMagar® ESBL medium, respectively. The genomic DNA of ESBL-Ec was extracted using the boiling method and subjected to conventional and multiplex PCRs for detection of blaSHV, blaCTX-M and blaTEM genes. Data were entered into ExcelTM 2016. Epi info and R software were used for statistical analyses with a p-value <0.05 considered statistically significant. Out of the 125 children enrolled, 67.2% (84/125) were colonized by E. coli. Among these, 57.14% (48/84) were colonized by ESBL-Ec. ESBL- Ec isolates showed high levels of resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (96.22%), cefotaxime (75.47%), ceftriaxone (73.58%), ofloxacin (67.92%), levofloxacin (56.6%) and ciprofloxacin (54.71%). Children aged between 1-3 years (47.62%, p=0.09) and those who had taken an antibiotic one week prior to collection (70.83%, p=0.04) had a higher prevalence of ESBL-Ec with statistical significance. The majority of ESBL-Ec isolates (52.83%; 28/53) were co-producers of blaCTX-M and blaTEM. Infection prevention and control measures coupled with antimicrobial stewardship strategies need to be strengthened to reduce emergence and dissemination of ESBL-Ec among this vulnerable population.

This article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of vaping from various perspectives that contributes to the origin, development, achievement, and consequences of the greed of e-cigarette manufacturers. In our analysis, multiple elements of the social landscape, including economic, cultural, moral, psychological, and philosophical dimensions, contributed to the origin and development of the vaping greed and shaped people’s behaviors. Further discussion was made on how the specific characteristics of e-cigarette products and the marketing strategies of the companies, especially social media marketing, fostered the growth of such greed. Through interviews, we have also discussed the unfolding of this greed within the community of teenage vapers. The growth of the vaping greed was manifested in the large market share taken by the companies, but these all significantly harm people’s health and the communities. Nicotine and other chemicals in e-liquids promote each other’s negative effects in the mechanism leading to pulmonary symptoms and addiction, which are not limited to the physical level. We described that addiction could be transgenerational and can induce trauma both at an individual level and a community level. Overall, the greed of the vaping industry is a very complex system. The treatment of the greed shall be complicated as well: Besides the public health measures taken to treat the symptoms of the greed, we should educate individuals to be aware of their unfulfilled needs to regain authenticity and establish an infallible authority to enforce universal morality, which eradicates the complications of addiction and the root of the capitalists’ greed, respectively.

Toxins present in cigarette and e-cigarette smoke constitute a significant cause of illnesses and are known to have fatal health impacts. Specific mechanisms by which toxins present in smoke impair cell repair are still being researched and are of prime interest for developing more effective treatments. Current literature suggests toxins present in cigarette smoke and aerosolized e-vapor trigger abnormal intercellular responses, damage mitochondrial function, and consequently disrupt the homeostasis of the organelle’s biochemical processes by increasing reactive oxidative species. Increased oxidative stress sets off a cascade of molecular events, disrupting optimal mitochondrial morphology and homeostasis. Furthermore, smoking-induced oxidative stress may also amalgamate with other health factors to contribute to various pathophysiological processes. An increasing number of studies show that toxins may affect mitochondria even though exposure to secondhand or thirdhand smoke. This review assesses the impact of toxins present in tobacco smoke and e-vapor on mitochondrial health, networking, and critical structural processes including mitochondria fission, fusion, hyperfusion, fragmentation, and mitophagy. The efforts are focused on discussing current evidence linking toxins present in first, second, and thirdhand smoke to mitochondrial dysfunction

(1) Background: Spain launched an official campaign, #EsteVirusLoParamosUnidos, to try and unite the efforts of the entire country through citizen cooperation to combat coronavirus. The research goal is to analyze the Twitter campaign’s repercussion on general citizen feeling. (2) Methods: The research is based on a composite design that triangulates from a theoretical model, a quantitative analysis and a qualitative analysis. (3) Results: Of the 7357 tweets in the sample, 72.32% were found to be retweets. Four content families were extracted: politics, education, messages to society and defense of occupational groups. The feelings expressed ranged along a continuum, from unity, admiration and support at one end to discontent and criticism regarding the health situation at the other. (4) Conclusions: The development of networked sociopolitical and technical measures that enable citizen participation facilitates the development of new patterns of interaction between governments and digital citizens, increasing citizens’ possibilities of influencing the public agenda and therefore strengthening citizen engagement vis-à-vis such situations.

In the present work we study the properties of geodesic sub-$ (\alpha,b,s) $-preinvex functions on Hadamard manifolds and establish some basic properties in both general and differential cases. Further, we study sufficient conditions of optimality and proved some new inequalities under geodesic sub-($ \alpha,b,s $)-preinvexity.

Analyzing the cells in various body fluids can greatly deepen the understanding of the mechanisms governing the cellular physiology. Because of the variability of physiological and metabolic states, it is important to be able to perform such studies on individual cells. Therefore, we developed an optofluidic system in which we precisely manipulated and monitored individual cells of Escherichia coli. We used laser tweezers Raman spectroscopy (LTRS) in a microchamber chip to manipulate and analyze individual E. coli cells. We subjected the cells to antibiotic cefotaxime, and we observed the changes by the time-lapse microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. We found observable changes in the cellular morphology (cell elongation) and in Raman spectra, which were consistent with other recently published observations. We tested the capabilities of the optofluidic system and found it to be a reliable and versatile solution for this class of microbiological experiments.

Noninvasive brain stimulation technique can be used for modulation of motor behaviors such as reaction time (RT). The main aim of this study was to investigate whether RT during a sequential visual isometric pinch task (SVIPT) can be affected by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) over three different stimulation sites such as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), primary motor cortex (M1) or posterior parietal cortex (PPC). We also aimed to assess if stimulation of these cortical sites affect the transfer of learning during SVIPT. A total of 48 right-handed healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of the four a-tDCS groups: 1) left M1, 2) left DLPFC, 3) left PPC and 4) sham. A-tDCS was applied concurrent with SVIPT in which the participants were precisely controlled their forces to reach seven different target forces from 10 to 40% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) presenting on a computer screen with right dominant hand. Four test blocks were randomly performed at baseline and 15 min after the intervention including sequence and random blocks with either hand. Our results showed significant differences between a-tDCS groups on ratio RT in the sequence blocks of both the right trained (P = .041) and left untrained hands (P = .023) for target forces of 15% and 30 % of MVC, respectively. In sequence blocks, M1 showed significant elongation in ratio RT for the target force of 15% and 30 % MVC compared to PPC and Sham groups in the right hand. In sequence blocks with left hand, this negative effect were found between M1-DLPFC and M1-Sham groups. In random blocks, no significant differences were found among four groups at each target forces for the left hand while there were significant differences for 15% (P =. 04) and 40% MVC (P =. 035) in the right hand. Our findings suggest that three different stimulation sites (DLPFC, M1 or PPC) were differentially affected by a single session of a-tDCS at some target forces during SVIPT. The effects of a-tDCS on ratio RT were transferred in the left untrained hand for sequence blocks but not random blocks. Further research is needed to understand fundamental aspects of these main areas of the brain on temporal processing in a precision control task such as SVIPT.

The development of mobile internet technology has enabled companies to use social media for E-commerce. Some companies use personified images and languages to communicate with consumers in this context. How does personified communication affect consumer behavior in social commerce? Are consumers willing to accept this new form of communication under social commerce? To answer these questions, this paper explores consumers' willingness to take per-sonified communication in the context of social commerce. It investigates the role of cognitive needs in regulating the internal mechanism and proposes some suggestions for enterprises to improve social media communication. Specifically, this paper presents an improved model based on the TAM model. In our model, perceived interaction is introduced as a new independent variable, and cognitive need is added as a regulatory variable, which is more suitable for social commerce. We conduct a questionnaire survey on the Internet and analyze data using AMOS and SPSS. The results show that perceived usefulness and perceived interaction positively im-pact attitude, which influences consumers' willingness to purchase. Furthermore, the cognitive need as the regulatory variable significantly affects the influencing path from perceived use-fulness to attitude and purchase intention.

We survey the diversity of antimicrobial resistance profiles of Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates and molecular genotypes by means of phylogenetic groups circulating in complex aquatic habitats, such as sewage and receiving waters bodies as well as in clinical environment in Boeotia regional district of Greece. The predominant resistant profile among all environmental and clinical isolates was to penicillins - ampicillin (AMP) and piperacillin (PIP). ESBLs resistance related profiles were observed both in environmental and clinical isolates. Phylogenetic group B2 was the predominant in clinical isolates, whilst group A was dominant in environmental isolates. We report that reclaimed river water and wastewater are reservoirs of R and MDR E. coli to commonly used antibiotics in clinical practice posing putative threats for human and animal health.

E-waste is considered the fastest-growing global waste stream and has become an emerging environmental challenge. The widespread usage of digital devices has generated a large amount of e-waste. According to the Ministry of Commerce, India annually generates ~14.5 lakh metric tons of e-waste and recycles only ~5 % of e-waste. Annually, the global production of e-waste has been expected to increase by 4–5 %. Advancements in IT and communication divisions have improved the usage of electronic equipment. Heavy metals such as (Pb), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), tin (Sn), and organic chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PBDDs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are subsequently released from e-wastes and contaminates soil and water sources. These toxic compounds are hazardous to human health and the environment. They are capable of entering various biological systems and causing alterations in respiratory functions of the lungs, DNA damage, impaired functioning of the thyroid, and increased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular ailments. Such concerns raise the quintessential need to manage e-waste to prevent future hazards. This manuscript critically reviews the sources, health and environmental impact, disposal techniques, recycling, and regulation of e-waste.

