The alkylation of 1,1,2-trimethyl-1H-benzo[e]indole with 2-chloroacetamide, followed by work-up of the reaction mixture with a base and the subsequent treatment of a crude product with acetic acid gives 10a,11,11-trimethyl-10a,11-dihydro-8H-benzo[e]imidazo[1,2-a]indol-9(10H)-one. The structure assignments were based on data from ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR spectroscopy. The optical properties of the obtained compound were studied by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy.

Hypercytokinemia, or cytokine storm, is one of the severe complications of viral and bacterial infections, involving the release of abnormal amounts of cytokines, resulting in a massive inflammatory response. Cytokine storm is associated with COVID-19 and sepsis high mortality rate by developing epithelial dysfunction and coagulopathy, leading to thromboembolism and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. The anticoagulant therapy is an important tactic to prevent thrombosis in sepsis and COVID-19, but recent data show the incompatibility of modern direct oral anticoagulants and antiviral agents. It seems relevant to develop dual-action drugs with antiviral and anticoagulant properties. At the same time it was shown that azolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines are heterocycles with a broad spectrum of antiviral activity. We have synthesized a new family of azolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines and their condensed polycyclic analogs by cyclocondensation reactions and direct CH-functionalization and studied their anticoagulant properties. Five compounds among 1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-ones and 5-alkyl-1,3,4-thiadiazolo[3,2-a]purin-8-ones demonstrated higher anticoagulant activity than the reference drug, dabigatran etexilate. Antithrombin activity of lead compounds was confirmed using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treated blood to mimic conditions of cytokine release syndrome. The studied compounds affected only the thrombin time value, reliably increasing it 6.5–15.2 times as compared to LPS-treated blood.

Six bacterial strains with differing abilities to produce varying concentrations of Indole Acetic Acid were tested individually and in consortia for plant growth promoting and fitness related traits of Cicer arietinum. In all experiments the presence of the nitrogen fixer Mesorhizobium ciceri resulted in increased biomass production. In the absence of this strain, IAA Psedomonas putida and Bacillus megaterium hinder plant growth and fitness related traits. The application of mixes of the three strains always resulted in better plant performance when M. ciceri was present. Whereas P. putida has a noticeable plant growth-promoting effect B. megaterium resulted less effective. The low levels of IAA produced by the selected strains had a significantly greater positive effect on plant biomass accumulation, flower, pods and seed production as well as on total plant nitrogen and nitrogen concentration in seed than high IAA producer strains.

The major auxin, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), is associated with a plethora of growth and developmental processes including embryo development, expansion growth, cambial activity, and the induction of lateral root growth. Accumulation of the auxin precursor indole-3-acetamide (IAM) induces stress related processes by stimulating abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis. How IAM signaling is controlled is, at present, unclear. Here, we characterize an ami1/rooty double mutant, that we initially generated to study the metabolic and phenotypic consequences of a genetic blockade of the indole glucosinolate and IAM pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana. Our mass spectrometric analyses of the mutant revealed that the combination of the two mutations is not sufficient to fully prevent the conversion of IAM to IAA. The detected strong accumulation of IAM was, however, recognized to substantially impair seed development. We further show by genome-wide expression studies that the double mutant is broadly affected in its translational capacity, and that a small number of cell proliferation and plant growth regulating transcriptional circuits are repressed by the high IAM content in the seed. In accordance with the previously described growth reduction in response to elevated IAM levels, our data support the hypothesis that IAM is a growth repressing counterpart to IAA.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a common cause of acute hepatitis worldwide, accounting for approximately 25% of deaths among pregnant women. We previously reported that pregnancy serum facilitates HEV replication in vitro. However, the differences in host cells with HEV infection induced by pregnancy serum and fetal bovine serum (FBS) are unclear. In this study, differentially expressed proteins were identified in HEV-infected hepatoma cells (HepG2) supplemented with different sera by using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation. Proteomic analysis indicated that HEV infection significantly induced 1014 differentially expressed proteins in HEV-infected HepG2 cells when supplemented with FBS compared with pregnancy serum. Further validation by Western blot confirmed that filamin A, heat-shock proteins 70 and 90, Cytochrome c, and Thioredoxin were associated with HEV infection. This comparative analysis provides an important basis to further investigate HEV pathogenesis in pregnant women and HEV replication.