Information and telecommunications technology (ITT) have expanded into many aspects of modern life and have positively affected human life even in the most remote areas of developing countries. The rapid growth in ITT has led to an improvement in the capacity of computers but simultaneously to a decrease in the product’s lifetime as a result of which increasingly large quantities of e-waste are generated annually. It contains hazardous components that if it is not properly managed, can have adverse environmental and health effects. The management of e-waste poses significant challenges in developing countries. Due to the lack of adequate infrastructure, e-waste is burned or dumped in open areas. Informal and inefficient recycling practices are generally employed which further exacerbate pollution and health risks. So, the implementation of e-waste management, adequate recycling, and waste disposal facilities have become crucial concerns. This article reviews the concept of e-waste generation, challenges, disposal, and its impact on human health & environment in detail.

This research used an experimental study design in which 60 subjects were randomly assigned to either an experimental (image e-book guidance) group or a control (text guidance) group after meeting the admission conditions and agreeing to participate in the study. It was proven that providing image e-book guidance before surgery significantly changed the behavior of patients and promoted relief of urinary catheter discomfort through self-efficacy to reduce urinary catheter pain after surgery. It was found that providing image e-book guidance can shorten the time for health education and provide patients with repeated medical education and familiarity with health guidance, which can help to address the important clinical service demand issue and the shortage of nursing staff.

This article aims to investigate gaps in the law and policies on e-waste management in communi-ties of Thailand and suggests a guideline for improving, developing, and designing legal measures and state policies for more effective enforcement of the law on e-waste management in communities. The findings reveal that the currently applicable law of Thailand lacks effective approaches and rules for e-waste management. Also, there is not any implementation of key envi-ronmental principles for e-waste management in communities, such as the Polluter Pays Principle (PPP) that requires manufacturing companies to take part in being responsible for disposal ex-penses or the Public Participation principle that requires users, manufacturers, distributors, and government agencies to take parts in disposing e-waste. As a result, problems of e-waste in com-munities of Thailand have been continuously increasing. According to such problems, the authors suggest that legal measures on e-waste management in communities should be specifically de-signed by implementing key environmental principles as a basis in determining formats and guidelines of e-waste management, especially participation of all sectors that can help in solving and reducing e-waste in communities that is harmful to health, sanitation, and environment.

The consequences of manipulations in structure and amino acid composition of native cyclolinopeptide A (CLA) from linen seeds and its linear precursor on their biological activities and mechanisms of action are reviewed. The modifications included truncation of the peptide chain, replacement of amino acid residues with proteinogenic or non-proteinogenic ones, modifications of peptide bond, and others. The studies revealed changes in the immunosuppressive potency of these analogs investigated in a number of in vitro and in vivo experimental models, predominantly in rodents, as well as differences in their postulated mechanism of action. The modified peptides were compared with cyclosporine A and parent CLA. Some of the synthesized and investigated peptides show potential therapeutic usefulness.

Nitroxyl radical catalysts oxidize alcohols under an applied electric potential. It is possible to quantify the alcohol concentration from the resulting oxidation current. In this work, we evaluated the catalytic activity of nitroxyl radicals (or their corresponding hydroxylamines), including 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) as representative nitroxyl radicals, acetoamido-TEMPO, which shows higher oxidation potential than TEMPO owing to the acetoamido group, AZADO, Nor-AZADO, and NNO as less-hindered bicyclic nitroxyl radicals, and NHPI as an N,N-diacyl-type hydroxylamine, in acetonitrile solution. TEMPO, AZADO and NNO were also evaluated for their ability to oxidize alcohols in organic solvents, and their reactivity was compared with the electrochemical response. The most active NNO was used for electrochemical detection of cyclosporin A, a drug with a hydroxyl group.

Abstract: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has reemphasized the urgent need for broad-spectrum antiviral therapies. We developed a computational workflow using scRNA-Seq data to assess cellular metabolism during viral infection. With this workflow we predicted the capacity of cells to sustain SARS-CoV-2 virion production in patients and found a tissue-wide induction of metabolic pathways that support viral replication. Expanding our analysis to influenza A and dengue viruses, we identified metabolic targets and inhibitors for potential broad-45 spectrum antiviral treatment. These targets were highly enriched for known interaction partners of all analyzed viruses. Indeed, phenformin, an NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase inhibitor, suppressed SARS-CoV-2 and dengue virus replication. Atpenin A5, blocking succinate dehydrogenase, inhibited SARS-CoV-2, dengue virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza A with high selectivity indices. In vivo, phenformin showed antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in a Syrian hamster model. Our work establishes host metabolism as druggable for broad-spectrum antiviral strategies, providing invaluable tools for pandemic preparedness.

Gastric cancer is a challenging public health concern worldwide and remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. The primary risk factor implicated in gastric cancer development is infection with Helicobacter pylori. H. pylori induces chronic inflammation affecting the gastric epithelium, which can lead to DNA damage and promotion of precancerous lesions. Disease manifestations associated with H. pylori are attributed to virulence factors with multiple activities and its capacity to subvert host immunity. One of the most significant H. pylori virulence determinants is the cagPAI gene cluster, which encodes a type IV secretion system and the CagA toxin. This secretion system allows H. pylori to inject the CagA oncoprotein into host cells, causing multiple cellular perturbations. Despite the high prevalence of H. pylori infection, only a small percentage of affected individuals develop significant clinical outcomes, while most remain asymptomatic. Therefore, understanding how H. pylori triggers carcinogenesis and its immune evasion mechanisms is critical in preventing gastric cancer and miti-gating the burden of this life-threatening disease. This review aims to provide an overview of our current under-standing of H. pylori infection, its association with gastric cancer and other gastric diseases, and how it subverts the host immune system to establish persistent infection.

The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) coupled with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection is a growing area of analytical chemistry emerged as a solution to a problem of sensitivity improvement. SERS-based ELISA with horseradish peroxidase as an enzymatic label, o-phenylenediamine (oPD) substrate, and 2,3-diaminophenazine (DAP) enzymatic product was one of the first examples of such systems. Surprisingly, the full potential of this long-known approach has not been revealed yet. The current study addresses a previously neglected problem of SERS detection stage performance. Using silver nanoparticles and model mixtures of oPD and DAP, the effects of pH, concentration of aggregating agent, and particle surface chloride stabilizer were extensively evaluated. At optimal mildly acidic pH of 3, 0.93 to 1 M citrate buffer, and AgNPs stabilized with 20 mM chloride, at least two orders of magnitude advantages in the detection limits of SERS over colorimetry both for DAP and HRP were demonstrated. We suppose that this improved detection system could become a useful tool for the development of SERS-based ELISA protocols.

This study aimed to assess prescription transfer and medicines collection through Wasfaty, an electronic prescription service recently introduced in Saudi Arabia. A link to a cross-sectional online questionnaire was sent to all students and staff at the University of Jeddah, targeting beneficiaries who received e-prescriptions at the University Medical Centre (n = 2067). The questionnaire comprised 20 items under the following sections; demographics, patient perceptions and satisfaction with the Wasfaty service, and the availability of medicines. Of the 217 questionnaires received, the majority were filled by females (n = 125, 57.6%). Most were satisfied with the initial registration process of Wasfaty (n = 183, 84.1%). However, almost one-third of the participants reported that they could not find the prescribed medicines (n = 64, 29.7%), and most of them had to look for another pharmacy to obtain their treatment (n = 138, 63.9%). Respondents voiced their displeasure owing to the lack of access to certain pharmaceuticals, including anti-hypertensives and antidiabetics. This pilot study identified some challenges relating to the use of the Wasfaty service. Further attention to these challenges is required from the service providers, and a large-scale national study is warranted.

Higher education informatization (HEI) is an interdisciplinary field that examines the use and integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in higher education. This paper provides a bibliometric and visual analysis of the research trends, patterns, and topics in this field. Using the Web of Science database, we selected and analyzed 199 SCI and SSCI papers on HEI published from 2000 to 2023 by VOSviewer and CiteSpace software. The results indicate that the publication volume of HEI research has grown significantly in recent years, with China and the US being the most productive and influential countries. The author network shows the collaboration and contribution of different researchers and institutions, while the journal network reveals the multidisciplinary nature and scope of the field. The keyword network and the burst keyword analysis identify the main research themes and the emerging hot topics in HEI, such as online learning, big data, and artificial intelligence. The co-citation network of sources illustrates the theoretical and methodological foundations and influences of the field. The paper concludes with some implications and suggestions for future HEI research.

A challenging problem in the aquaculture industry is bacterial disease outbreaks which results in the global reduction of fish supply and foodborne outbreaks. Biofilms in marine pathogens protect against antimicrobial treatment and host immune defence. Zeolites are minerals of volcanic origin made from crystalline aluminosilicates which are useful in agriculture and in environmental management. In this study, silver ion-exchanged zeolite A of four concentrations; 0.25M (AgZ1), 0.50M (AgZ2), 1.00M (AgZ3)and 1.50M (AgZ4) were investigated for biofilm inhibition and antimicrobial properties against two predominant marine pathogens V. campbelli and V. parahemolyticus by employing the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration(MIC), Crystal Violet Biofilm Quantification assays as well as Scanning Electron Microscopy. In the first instance, all zeolite samples AgZ1-AgZ4 showed antimicrobial activity for both pathogens. For V. campbellii AgZ4 exhibited the highest MIC at 125.00 µg/ml while for V. parahaemolyticus the highest MIC was observed for AgZ3 at 62.50 µg/ml. At sublethal concentration, biofilm inhibition of V. campbelli and V. parahemolyticus by AgZ4 were observed at 60.2% and 77.3% inhibition respectively. Scanning electron microscopy exhibited profound structural alteration of the biofilm matrix by AgZ4. This is the first known study that highlights the potential application of ion-exchanged Zeolite A against marine pathogens and their biofilms.

The DnaA protein has long been considered to play the key role in the initiation of chromosome replication in modern bacteria. Many questions about this role, however, remain unanswered. Here, we raise these questions within a framework based on the dynamics of hyperstructures alias large assemblies of molecules and macromolecules that perform a function. In this dynamics, hyperstructures can (1) emit and receive signals or (2) fuse and separate from one another. We ask whether the DnaA-based initiation hyperstructure acts as a logic gate receiving information from the membrane, the chromosome and metabolism to trigger replication; we try to phrase some of these questions in terms of DNA supercoiling, strand opening, glycolytic enzymes, SeqA, ribonucleotide reductase, the Macromolecular Synthesis operon, post-translational modifications and metabolic pools. Finally, we ask whether, underpinning the regulation of the cell cycle, there is a physico-chemical clock inherited from the first protocells, and whether this clock emits a single signal that triggers both chromosome replication and cell division.

(1) Background: This manuscript introduces the "Lines and Dots" (LAD) technique, a novel method for administering Botulinum Toxin Type A (BoNT-A) in treating horizontal forehead lines. This technique emphasizes precision in targeting nerve endplates, considering individual anatomical variations, and optimizing treatment efficacy. (2) Methods: The LAD technique focus on using the frontalis muscle contraction dynamics to identify the specific distribution of the supraorbital and supratrochlear nerves It involves creating a grid of predetermined lines and points on the forehead that align with nerve paths and motor endplate zones. (3) Results: By targeting injections along these precise lines and points, the LAD technique ensures more effective utilization of BoNT-A. This approach not only enhances the toxin's effect but also allows for a reduction in the overall dosage. The strategic placement of injections results in a more natural, symmetrical, and sustained therapeutic effect, ensuring an improved aesthetic outcome. (4) Conclusions: The LAD technique represents a significant advancement in the realm of cosmetic injectables. It offers a tailored, patient-specific approach, maximizing the effectiveness of BoNT-A injections for treating forehead lines while minimizing risks and enhancing patient satisfaction. This method underscores the importance of a deep anatomical understanding and precision in cosmetic procedures.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a major type of primary brain tumors without ideal prognosis and it’s necessary to find novel compound possessing therapeutic effect. Chrysomycin A (Chr-A) has been reported to inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of U251 and U87-MG cells, but the mechanism of Chr-A against glioblastoma in vivo and whether Chr-A modulates apoptosis of neuroglioma cells is unclear.The present study was to elucidate the potential of Chr-A against glioblastoma in vivo and how Chr-A modulates apoptosis of neuroglioma cells. Briefly, The an-ti-glioblastoma activity was assessed in human glioma U87 xenografts nude mice. Chr-A-related targets were identified by RNA-seq. Apoptotic ratio and caspase 3/7 activity of U251 and U87-MG cells were assayed by flow cytometry. Apoptosis-related proteins and possible molecular mecha-nism were validated via Western blotting. The results showed that Chr-A treatment significantly inhibits glioblastoma progression in xenografts nude mice, and enrichment analysis suggested that apoptosis, PI3K-Akt and Wnt signaling pathway were involved in the possible mechanism. Chr-A increased apoptotic ratio and the activity of caspase 3/7 in U251 and U87-MG cells. Western blot revealed that Chr-A broke the balance between Bax and Bcl-2 activating caspase cascade re-action and downregulated the expression of p-Akt and p-GSK-3β, suggesting that Chr-A may contribute to glioblastoma regression modulating Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway to promote apoptosis of neuroglioma cells in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, Chr-A may hold therapeutic promise for glioblastoma.

Controlling water and food contamination by pathogenic organisms requires quick, simple, and low-cost methods. using affinity between mannose and type I fimbriae in the cell wall of Escherichia coli bacteria as evaluation elements compared to the conventional plate counting technique enables a reliable sensing platform for the detection of bacteria. In this study, a simple new sensor based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for rapid and sensitive detection of Escherichia coli was developed. Biorecognition layer of the sensor was formed by covalent attachment of p-carboxyphenylamino mannose (PCAM) to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) electrodeposited on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The resultant structure of PCAM was characterized and confirmed using FTIR. The developed biosensor demonstrated a linear response with a logarithm of bacterial concentration (R2 = 0.998) in the range of 1.3 × 10 1~ 1.3 × 106 CFU.mL−1with the limit of detection of 2 CFU.mL−1 within 60 min. The sensor did not generate any significant signals with two non-target strains, demonstrating high selectivity of the developed biorecognition chemistry. Selectivity of the sensor and its applicability to analysis of the real samples was investigated in samples of tap water. Overall, the developed sensor has shown to be promising for the detection of E. coli pathogen in water due to its high sensitivity, short detection time, low cost, high specificity, and user-friendliness.

E-learning with many outstanding advantages in training has drastically changed the self-study process due to the ability to personalize and effectively meet the learning activities of learners. E-learning and building an e-learning environment are currently paying attention and being deployed in many universities in Vietnam with different scope and levels. Especially in the current period, when science and technology are developing, many applications of technology and technology products have been applied in the field of education, changing the way of teaching and learning activities, the practice of both lecturers and students. Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies have replaced people not only for manual labor but also for intellectual labor, including the teaching of teachers. Many software applications have been used to replace people in the transmission of knowledge, testing, and evaluation of training quality, especially E-learning online training programs. However, in Vietnam today, the output quality of these online training programs has not been highly appreciated compared to similar programs in the world. The cause of this situation is that the training, teaching, and learning are not effective. Therefore, in this article, I will give some analysis, evaluate the current teaching and learning methods and propose solutions to enhance the interaction and initiative in the teaching and learning process of lecturers and students to improve the quality of online training in the future.

In this work, two embroidered textile moisture sensors are characterized with three different conductive yarns. The sensors are based on a capacitive interdigitated structure embroidered on a cotton substrate with an embroidered conductor yarn. The performance comparison of 3 different type of conductive yarns has been addressed. In order to evaluate the sensor sensitivity, the impedance of the sensor has been measured by means of a LCR meter from 20 Hz to 20 kHz on a climatic chamber with a sweep of the relative humidity from 30% to 65% at 20 ºC. The experimental results show a clear and controllable dependence of the sensor impedance with the relative humidity and the used conductor yarns. This dependence points out the optimum conductive yarn to be used to develop wearable applications for moisture measurement.

The contents of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) should be included in teachers’ initial and advanced training programs. In order to determine the key competences for sustainability, creating a Sustainable Consciousness is one of the main foundations. However, there are not many empirical studies that deal with consciousness from education. In this context, e-portfolio appears as a tool that promotes reflection and critical thinking, key competences for consciousness development. This work intends to propose a categorization system to extract types of consciousness and identify trainee teachers’ levels of consciousness. For this research work, of an eminently qualitative nature, we have selected twenty-five portfolios of students in the last year of the School of Education at the University of Macerata (Italy). The qualitative methodological procedure followed allowed to deduce three bases that shape trainee teachers’ consciousness: thinking, representation of reality and type of consciousness. We concluded that the attainment of a Sustainable Consciousness in teachers requires activating and developing higher levels of thinking, as well as a projective and macrostructural representation of reality.

For any odd positive integer $x$, define $(x_n)_{n\geqslant 0} $ and $(a_n )_{n\geqslant 1} $ by setting $x_{0}=x, \,\, x_n =\cfrac{3x_{n-1} +1}{2^{a_n }}$ such that all $x_n $ are odd. The 3x+1 problem asserts that there is an $x_n =1$ for all $x$. Usually, $(x_n )_{n\geqslant 0} $ is called the trajectory of $x$. In this paper, we concentrate on $(a_n )_{n\geqslant 1} $ and call it the E-sequence of $x$. The idea is that, we consider any infinite sequence $(a_n )_{n\geqslant 1} $ of positive integers and call it an E-sequence. We then define $(a_n )_{n\geqslant 1} $ to be $\Omega-$convergent to $x$ if it is the E-sequence of $x$ and to be $\Omega-$divergent if it is not the E-sequence of any odd positive integer. We prove a remarkable fact that the $\Omega-$divergence of all non-periodic E-sequences implies the periodicity of $(x_n )_{n\geqslant 0} $ for all $x_0$. The principal results of this paper are to prove the $\Omega-$divergence of several classes of non-periodic E-sequences. Especially, we prove that all non-periodic E-sequences $(a_n )_{n\geqslant 1} $ with $\mathop {\overline {\lim } }\limits_{n\to \infty } \cfrac{b_n }{n}>\log _23$ are $\Omega-$divergent by using the Wendel's inequality and the Matthews and Watts's formula $x_n =\cfrac{3^n x_0 }{2^{b_n }}\prod\limits_{k=0}^{n-1} {(1+\cfrac{1}{3x_k })} $, where $b_n =\sum\limits_{k=1}^n {a_k } $. These results present a possible way to prove the periodicity of trajectories of all positive integers in the 3x + 1 problem and we call it the E-sequence approach.

Collecting and recording physiological parameters and forwarding this data via telemedicine or remote surveys may significantly increase the health and safety of people working under extreme environmental conditions, like firefighters, mountain rescuers, disaster control employees, military personnel, etc. First, ruggedized systems, as small, lightweight, and flexible as possible, are needed to optimize the goal of increasing occupational health and safety of persons at risk and maximizing their performance during missions. Previous systems could only record a very limited number of parameters, and a few could forward the data online to return information to the user. Therefore, in order to record several meaningful, valid, and reliable physiological parameters synchronized, an extension of existing systems is required. This review highlights this problem and gives an overview of the historical development. The actual status of the systems available was listed and described comparatively. In the end, a proven, promising, and innovative solution is presented that can solve the problem and allow people to work more safely in extreme environments, which may represent the future.