The indole nucleus is an important element of many natural and synthetic molecules with significant biological activity. Nonetheless, the co-presence of transitional metals in organic scaffold may represent an important factor in the development of effective medicinal agents. This review covers some of the relevant and recent achievements in the biological, chemical and pharmacological activity of important indole-based metal complexes in the area of drug discovery.

To improve carbon efficiency for urban logistics service system composed of a third-party logistics service provider (3PLs) and an e-business enterprise, low-carbon operation game between them was studied. Considering low carbon technology investment cost and sales expansion effect of low carbon level, profit functions for both players were constituted. Based on their different bargaining capabilities, totally 5 types of game scenarios were designed. Through analytical solution, Nash Equilibria under varied scenarios were obtained. By analyzing these equilibria, 4 major propositions were given, in which, some key variables and system performance index were compared. Results show that the best system yields could only be achieved under the fully cooperative situation; limited cooperation only for carbon emission reduction would not benefit the system performance improvement; E-business enterprise-leading game’s performance overtook 3PLs-leading ones.

Current VAT rules for cross-border e-commerce companies in the EU are not sustainable, because they are extremely complex and often opaque, due to the lack of tax harmonization. The aim of the research is to explore, using a qualitative method, what kind of harmonization would make the current legislation more uniform, simpler, more transparent, and easier to understand, without conflicting with the rules of any Member State. To this end, the aspects of the new platform regulation introduced on 1 July 2021 and its potential for expansion are assessed through information from possible sales models. The research suggests that the rules on platforms do not cover all possible sales models, which in our view imposes an unnecessary extra administrative burden on some businesses and makes their tax activities less transparent. In the light of the results of the research, we propose that the current EU platform regulation should be extended to cover B2B, B2C transactions and services. As a result of this suggested harmonization, a simpler, more transparent, uniform and sustainable tax system would contribute to the whitening of the economy, generating additional tax revenue for Member States.

Indole is a versatile pharmacophore widely distributed in bioactive natural products. This privileged scaffold has been found in a variety of molecules isolated from marine organisms such as algae and sponges. Among these, indole alkaloids represent one of the biggest, most promising family of compounds, having shown a wide range of pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anticancer activities. The aim of this review is to show the current scenario of marine indole alkaloid derivatives, covering not only the most common chemical structures, but also new synthetic routes developed during the last years as well as promising therapeutic applications.

IgE-mediated wheat allergy is a gluten-related disorder. Wheat is one of the five most common food allergens in children. However, the natural history of IgE-mediated wheat allergy has seldom been described in the research literature. This study presents the current state of knowledge about the IgE-mediated wheat allergy in children.

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effects of Thalassia testudinum hydroethanolic extract, its polyphenolic fraction, and thalassiolin B on the activity of phase I metabolizing enzymes as well as their antimutagenic effects. Spectrofluorometric techniques were used to evaluate the effect of tested products on rat and human CYP1A and CYP2B activity. The antimutagenic effect of tested products was evaluated in benzo[a]pyrene (BP)-induced mutagenicity assay by Ames test. Finally, the antimutagenic effect of Thalassia testudinum (100 mg/kg) was assessed in a BP-induced mutagenesis in mice. The tested products significantly (p<0.05) inhibit rat CYP1A1 activity, acting as mixed-type inhibitors of rat CYP1A1 (Ki = 54.16±9.09 μg/mL, 5.96±1.55 μg/mL and 3.05±0.89 μg/mL, respectively). Inhibition of human CYP1A1 was also observed (Ki = 197.1±63.40 μg/mL and 203.10±17.29 μg/mL for the polyphenolic fraction and for thalassiolin B, respectively). In addition, the evaluated products significantly inhibit (p<0.05) benzo[a]pyrene (BP)-induced mutagenicity in vitro. Furthermore, oral doses of Thalassia testudinum (100 mg/kg) significantly reduced (p<0.05) the BP-induced micronuclei and oxidative damage, together with an increase of glutathione, in mice. In summary, Thalassia testudinum metabolites exhibit antigenotoxic activity mediated, at least, by the inhibition of CYP1A1-mediated BP biotransformation. Thus, the metabolites of T. testudinum may represent a potential source of chemopreventive compounds for adjuvant therapy of cancer.

Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), is a family member of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and a widespread environmental pollutant and neurotoxicant that contribute to the development of cancer. Microtubules are polymers of tubulin that form part of the cytoskeleton and target for anticancer drugs. Furthermore, NPY significantly increased the percentage of cells in S and G2/M phases. However, little is known about the specific role of NPY in proliferation and the underlying protective mechanism remains unclear. Hence, the aim of this work was to investigate the effect of B[a]P on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and to explore the potential mechanism for alteration of tubulin-microtubule equilibrium causing mitotic arrest and NPY expression. The present findings showed B[a]P treatment significantly increase number of SH-SY5Y cells in S and G2/M phase as compared to G1 phase and provokes cell cycle arrest that correlated with significant decrease in G0/G1 cells. Immunofluorescence study showed significantly distorted tubulin arrangement from metaphasic plate in formation of bipolar mitotic spindle apparatus. Further, higher doses of B[a]P treatment lead to chromosomal abnormalities accompanied by DNA damage due ROS causing oxidative stress showing significant decrease in tubulin protein around spindle. The results of present study demonstrated that NPY exerts a proliferative and protective effect on B[a]P-induced oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner in vitro and importantly, these effects may be mediated via mitotic arrest and involved in spindle arrangement during cell division. Our findings addresses a novel pathological outcomes of B[a]P-induced NPY expression by oxidative stress through spindle abnormalities leading to microtubule disruption.

The objective of the this study was to reduce the benzo[a]pyrene-induced hepatotoxicity method in herbal medicine products and to give proof that neferine, daidzein, genistein possess antihepa-totoxic effects. B[a]P which classified as a group 1 carcinogen and metabolized to B[a]P-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE) causes mutagenic DNA addition products. The reduc-tion of BPDE-DNA adduct formation by B[a]P-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE) was derived by benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). In HepG2 cells, B[a]P exhibited toxicity and substance treatment of the cells with B[a]P with neferine in lotus and daidzein, genistein in soybean reduced the BPDE-DNA ad-ducts level. The level of B[a]P-metabolites in the substance treatment of the cells was presented that BPDE levels were reduced by neferine in lotus and daidzein, genisten in soybean. These results suggest that neferine in lotus and daidzein, genistein in soybean prevent B[a]P-induced hepato-toxicity for BPDE-DNA adduct formation.

A novel indole, microindolinone A (1), was isolated from a deep-sea-derived actinomycete Microbacterium sp. MCCC 1A11207, together with 18 known compounds (2–19). By detailed analysis of the ¹H, ¹³C, HSQC, COSY, HMBC, HRESIMS, and CD data, the absolute configuration of 1 was elucidated as 5R-hydroxy-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindole-4-one. Noteworthily, 1 is the second example of a saturated indole isolated from nature.

A series of novel indole Schiff base derivatives (2a–2t) containing a 1,3,4-thiadiazole scaffold modified with a thioether group were synthesized, and their structures were confirmed using FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, andHR-MS. In addition, the antifungal activity of synthesized indole derivatives was investigated against Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum), Fusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum), Fusarium moniliforme (F. moniliforme), Curvularia lunata (C. lunata), and Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotiana (P. p. var. nicotianae) using the mycelium growth rate method. Among the synthesized indole derivatives, compound 2j showed the highest inhibition rates of 100%, 95.7%, 89%, and 76.5% at a concentration of 500 μg/mL against F. graminearum, F. oxysporum, F. moniliforme, and P. p. var. nicotianae, respectively. Similarly, compounds 2j and 2q exhibited higher inhibition rates of 81.9% and 83.7% at a concentration of 500 μg/mL against C. lunata. In addition, compound 2j has been recognized as a potential compound for further investigation in the field of fungicides.