There is an increasing clinical need to develop novel biomaterials that combine regenerative and biocidal properties. In this work, we present the preparation of silver /silica based glassy bioactive (ABG) compositions via a facile, fast (20h), and low temperature (80 °C) approach and their characterization. The fabrication process included the synthesis of the bioactive glass (BG) particles followed by the surface modification of the bioactive glass with silver nanoparticles. The microstructural features of ABG samples before and after exposure to simulated body fluid (SBF) as well as their ion release behavior during SBF test were evaluated using infrared spectrometry (FTIR), ultraviolet- visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microscopies (TEM and SEM) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The antibacterial properties of the experimental compositions were tested against Escherichia coli (E. coli). The results indicated that the prepared ABG materials possess antibacterial activity against E. coli, which is directly correlated with the glass surface modification.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is an innovative transport concept, anticipated to provide travelers with different kinds of travel services, more sustainable than a private car, in a simpler, packaged way. It combines different transport modes to offer a tailored mobility package, like a monthly mobile phone contract. The rapid development of intelligent transportation system and the shared economy has speeded up the development of MaaS in these years. In this paper, we aim at classifying the existing research on MaaS and the characteristics of MaaS into different categories, in order to answer the following questions after reviewing the existing literature: What is MaaS? Who are the main actors in MaaS? How can MaaS be implemented? Why should it be implemented? Where will MaaS end up in this wave of disruption? When we talk about MaaS, what are we focusing on? What is the future leading frequency of MaaS? Finally, based on the existing literature, we envision the leading future of MaaS.

As customer demand for green products increases in the digital economic era, this study analyses the green innovation of the e-tailer and supplier in drop shipping models. Moreover, drop shipping e-tailers and suppliers with a drop shipping option need to make choices regarding whether to provide green or normal products to the market. When a supplier with a drop shipping option produces green products, more fees may be invested on the production of green products than on normal products. The drop shipping e-tailers and suppliers with a drop shipping option can also choose to sell normal products at a low cost, as before. This study designs four models of drop shipping e-teilers and suppliers with a drop shipping option under different choices, analyzes their operational process in drop shipping models, and investigates five theorems. The optimal pricings decisions and green degree of drop shipping e-tailers and suppliers with a drop shipping option were evaluated in this study. The impacts of the green innovation factor, green elasticity coefficient, manufacturing and distribution costs on the drop shipping e-tailers and suppliers with a drop shipping option, and the effect of other environmental parameters on the green degree of green products are also analyzed through computer simulation. The findings of the simulation analysis provide valuable guidance for e-tailers and suppliers with green innovation in drop shipping models and offer important academic and practical implications for e-commerce and the digital economy.

This research assess the effects of training program based on the usage of the digital learning objects in teaching practice at the Northern Borders University staff. E Assessment through the tablets and smart phones and the teachers’ attitudes towards such way of evaluation is the major objective of this study as the researcher expects that the assessment mechanism in the university through utilization of tablets and smart phones and its application will inevitably bring in a systematic improvement in the assessment and evaluation process of the curricula. Moreover, making use of the e learning objects in training will make a significant change in e training program of the university. Hence, the researcher has chosen voluntary random samples from the university teaching staff (men\women) from various different faculties (medicine, medical sciences, science, education and arts, business administration, home economics, and science and literature). These samples included 300 members of the teaching staff. In a group of 20 to 25 members, a personal training was conducted regarding the usage of tablets and smart phones and its applications in the assessment process. Each group participated by producing a complete e-assessment for their students in the Northern Borders University and by the e learning system i.e. Blackboard and Question Mark. The research also depends on the semi-experimental design of multiple groups and on testing the groups’ pre and post achievement tests. In addition, the research identifies the level of the university teaching staff in using the tablets and the smartphones and its applications in the assessment process by the note card that the individuals have during the test.

Lignin, and its by-products in the effluent of most agrochemical-based industries like pulp and paper, increase environmental pollution. There is, therefore, an increasing demand to degrade lignin and its derivatives using bacteria-produced ligninolytic enzymes. This study focused on optimizing growth and lignin peroxidase production of ligninolytic potential bacterial strains (E. coli accession no: LR0250096.1 and P. aeruginosa accession no: CP031449.2) for the first time. A submerged fermentation process was used to simultaneously optimize growth and crude lignin peroxidase production using kraft lignin as the substrate. The E. coli and P. aeruginosa were separately cultured under different pH, temperature, lignin (substrate) concentration and incubation periods. It was observed that the enzyme production was growth dependent. The optimum conditions for E. coli were pH 7.5, temperature 30 °C and lignin concentration 1 g/L. For P. aeruginosa the best conditions were pH 6.5, temperature 40 °C and lignin concentration 1 g/L. The enzyme production peaked after 7 days of incubation for both organisms were 21.53 ± 3.11 mg/ml and 18.13 ± 2.1 mg/ml respectively. It is apparent that both E. coli (LR0250096.1) and P. aeruginosa (CP031449.2) are mesophiles bacteria. E. coli function best in alkaline pH while P. aeruginosa prefers a slightly acidic environment. Hence, they are promising candidates in the reduction of lignocellulosic wastes.

The phenylpropanoid pathway is a major secondary metabolite pathway that helps plants overcome biotic and abiotic stress and produces various by-products that promote human health. Its byproduct, chloroquinic acid (CQA), is a soluble phenolic compound present in many angiosperms. Hy-droxycinnamate-CoA shikimate/quinate transferase(BAHDs superfamily enzyme) is a significant en-zyme that plays a role in accumulating CQA biosynthesis. This study analyzed transcriptome-wide identification of the phenylpropanoid to chloroquinic acid biosynthesis candidate genes in A. spathulifolius flowers and leaves. Transcriptomic analyses of the flowers and leaves showed a differential expression of the PPP and CQA biosynthesis regulated unigenes. An analysis of PPP captive unigenes revealed the following: the major duplication of the key enzyme, PAL, 120 unigenes in leaves and 76 in flowers; the gene encoding C3’H, 169 unigenes in leaves and 140 unigenes in flowers; duplicated unigenes of 4CL, 41 in leaves and 27 in flowers. In addition, C4H unigenes had 12 unigenes in the leaves of A. spathulifolius and four in the flowers. The characterization of the BAHDs superfamily members identified 82 in leaves and 72 in flowers. Among them, phylogenetic analysis showed that five unigenes encoded HQT and three en-coded HCT in A. spathulifolius. The three HQT are common to both leaves and flowers, whereas the two HQT were specialized for leaves. The pattern of HQT synthesis was upregulated in flowers, whereas HCT was expressed strongly in the leaves of A. spathulifolius. Overall, 4CL, C4H, and HQT are expressed strongly in flowers, and caffeic acid and HCT show more expression in leaves. Therefore, CQA biosynthesis occurs in the flowers of A. spathulifolius rather than leaves.

The aim of this study was to identify factors, that influence satisfaction and dissatisfaction in the use of public e-procurement. The use of IT solutions promotes sustainable development. Hence, there is a need to conduct research that will allow for the best possible adjustment of e-procurement solutions in order to implement them as widely as possible in business practice. This study used a quantitative exploratory survey-based approach. The obtained research results were analyzed using statistical methods, including factor analysis PCA. Factor analysis identified three main satisfaction factors and two dissatisfaction factors in e-procurement use, highlighting the importance of support, intuitiveness, and security in user satisfaction. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a nuanced understanding of the factors influencing user satisfaction and dissatisfaction within e-procurement systems, specifically highlighting the role of intuitive design and technical support. It offers a unique perspective by integrating these insights with the specific requirements of public procurement, thereby filling a gap in research on enhancing user experience in the context of sustainable purchasing practices.

Background In many African countries, clinical samples are not routinely tested for carbapenem-resistant bacteria, the resistance data remaining limited. Material and methods In March 2020 –June 2022, we collected extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) -producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-PE) isolates from five hospitals in Burkina Faso. The species were identified using API20E and ESBL production confirmed by double-disc synergy test. Production of carbapenemases and AmpC-β-lactamases and phenotypic co-resistance were determined. Results Among the 473 ESBL-PE, 356 were ESBL- E. coli (ESBL-Ec) and 117 Klebsiella spp. (ESBL-K). Of the isolates, 5.3% were carbapenemase and 5.3% AmpC-β-lactamase positive Three types of carbapenemases were identified: 19 NDM, 3 OXA-48 like and 1 VIM. Two isolates produced both NDM and OXA48-like carbapenemases. Carbapenemase rates were highest among isolates in tertiary hospitals. Co-resistance rates were up to 85% for aminoglycosides, 90% for sulfonamides, 95% for fluoroquinolones and 25% for chloramphenicol, Fosfomycin resistance was 6% for ESBL-Ec and 49% for ESBL-K (49%). Conclusion Many ESBL-Ec and ESBL-K co-produced carbapenemases and/or AmpC-β-lactamases, at all healthcare levels and in various samples, with high co-resistance rates to non-betalactams. Carbapenem resistance is no longer rare, calling for testing in routine diagnostics, vigorous resistance surveillance system, and infection control within healthcare.

In recent years information and communication technologies (ICT) play a significant role in all aspects of modern society and impact socioeconomic development in sectors as education, administration, business, medical care and agriculture. The benefits of such technologies in agriculture can be appreciated only if farmers use them. In order to predict and evaluate the adoption of these new technological tools, the technology acceptance model (TAM) can be a valid aid. The paper measures the potential acceptance of an e-learning tool designed for EU farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs. Starting from a literature review of the technology acceptance model, by analyzing the most commonly used external variables in the fields of e-learning, Agriculture, and Virtual reality, the analysis shows that computer self-efficacy, individual innovativeness, computer anxiety, perceived enjoyment, social norm, content and system quality, experience and facilitating conditions are the most common determinants addressing technology acceptance. Furthermore, findings evidenced that the external variables have a different impact on the two main beliefs of the TAM Model, Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU). This study is expected to bring theoretical support for academics when determining the variables to be included in TAM extensions.