The Bcl-2 family plays a crucial role in regulating cell apoptosis, making it an attractive target for cancer therapy. In this study, a series of indole-based compounds, U1-6, were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their anticancer activity against BCL-2-expressing cancer cell lines. The binding affinity, safety profile, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis effects of the compounds were tested. The designed compounds exhibited potent inhibitory activity at sub-micromolar IC50 concentrations against MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and A549 cell lines. Notably, U2 and U3 demonstrated the highest activity, particularly against MCF-7 cells. Respectively, both U2 and U3 showed potential Bcl-2 inhibition activity with IC50 values of 1.2 ± 0.02 and 11.10 ± 0.07 µM using an ELISA binding assay compared to 0.62 ± 0.01 µM for gossypol, employed as positive control. Molecular docking analysis suggested stable interactions of compound U2 at the Bcl-2 binding site through hydrogen bonding, pi-pi stacking, and hydrophobic interactions. Furthermore, U2 demonstrated significant induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G1/S phase. Importantly, U2 displayed a favorable safety profile on HDF human dermal normal fibroblast cells at 10-fold greater IC50 compared to MDA-MB-231 cells. These findings underscore the therapeutic potential of compound U2 as a Bcl-2 inhibitor and provide insights into its molecular mechanisms of action.

The evolutionary success of land plants largely relies on their ability to cope with constant environmental fluctuations, which negatively impact their reproductive fitness and trigger adaptational responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this challenging scenario, comprehensive research efforts so far aimed at depicting the roles of well-known phytohormones, mainly auxins, along with brassinosteroids, jasmonates, and abscisic acid, although the signaling networks coordinating the crosstalk among them remains vaguely understood. Accordingly, this review focuses on the Arabidopsis Amidase Signature (AS) superfamily members, highlighting the hitherto relatively underappreciated functions of AMIDASE1 (AMI1) and FATTY ACID AMIDE HYDROLASE (FAAH), as crucial coordinators of the growth-defense response trade-off by modulating auxin and ABA homeostasis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to further explore how e-loyalty and E-marketing influences E-trust and satisfy the demand by offering fresh perspectives based on research as well as emphasis on the factors influencing the E-trust such as culture as a mediator. This study not only contributed theoretically but also presented practical implementations. Design/methodology/approach: Online survey was used to obtain data by focusing the Hospitality sector (Hotel Industry) and verifying the conceptual framework. Data was collected in multiple time lags. Findings: Findings showed that the E-trust influenced by E-loyalty and E-Marketing. E-trust comes from the previous experiences, e-loyalty and e-marketing. Further, some trends such as culture influenced the e-trust. Research limitation/implications: The present study is quite suitable for those Researchers interested in learning more about the effects of E-loyalty and E-marketing on user E-trust and how to mitigate cultural influences can benefit from the current study. This research also has implications for those who wish to improve market allure and survival in digital world. This study focused on the hospitality sector (Hotel Industry) in China; however, the sector and geography could be altered to suit the needs of the study's participants. Practical implications: The present study delivers the practical guidelines which are quiet suitable for understanding the formation of E-loyalty, E-marketing, and E-trust through which specific E-marketing strategy can be designed to deal with the consumer’s E-loyalty and their expectations as per their Cultural perspective. At some particular regions/countries, cultural trends are more important than practical market. This research study practically showed that how culture changed the consumer set of mind. Originality/value: The relationship between E-loyalty, E-marketing, E-trust, specifically with the cultural influence in digital market has been the subject of few research.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which consist of low-molecular-weight PAHs (LMW-PAHs) and high-molecular-weight PAHs (HMW-PAHs), form an important class of pollutants. Pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) are the main pollutants belonging to HMW-PAHs, and their degradation by microorganisms remains an important strategy for their removal from the environments. Extensive studies have been carried out on the isolation and characterisation of microorganisms that actively degrade LMW-PAHs, and to a certain extent, the HMW-PAH pyrene. However, so far, limited work has been carried out on BaP biodegradation. BaP consists of five fused aromatic rings, which confers this compound a high stability, rendering it less amenable to biodegradation. The current review summarizes the emerging reports on BaP biodegradation. More specifically, work carried out on BaP bacterial degradation and current knowledge gaps that limit our understanding of BaP degradation are highlighted. Moreover, new avenues of research on BaP degradation are proposed, specifically in the context of the development of “omics” approaches