E-commerce has gained increased popularity over the last decade. To date, there is an open debate as to whether e-commerce or brick-and-mortar shopping is environmentally less sustainable, especially due to the growing mobility resources needed for e-commerce distribution. The analysis at hand compares the CO2-equivalent emissions of e-commerce and brick-and-mortar shopping of pharmaceutical products considering spatial aspects and the typical transport modal mix of consumers when doing online and offline shopping. The object of analysis is a retailer of pharmaceutical products, more precisely medicines, which offers, both, brick-and-mortar shop and online shopping possibilities. The results show that spatial aspects concerning the residential location of consumers, the vehicles used for shopping trips, the shopping basked size, and trip-chaining effects have a crucial impact on the mobility demand and CO2-equivalent emissions of the two commerce forms. In general, for rural and sub-urban areas, e-commerce results in lower CO2-equivalent emissions, while in urban areas, brick-and-mortar shopping is the favourable solution, if the consumers walk or cycle to the next pharmacy.

The cooking method is extremely important for the production of low-salt, wet-marinated, fermented golden pomfret because it strongly influences its flavor components and organoleptic quality. There are also significant differences in flavor preferences in different populations. The present study analyzed differences in the aroma characteristics of wet-marinated fermented golden pomfret after boiling, steaming, microwaving, air frying and baking using a combination of an electronic nose, GC-IMS and SPME-GC-MS. Electronic nose PCA showed that the flavors of the boiled (A), steam (B) and microwave (C) treatment groups were similar, and the flavors of baking (D) and air frying (E) were similar. A total of 72 flavor compounds were detected in the GC-IMS analysis, and comparative analysis of the cooked wet-marinated and fermented golden pomfret yielded a greater abundance of flavor compounds. SPME-GC-MS analysis detected 108 flavor compounds, and the results were similar to the baking and air frying. Twelve key flavor substances, including hexanal, isovaleraldehyde, and (E)-2-dodecenal, were identified by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and VIP analysis. These results show that cooking method is a key factor in the flavor distribution of wet-marinated fermented golden pomfret, and consumers can choose the appropriate cooking method accordingly.

The microglia, displaying diverse phenotypes, play a significant regulatory role in the development, progression, and prognosis of Parkinson's disease. Research has established that glycolytic reprogramming serves as a critical regulator of inflammation initiation in pro-inflammatory macrophages. Furthermore, the modulation of glycolytic reprogramming has the potential to reverse the polarized state of these macrophages. Previous studies have shown that levetistilide A (LA), a phthalide component derived from Angelica sinensis, possesses a range of pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties. In our study, we have examined the impact of LA on inflammatory cytokines and glucose metabolism in microglia induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Furthermore, we explored the effects of LA on the AMPK/mTOR pathway and assessed its neuroprotective potential both in vitro and in vivo. The findings revealed that LA notably diminished the expression of M1 pro-inflammatory factors induced by LPS in microglia, while leaving M2 anti-inflammatory factor expression unaltered. Additionally, it reduced ROS production and suppressed IκB-α phosphorylation levels as well as NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation. Notably, LA exhibited the ability to reverse microglial glucose metabolism reprogramming and modulate the phosphorylation levels of AMPK/mTOR. In vivo experiments further corroborated these findings, demonstrating that LA mitigated the death of TH-positive dopaminergic neurons and reduced microglia activation in the ventral SNpc brain region of the midbrain and the striatum. In summary, LA exhibited neuroprotective benefits by modulating the polarization state of microglia and altering glucose metabolism, highlighting its therapeutic potential.

Shared micromobility has gained significant attention in the field of transportation engineering in recent years as an environmentally friendly, convenient, and easily accessible transportation mode. Like other medium-sized cities, Birmingham, Alabama implemented a shared micromobility pilot program in 2021 that captured the attention of local travelers. This study examined shared e-scooter usage and associated travel patterns in Birmingham using 2021-2022 field data. From these data, ArcGIS maps were used to showcase trip origins and destinations. To gain a further understanding of e-scooter travel patterns in the study area, zip code and block group densities were calculated. Additionally, a negative binomial regression model was constructed to identify determinants of shared e-scooter trips. The analysis results showed that the usage of shared e-scooters was the highest during the nighttime, on weekends, and in the fall season. Furthermore, the research findings indicated that shared e-scooters experienced their highest utilization rates in areas with a higher proportion of educated and higher-income individuals. These findings suggest that travelers’ mode choice related to the use of micromobility modes is influenced by environmental and demographic factors. Overall, this case study offers valuable contributions to the understanding of the role of shared e-scooters in Birmingham's transportation landscape and can guide transportation authorities in other medium-sized cities in their efforts to plan for micromobility options.

Proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTEC) are constantly exposed to potentially toxic metabolites and xenobiotics. The regenerative potential of the kidney enables the replacement of damaged cells either via the differentiation of stem cells or the regain of proliferative properties of the PTEC. Nevertheless, it is known that renal function declines, suggesting that the deteriorated cells are not replaced by fully functional cells. To understand the possible causes of this loss of kidney cell function, it would be beneficial to understand the role of toxins during the regeneration process. Therefore, we investigated the sensitivity and function of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC), hiPSC differentiating, and hiPSC differentiated into proximal tubular epithelial-like cells (PTELC) to known nephrotoxins. hiPSC were differentiated into PTELC, exhibiting a similar morphology to PTEC, expressing prototypical PTEC markers and performing albumin endocytosis. When treated with two nephrotoxins, hiPSC and differentiating hiPSC were more sensitive to cisplatin than differentiated PTELC, whereas all stages were equally sensitive to cyclosporin A. Both toxins also had an inhibitory effect on albumin uptake. Our results suggest a high sensitivity of differentiating cells towards toxins, which could have an unfavorable effect on regenerative processes. To study this, our model of hiPSC differentiating into PTELC appears suitable.

Escherichia coli is the main pathogen responsible for extraintestinal infections. A total of 196 clinical E. coli consecutively isolated during 2016 in Spain (100 from Lucus Augusti hospital in Lugo) and France (96 from Beaujon hospital in Clichy) were characterized. Phylogroups, clonotypes, sequence types (STs), O:H serotypes, virulence factor (VF)-encoding genes and antibiotic resistance were determined. Approximately 10% of the infections were caused by ST131 isolates in both hospitals and approximately 60% of these infections were caused by isolates belonging to only 10 STs (ST10, ST12, ST58, ST69, ST73, ST88, ST95, ST127, ST131, ST141). ST88 isolates were frequent especially in Spain while ST141 isolates significantly predominated in France. The 23 ST131 isolates displayed four clonotypes: CH40-30, CH40-41, CH40-22 and CH40-298. Only 13 (6.6%) isolates were carriers of ESBL enzymes. However, 37.2% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Approximately 40% of the MDR isolates belonged to only four of the dominant clones (B2-CH40-30-ST131, B2-CH40-41-ST131, C-CH4-39-ST88 and D-CH35-27-ST69). Among the remaining MDR isolates two isolates belonged to B2-CH14-64-ST1193 i.e the new global emergent MDR clone. To our knowledge, it is the first identification of this emergent clone in Spain. Moreover, a hybrid ExPEC/enteroaggregative isolate belonging to A-CH11-54-ST10 clone was identified.

It is well known that the photon trajectories follow a curved path in a gravitational field. We explore here the gravitational bending of electric field lines. It seems that the electric field lines of a charge, supported in a gravitational field, follow exactly the trajectories of photons emitted isotropically from a source situated at the charge location. From a detailed examination of the electrostatic field of a charge accelerated uniformly in the instantaneous rest frame, exploiting the strong principle of equivalence, one can determine the bending of the electric field lines of a charge in a gravitational field. The fraction of electric field lines crossing a surface, stationary above or below the charge in the gravitational field, is shown to be exactly similar to the fraction of photon trajectories, emitted from a source placed at the charge location, intersecting that surface. On the other hand, for a freely falling charge in the gravitational field there is no such bending of electric field lines. The field lines continue to extend in radial straight lines from the instantaneous 'present' position of the charge, as do the trajectories of photons streaming away from the instantaneous position of a freely falling source in the gravitational field. The electric field configuration of a freely falling charge in the gravitational field is shown to be exactly the same as that of a charge moving uniformly in an inertial frame with velocity equal to the instantaneous ``present'' velocity of the freely falling charge.

The concentration of chlorophyll-a (chlor-a) is an important indicator of marine water quality, as it is considered an indicator of the phytoplankton density in a specific area. Remote sensing techniques have been developed to measure the near-surface concentration of chlor-a in water across the correlation between spectral bands and in situ data. This algorithm applies to sensors of varying spatial, temporal and spectral resolutions. However, in this study, chlor-a level 2 and 3 products of SNPP – VIIRS spectrometer (Equation OC3) of NASA OceanColor suite was relied upon to study the spatial and temporal distribution of chlor-a concentration in the Arabian Gulf (also known as the Persian Gulf) and the State of Kuwait’s water (located to the north-eastern part of the Arabian Gulf) from 2012 to 2019. Ground truthing points (n = 192) matched to the level 2 products have been used to build an empirical model and cross-validate it. The correlation was positive where was 0.79 and the validation RMSE was = ± 0.64 mg/m^-3. The derived algorithm was then applied to chlor-a level 3 seasonal products. Additionally, the chlor-a concentration values of Kuwaiti waters have been enhanced using the IDW algorithm to increase the spatial resolution, as it is considered as a small area compared to the spatial resolution of level 3 chlor-a products. The model derived from IDW was tested using the Mann Whitney test (Sig = 0.948 p > 0.01). However, the result showed that the chlor-a concentration is higher in Kuwait Bay compared to Kuwaiti water, and it is higher in Kuwaiti water compared to the Arabian Gulf. The coasts have higher concentrations too, when compared to the open water. Generally, the chlor-a increases in winter and makes a semi-regular cycle during the years of study; this cycle is more regular in the Gulf’s waters than in Kuwait’s.

Aim: In the present work we have studied the role of platelets and microvesicles in patients with severe hemophilia A (HA) treated under the regimen of prophylaxis. We have analyzed whether the administration of coagulation factor FVIII modifies this hemorrhagic phenotype in a cohort of 16 patients with diagnosis of severe HA, who were on prophylactic treatment with recombinant FVIII. Methods: Blood tests were performed before (72h without FVIII, baseline sample) and after 15 minutes of FVIII infusion. As a control group, 15 healthy subjects were studied. Platelet aggregation was determined by closure time, optical aggregation, impedance aggregation and flow cytometry. We also studied the expression of the platelet activation markers P-selectin, CD63, platelet-tissue factor, formation of platelet-leukocyte aggregates and tissue factor exposure. The total number of platelet and endothelial microvesicles were also analyzed by flow cytometry, as well as platelet cytosolic Ca²⁺ mobilization. Results: We found no significant differences in platelet function in patients with severe HA in prophylactic treatment before and after FVIII infusion. After FVIII administration, patients presented fewer endothelial microvesicles, indicating that the treatment does not increase one of the possible thrombotic risk markers of these patients. The total amount of plasma microvesicles and the platelet microvesicles were decreased in patients with HA compared to the control group. Conclusions: Our results do not support any effect of FVIII on platelet function in patients with severe HA treated under the regime of prophylaxis.

The formation and localization of sporadic E(Es) layers predicted by the ions vertical drift velocity and its vertical change in the lower thermosphere during nighttime are shown analytically and by numerical simulations. The consideration of existence of a minimum negative value of the vertical change of the ions vertical drift velocity as a necessary condition of formation of Es layer and determining ions convergence rate into this layer, is extended in case of the presence of vertical wind. Upward vertical wind can shift the convergence regions upward, while downward vertical wind shift them downward, unlike the cases of presence of only meridional and zonal winds. It also changes the ion convergence rate compared to the one with just a horizontal wind. It is shown for the first time that the upward constant wind also causes the convergence of ions with maximum rate in the region where the ion-neutral collision frequency is equal to their cyclotron frequency. While demonstrating the presented theory by numerical simulations, HWM14 data is used for the meridional and zonal wind velocity profiles and the presence of its vertical component is assumed. In this case, in addition to the estimated ion drift velocity and its vertical changes, their initial distribution and ambipolar diffusion also determine the development of ion convergence/divergence processes. For small magnitude of vertical wind velocity, its significant influence on the ions/electrons behavior is demonstrated, which shows the importance of both tidal wind and wind changes caused by the propagation of atmospheric gravity waves on the formation of the Es layer. In this theoretical research it is shown that the realistic profile of the wind velocity, which takes into account the vertical component along with its zonal and meridional ones, is important for prediction of the Es layers formation, as well as regions of ion depletion.

In West Africa, research on the hepatitis E virus (HEV) is barely covered despite the recorded outbreaks. The still low level of access to safe water and adequate sanitation is one of the main factors of HEV spread in developing countries. HEV infection induces acute or sub-clinical liver diseases with a mortality rate ranging from 0.5 to 4%. The mortality rate is more alarming (15 to 25%) among pregnant women, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy. Here, we conducted a multicentric socio-demographic and seroepidemiological survey of HEV in Senegal among pregnant women. A total of 1,227 consenting participants attending antenatal clinics responded to our questionnaire. Plasma samples were collected and tested for anti-HEV IgM and IgG by using the WANTAI HEV-IgM and IgG ELISA assay. HEV global seroprevalence was 7.9% with 0.5% and 7.4% for HEV IgM and HEV IgG, respectively. One participant's sample was IgM/IgG positive, while four were declared indeterminate to anti-HEV IgM as per the manufacturer's instructions. From one locality to another, the seroprevalence of HEV antibodies varied from 0 to 1% for HEV IgM and from 1.5 to 10.5% for HEV IgG. The data also showed that seroprevalence varied significantly by marital status (p&lt;0.0001), by the regularity of income (p=0.0043) and by access to sanitation services (p=0.0006). These data could serve as a basis to setup national prevention strategies focused on socio-cultural, environmental and behavioral aspects for a better management of HEV infection in Senegal.

The purposes of this study are to introduce the concept of Service Quality (SQ) in E-Supply Chain Management (E-SCM) and its impact on increasing Customer Satisfaction (CS) and provide insightful enhancements to the literature. In addition, the paper also examines the influence of SQ of E-SCM on CS in online shopping. After a comprehensive literature review, four key factors for measuring the E-Supply Chain (Process Control, Interaction with Supplier, Management Support, and Focus on Customers), four key factors for measuring CS (Informing Customers, Attention to Customers’ Needs, Staff Performance Accuracy, and Easy Access to Services), and four factors for measuring the quality of identification services (Assurance, Accountability, Tangibility and Reliability) were selected. The proposed conceptual model was then presented. This model was validated by data collected through a survey of 150 respondents in order to identify customer satisfaction, including that of customers of online websites in Iran. The sample data was analyzed using SPSS21, after which the interrelationships between the model and factors were examined based on the Partial Least Square-Structural (PLS). Model fit indices were then calculated for the dataset. The proposed model was validated using factor analysis and structural equation modeling techniques. The results indicated that E-SCM has a direct impact on CS. The effect of SQ was also confirmed. A positive and significant relationship was identified between E-SCM and CS, E-SCM and SQ, as well as SQ and CS (P> 0.05). The first limitation was to convince respondents to cooperate with the researchers. The second one was the lack of research-related background due to the subject being relatively new. This study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is the first empirical analysis on the CS assessment of SQ of E-Supply Chain in online shopping. This important link to online shopping has rarely been explored. It is expected that by filling this gap, this study will help in strengthening online shopping, which needs a change in the marketing area.

Shiga-like toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a well-known cause of foodborne acute diarrheic diseases especially in children and the elderly. The potentially fatal complications associated with toxin production range from bloody diarrhoea and ischemic colitis to kidney failure, haemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) and colon perforation. We describe a case and literature review of STEC – induced colitis, highlighting the clinical features, and the necessary tools for the best diagnosis approach and management. Facing challenging differential diagnosis ranging from ischemic colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, to infectious process due to a pathogenic or opportunistic agent, we practiced a step-by-step exploration. Beginning with bacteriological investigation, imagistic screening, and colonoscopy, we could rule out some of initial suppositions and reach the final diagnosis, also considering the pathological results. Although antibiotics are not indicated in this pathology, our patient did receive antibiotics, given the risk of translocation and colon perforation, without associating any complications, as HUS or peritonitis. Detailed and rigorous investigations along with a multi-speciality team are required for a prompt medical support. Coping the symptoms and refraining from further complications are the mainstem of the treatment.

Serotonergic neurons constitute one of the main systems of neuromodulators, whose diffuse projections regulate the functions of the cerebral cortex. Serotonin (5-HT) is known to play a crucial role in the differential modulation of cortical activity related to behavioral contexts. Certain aspects of the 5-HT signaling framework hint at its potential role as a modulator of activity-dependent synaptic changes within the critical period of the primary visual cortex (V1). Cells of the serotonergic system are among the first neurons to differentiate and operate. During postnatal development, ramifications from raphe nuclei become massively distributed in the visual cortical area, remarkably increasing the availability of 5-HT for the regulation of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic activity. A substantial amount of evidence has demonstrated that synaptic plasticity at pyramidal neurons of the superficial layers of V1 critically depends on a fine regulation of the balance between excitation and inhibition (E/I). Therefore, 5-HT could play an important role in controlling this balance, providing the appropriate excitability conditions that favor synaptic modifications. In order to explore this possibility, the present work used in vitro intracellular electrophysiological recording techniques to study the effects of 5-HT on the E/I balance of V1 layer 2/3 neurons, during the critical period. Serotonergic modulation of the E/I balance has been analyzed on spontaneous activity, evoked synaptic responses, and long-term depression (LTD). Our results pointed out that the predominant action of 5-HT implies a reduction of the E/I balance. 5-HT promoted LTD at excitatory synapses while blocking LTD at inhibitory synaptic sites, thus shifting the Hebbian alterations of synaptic strength towards lower levels of E/I balance.

The adoption of recycling and proper disposal techniques for electronic waste is crucial in advancing sustainable development. The traditional approaches of motivating people for collection of electronic waste are often insufficient due to inadequate methods reaching out, given incentives, calculating appropriate incentives associate to the task of gathering the electronic waste and a lack of transparency in the entire process. Insufficient collection of electronic waste could result in the release of numerous harmful substances into the environment. Prior research studies have been carried out to tackle the issue of electronic waste management in a broad sense. The findings of those studies indicated diverse strategies, each of which is relevant solely to a restricted range of electronic waste reprocessing circumstances. The current study has presented a proposed technique for incentivizing tasks and activities associated to collection of electronic waste through the adoption of vector space technique. Blockchain smart contact technology, has been used to implemented the strategy. The method used involves various well defined mapping of tasks, nature of activities, and their magnitude in order to derived an incentive. Some scenarios for the calculations of incentives are presented, and the findings reveals the based case is by utilizing weighting scale scheme where each tasks and activities are mapped to its associated inventive rather than providing fixed incentive values. Ethereum was used as digital token for each unit of incentive. This concept has contributed in encouraging personal accountability in the management of e-waste collection in order to cultivate sustainable behaviors for a long term solution.

Magnetoelectric sensors based on microelectromechanical cantilevers consisting of TiN / AlN / Ni are investigated using finite element simulations in regard of the anisotropy of the E effect and its impact on the sensor sensitivity. The E effect is derived from the anisotropic magnetostriction and magnetization of single crystalline Nickel. The magnetic hardening of Nickel in saturation is demonstrated for the (110) as well as the (111) orientation. It is shown further, that magnetostrictive bending of the cantilever has a negligible impact on the eigenfrequency and thus sensitivity. The intrinsic E effect of Nickel decreases in magnitude depending on the crystal orientation when integrated into the magnetoelectric sensor design. The transitions of the individual magnetic domain states are found to be the dominant influencing factor on the sensitivity for all crystal orientations. The peak sensitivity was determined to 41.3 T-1 for (110) in-plane orientated Nickel at a magnetic bias flux of 1.78 mT. It is found, that the transition from domain wall shift to domain rotation along the hard axes yields much higher sensitivity than the transition from domain rotation to magnetization reversal. The results achieved in this work show that Nickel as hard magnetic material is able to reach almost identical sensitivities as soft magnetic materials, such as FeCoSiB.

The purpose of this study is to find out the e-reputation management of the hotel industry, as well as the social media channels used as the tools of hotel e-reputation building. This study used a qualitative approach by analyzing the in-depth interviews with hotel marketing communication practitioners of 15 hotel companies in Bandung City. The findings identified that e-reputation is considered a crucial factor in determining hotel performance due to the change of customers’ behaviors today and identified also three types of e-reputation management activities implemented by hotel companies, such as online activities, offline activities, and online/offline activities. The results of this study have implications for the hospitality industry, as a reference for formulating their marketing strategies.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic foodborne virus with an annual infection prevalence of 20 million human cases, which seriously affects public health and economic development in both developed and developing countries. To better understand the epidemiology of HEV in the Centre of Portugal, a cross-sectional study was conducted from 2016 to 2023 with sera samples from wild ungulates. The seroprevalence and risk factors for HEV seropositivity were evaluated in the present study. Specifically, antibodies against HEV were determined by a commercial enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA). Our results show that in the 650 sera collected from 298 wild red deer and 352 wild boars from Portugal, 9.1% red deer (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.312.9%) and 1.7% wild boar (95% CI: 0.63.3%) were positive for antibodies to HEV. Regarding age, the seropositivity in juvenile wild ungulates was 1.3% (95% CI: 0.273.72%) and 7.2% in adults (95% CI: 4.910.11%). Logistic regression models investigated risk factors for seropositivity. The odds of being seropositive was 3.6 higher in adults than in juveniles (95% CI: 1.7218.11%) and the risk was 4.2 higher in red deer than in wild boar (95% CI: 1.64–10.69%). Both wild ungulate species were exposed to HEV. The higher seroprevalence in red deer suggests that this species may have a major contribution to the ecology of HEV in the Centre of Portugal. Further research is important to understand how wildlife affects the epidemiology of HEV infection in Portugal.

Telemedicine, telehealth, e-Health, and other related terms refer to the exchange of medical information or medical care from one site to another through electronic communication between a patient and healthcare provider. As telemedicine infrastructure has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, this review provides an overview of telemedicine use and effectiveness in cardiology, with emphasis on the post-pandemic context. Pre-pandemic studies tend to report statistically insignificant or modest improvements in cardiovascular disease outcome from telemedicine use to usual care. By contrast, post-pandemic studies tend to report positive outcomes or comparable acceptance of telemedicine use to usual care. Today, telemedicine can effectively replace in person follow-ups to produce comparable (but not necessarily superior) outcomes in cardiovascular disease management. A major benefit of telemedicine is the significant reduction in follow-up time or time-to-intervention which may lead to earlier detection and prevention of adverse events. Nonetheless, there remain barriers to effective telemedicine implementation in the post-pandemic context. Providing accuracy and ease-of-use of telemedicine devices, ensuring adherence to remote rehabilitation procedures, and implementing widespread telemedicine infrastructure are such examples. Current knowledge gaps include the true economic cost of telemedicine infrastructure, feasibility of use in specific cardiology contexts, and sex/gender differences of health outcomes through telemedicine use. Future telemedicine developments will need to address these concerns to achieve widespread acceptance as the new standard of care.

(1) Background: Formation of biofilms on food-contact surfaces by Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) can pose a significant challenge to the food industry, making conventional control-methods insufficient. Targeted use of bacteriophages to disrupt these biofilms could reduce this problem. Previously isolated and characterized bacteriophages (n=52) were evaluated against STEC biofilms in-vitro and on food-contact surfaces. (2) Methods: Phage-treatments (9 logs PFU/ml), in phosphate-buffered-saline, were used individually or as cocktails. Biofilms of STEC (O157, O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) were formed in 96-well micro-titer plates (7 logs CFU/ml; 24 h) or on stainless-steel (SS) and high-density-polyethylene (HDPE) coupons (9 logs CFU/cm2; 7 h), followed by phage-treatment. Biofilm-disruption was measured in-vitro at 0, 3, and 6 h as a change in optical-density (A595). Coupons were treated with STEC-serotype-specific phage-cocktails or a 21-phage cocktail (3 phages/serotype) for 0, 3, 6 and 16 h and surviving STEC populations enumerated. (3) Results: Of the 52 pages, 77% showed STEC-biofilm disruption in-vitro. Serotype-specific phage-treatments reduced pathogen population within the biofilms by 1.9-4.1 and 2.3-5.6 logs CFU/cm2, while the 21-pahge cocktail reduced it by 4.0 and 4.8 logs CFU/cm2 on SS and HDPE, respectively. (4) Conclusions: Bacteriophages can be used to reduce STEC and their biofilms.

The devastating COVID-19 pandemic forced academia to go virtual. Educational institutions around the world have stressed online learning programs in the aftermath of the pandemic. However, because of insufficient access to ICT, a substantial number of students failed to harness the opportunity of online learning. This study explores the latent digital divide exhibited during the COVID-19 pandemic while online learning activities are emphasized among Bangladeshi students. It also investigates the digital divide exposure and the significant underlying drivers of the divide. A cross-sectional survey was employed to collect quantitative data mixed with open-ended questions to collect qualitative information from the student community. The findings revealed that despite the majority of students have physical access to ICT but only 32.5% of students could attend online classes seamlessly, 34.1% of the students reported the data prices as the critical barrier, and 39.8% of students identified the poor network infrastructure is the significant barrier for them to participate in online learning activities. Although most students possess physical access to the device and the Internet, they face the first-level digital divide due to the quality of access and maintaining subscriptions. Consequently, they fail to take advantage of physical access, resulting in the third-level digital divide (Utility Gap) and submerging them into a digital divide cycle. This paper aimed to explore the underlying issues of the digital divide among Bangladeshi students to assist relevant stakeholders (e.g., the Bangladesh government, Educational Institutions, Researchers) in providing the necessary insights and theoretical understanding to arrange adequate support for students to undertake conducive online learning activities.

In this review paper, the occurrence in the plant kingdom and the biological activities associated to two specific phenyl-ethanoid glycosides i.e., leucosceptoside A and leucosceptoside B, were shown and discussed. This is the first work ever done on such subject. Analysis of the literature data clearly indicates that leucosceptoside A is much more common in plants and exerts many more biological activities than leucosceptoside B even if this also presents some important elements. All of this was widely discussed in this paper.

Multimedia resources, such as instructional videos, are currently enjoying a certain popularity in training programmes for medical and dental students. The major challenge is to create such resources that have quality content and are acceptable to students. We investigated the opinions of a sample of 551 students from 4 medical universities in Romania in order to identify the characteristics of the instructional videos that students prefer and we comparatively analysed these characteristics according to gender, age group, but also according to their general preferences for using Internet services. We used univariate (hypothesis testing) and multivariate (Two-Step Clustering) data analysis techniques and revealed three clusters of students, primarily determined by perceptions of the visual appearance of instructional videos. The structure of the clusters by gender and age group is relatively similar, but we recorded differences between them associated with students' expressed preferences for certain Internet services compared to others. Students who prefer instructional videos to contain images used only for aesthetic purposes, to fill in breaks, use Internet services mainly for communication, while students who prefer in videos the use of already drawn explanatory diagrams are slightly younger than the others and use Internet services mainly for information and communication.

Bacteriophages can provide alternative measures for the control of E. coli O157:H7 that is currently an emerging food-borne pathogen of severe public health concern. This study was aimed at characterising E. coli O157:H7 specific phages as potential biocontrol agents for these pathogens. Fifteen phages were isolated and screened against 69 environmental E. coli O157:H7. Only 3 phages displayed broad lytic spectra against environmental shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 strains. These 3 lytic phages were designated V3, V7 and V8. Subsequent characterization indicated that they displayed very high degree of similarities despite isolation from different locations. Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM) of the phages revealed that they all had isometric heads of about 73 – 77 nm in diameter and short tails ranging from 20 - 25 nm in diameter. Phages V3, V7 and V8 were assigned to the family Podoviridae based on their morphology. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genome estimation of the 3 phages demonstrated identical genome sizes of ~ 69 nm. The latent periods of these phages were 20 min, 15 min, and 20 min for V3, V7 and V8 respectively while the burst sizes were 374, 349 and 419 PFU/ infected cell respectively. While all the phages were relatively stable over a wide range of salinity, temperatures and pH values, their range of infectivity or lytic profile was rather narrow on environmental E. coli O157:H7 strains isolated from cattle faeces. This study showed that the Podoviridae bacteriophages are the dominant E. coli O57:H7-infecting phages harboured in cattle faeces in the North-West Province of South Africa and due to their favourable characteristics can be exploited in the formulation of phage cocktails for the bio-control of E. coli O157:H7 in meat and other meat products.

This review aimed to update the main aspects of aflatoxin production, occurrence and incidence in selected countries, and associated aflatoxicosis outbreaks. Means to reduce aflatoxin incidence in crops were also presented with an emphasis on the environment-friendly technology using atoxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus. Aflatoxins are unavoidable widespread natural contaminants of foods and feeds with serious impact on health, agricultural and livestock productivity, and food safety. They are secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus species distributed on three main sections of the genus (section Flavi, section Ochraceorosei, and section Nidulantes). Poor economic status of a country exacerbates the risk and the extent of crop contamination due to faulty storage conditions that are usually suitable for mold growth and mycotoxin production: temperature of 22 to 29°C and water activity of 0.90 to 0.99. This situation paralleled the prevalence of high liver cancer and the occasional acute aflatoxicosis episodes that have been associated with these regions. Risk assessment studies revealed that Southeast Asian and Sub-Saharan African countries remain at high risk and that, apart from the regulatory standards revision to be more restrictive, other actions to prevent or decontaminate crops are to be taken for adequate public health protection. Indeed, a review of publications on the incidence of aflatoxins in selected foods and feeds from countries whose crops are classically known for their highest contamination with aflatoxins, reveals that despite the intensive efforts made to reduce such an incidence, there has been no clear tendency, with the possible exception of South Africa, towards sustained improvements. Nonetheless, a global risk assessment of the new situation regarding crop contamination with aflatoxins by international organizations with the required expertise is suggested to appraise where we stand presently.

In the human organism various carotenoids are present of which, some are retinoid precursors. The bioactive derivatives of these retinoids are the retinoic acids, which can potently activate nuclear hormone receptors like the retinoic acid receptor and the retinoid X receptor. In our study using an HPLC analytical approach we aimed to assess how plasma carotenoid and retinoid concentrations along with the ratio of their isomers are altered in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients (n=20) compared to healthy volunteers (HV, n=20). We found that plasma levels of the carotenoids lutein (HV 198 ± 68 ng/ml, AD 158 ± 57 ng/ml), zeaxanthin (HV 350 ± 142 ng/ml, AD 236 ± 85) as well as the retinoids retinol (HV 216 ± 89 ng/ml, AD 167 ± 76 ng/ml) and all-trans-retinoic acid (HV 1.1 ± 0.6 ng/ml, AD 0.7 ± 0.5 ng/ml) were significantly lower in AD-patients, while lycopene, α-carotene and β-carotene levels were comparable. In addition the ratios of 13-cis vs. all-trans lycopene as well as 13-cis vs. all-trans retinoic acid were increased in the plasma of AD-patients indicating an AD-specific 13C-isomerisation. A positive correlation with SCORRAD was calculated with 13-cis vs. all-trans lycopene ratio, while a negative correlation was observed with zeaxanthin plasma levels. Based on our results we conclude that in the plasma of AD-patients various carotenoids and retinoids are at lower levels, while the ratio of lycopene isomers was also altered. The higher rate of lycopene and retinoic acid isomerisation products might be a consequence of AD or might result in an altered activation of nuclear hormone receptor signaling pathways and thus maybe partly be responsible for the AD-phenotype and additionally may represent a good plasma marker for AD.

The protection of electronics against environmental influences and mechanical loads is important for integration of conventional electronics in textile conductive tapes. For this purpose, the sensors on the tapes are molded with plastic locally. This process step is recognized in the injection molding process. The molding compound is then later selected depending on: The field of application, the parameters of the manufacturing process and the textile tape properties. We have designed a mould for liquid silicone (LSR) as well as for the textile and electronic insertions. The cavities are sealed by a local compression of the textile and the two inserts are positioned with position pins representing the main aspect of the mould design. The sampling tool and the process parameter optimization are mainly based on the material properties of the silicone and the mechanical sensitivity of the inserts. To reduce the deformation of the circuit boards by the melt front and ensuring the functionality of the electronics a low-pressure process is used.

Patients with lean NAFLD make up an increasing subset of liver diseases. The association between lean NAFLD and feutin-A, which serves as a hepatokine and adipokine, has never been examined. Our study aimed to explore the association of serum fetuin-A among lean and nonlean patients. The study comprised 606 adults from the community, stratified into lean or nonlean (BMI </≥ 24 kg/m2) and NAFLD or non-NAFLD (scoring of ultrasonographic fatty liver indicator, US-FLI ≥ 2/<2). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the odds ratio of having NAFLD among the tertiles of fetuin-A after adjustment. The least square means were computed by general linear models to estimate marginal means of the serum fetuin-A concentrations in relation to the NAFLD groups. The OR of having NAFLD for the highest versus the lowest tertile of fetuin-A was 2.62 (95% CI: 1.72-3.98; P for trend<0.001). Stratifying by BMI, the OR of having lean NAFLD for the highest versus the lowest tertile of fetuin-A was 2.09 (95% CI: 1.09-3.98; P for trend 0.026), while nonlean NAFLD had no significant association with the fetuin-A gradient after adjustments. Fetuin-A was positively associated with lean NAFLD after adjusting for central obesity and insulin resistance.

Antimicrobial application of carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), capped CNT, C60 fullerene, and C70 fullerene are increasing owing to their low cytotoxicity properties compared to other nanomaterials such as metallic nanoparticles. Enhanced mechanical property and antibacterial activity can be caused by incorporation of CNTs in 3-dimentional (3D) printed nanocomposites (NCs). Interruption of bacterial membrane resulting from cylindrical shape and high aspect ratio properties has been found as the prominent antibacterial mechanism of CNTs. However, unraveling interaction of CNT, capped CNT, C60 fullerene, and C70 fullerene with virulence factors of the main bacterial pathogenesis has not yet been known. Therefore, in the present study, interactions of CNT, capped CNT, C60, and C70 with the eight virulence factors including protein kinase A and ESX-secreted protein B of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, pseudomonas elastase and exotoxin A of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, alpha-hemolysin and penicillin binding protein 2a of Staphylococcus aureus and shiga toxin 2a and heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli have been evaluated by molecular docking method of AutoDock Vina. This study disclosed the binding strength followed the sequence CNT &gt; capped CNT &gt; C70 &gt; C60 towards alpha-hemolysin of S. aureus compared to other virulence factors with values of -19.6, -18.8, -13.6, and -12.8 kcal/mol, respectively. The lowest and highest binding affinity were found for CNT against 1TII and 1MWT by binding energy values of 97.4 and -20.1 kcal/mol. The stability of CNT-1MWT complex at the different times has resulted according to the normal mode analysis of elNémo and iMOD servers. Future studies should be focused on improving cellular uptake of CNTs, capped CNTs, C70, and C60 by surface functionalization for active targeting of bacteria.

Abstract: Commercialization of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) requires a best before date recom-mended at up to 24 months after bottling, stored under specific conditions. Thus, it is expected that the product retains its chemical properties and preserves its ‘extra virgin’ category. However, in-adequate storage conditions could alter the properties of EVOO. In this study, Arbequina EVOO was exposed to five storage conditions for up to one year to study the effects on the quality of the oil and the compounds responsible for flavor. Every 15 or 30 days, samples from each storage condition were analyzed determining physicochemical parameters, the profiles of phenols, volatile compounds, α-tocopherol and antioxidant capacity. Principal component analysis was utilized to better elucidate the relationships between composition of EVOOs and the storage conditions. EVOOs stored at -23 and 23 °C in darkness and 23 °C with light, differed from the oils stored at 30 and 40 °C in darkness. The former were associated with higher quantity of non-oxidized phenolic compounds and the latter with higher elenolic acid, oxidized oleuropein and ligstroside derivatives, which also increased with storage time. E-2-Nonenal (detected at trace levels in fresh oil) was selected as a marker of the degradation of Arbequina EVOO quality over time, with significant linear regressions identified for the storage conditions at 30 and 40 °C. Therefore, early oxidation in EVOO could be monitored by measuring E2-Nonenal levels.

In this study, the effect of NaOCl (10–200 ppm of Cl2) on the inactivation of human norovirus (HuNV) GII.4 and hepatitis A virus (HAV) in groundwater was investigated using PMA/RT­qPCR. Initially, 4.00 log copies/μL of HuNV GII.4 or 5.50 log copies/μL of HAV were artificially inoculated in ground water. The titers of HuNV GII.4 and HAV decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with increasing Cl2 concentrations. Ground water was treated with 10, 30, 50, 100, 150, and 200 ppm of Cl2, and the viable HuNV GII.4 was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced to 3.28 (0.21 log reduction), 3.18 (0.31 log reduction), 3.01 (0.48 log reduction), 2.75 (0.74 log reduction), 2.54 (0.95 log reduction), and 2.34 (1.15 log reduction) log copies/μL, respectively. The viable HAV was also significantly (p < 0.05) reduced to 4.99 (0.23 log reduction), 4.76 (0.46 log reduction), 4.55 (0.67 log reduction), 4.21 (1.01 log reduction), 3.89 (1.33 log reduction), and 3.64 (1.58 log reduction) log copies/μL, respectively. The decimal reduction time (D-value) (1-log reduction) of HuNV GII.4 and HAV infectivity in ground water was predicted as 116.7 and 98.9 ppm of Cl2, respectively using the first-order kinetics model (HuNV GII.4 ; y = - 0.0054x + 3.3585, R2= 0.97, HAV ; y = - 0.0091x + 5.0470, R2= 0.97). The result specifically suggests that 150–200 ppm Cl2 can potentially be used for the inactivation of > 1 log copies/μL HuNV GII.4 and HAV in ground water.