Several pathotypes of enteric E. coli have been identified. The group represented by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is of particular interest. Raw milk and raw milk products are significant sources of STEC infection in humans; therefore, identifying pathogens at the herd level is crucial for public health. Most national surveillance programs focus solely on raw milk and raw milk cheeses that are ready for retail sale, neglecting the possibility of evaluating the source of contamination directly at the beginning of the dairy chain. In order to assess the viability of new molecular methodologies applied to raw milk filters enabling the identification of the presence of STEC serotypes in milk production and apply the same methods to identify the presence of these pathogens in calf feces we analyzed, through a commercial real-time PCR assay, a total of 290 samples coming from 18 different dairy herds; 88 bulk tank milk (BTM), 104 raw milk filters (RMF) and 98 calves’ feces samples. In total 3.4% of BTM, 41.4% of RMF and 73.4% of calves’ feces tested positive for stx presence, supporting our hypothesis that BTM is not a suitable matrix to assess the STEC presence at herd level, underestimating it. Our conclusion is that the surveillance program needs critical and extensive improvements such as RMF and calves’ feces analysis implementation in order to be more efficient in detecting and preventing STEC infections. The epidemiology of these infections and the characteristics of the pathogen clearly show how a One Health approach will be pivotal to improve our capabilities to control the spread of these infections.

Drinking water contamination of lead from various environmental sources, leaching consumer products and intrinsic water-pipe infrastructure is still today a matter of great concern. Therefore, new highly sensitive and convenient Pb²⁺ measurement schemes are necessary, especially for in-situ measurements at a low-cost. Within this work dye/ionophore/Pb²⁺ co-extraction and effective water phase de-colorization was utilized for highly sensitive lead measurements and sub-ppb naked-eye detection. A low-cost ionophore Benzo-18-Crown-6-ether was used, and a simple test-tube mix and separate procedure was developed. Instrumental detection limits were in the low ppt region (LOD=3, LOQ=10), and naked-eye detection was 500 ppt. Note, however, that this sensing scheme still has improvement potential as concentrations of fluorophore and ionophore were not optimized. Artificial tap-water samples, leached by a standardized method, demonstrated drinking water application. Implications for this method are convenient in-situ lead ion measurements.

The synthesis, anticancer and antioxidant activity of a series of indole-derived hybrid chalcones are reported here. First, using well known Claisen-Schmidt condensation method a set of 29 chalcones has been designed, synthesized, and consequently characterized. Subsequently, screening for the antiproliferative activity of the synthesized hybrid chalcones was performed on the on five cancer (HCT116, HeLa, Jurkat, MDA-MB-231 and MCF7) and two non-cancer (MCF-10A and Bj-5ta) cell lines. Chalcone 18c bearing 1-methoxyindole and catechol structural features, exhibited selective activity against cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 8.0 ± 1.4 µM (Jurkat) and 18.2 ± 2.9 µM (HCT116) and showed no toxicity to non-cancer cells. Furthermore, antioxidant activity was evaluated using tree different methods. The in vitro studies of radical scavenging activity utilizing DPPH radicals, as well as FRAP method, demonstrated the strong activity of catechol derivatives 18a-c. According to the ABTS radical scavenging assay, the 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy substituted chalcones 19a–c were slightly more favorable. In general, a series of 3,4-dihydroxychalcone derivatives showed properties as a lead compound for both antioxidant and anticancer activity.

Plants are constantly exposed to a variety of different environmental stresses, including drought, salinity, and elevated temperatures. These stress cues are assumed to aggravate in the future driven by the global climate change scenario which we are currently experiencing. These stressors have largely detrimental effects on plant growth and development and, therefore, put global food security in jeopardy. For this reason, it is necessary to expand our understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which plants respond to abiotic stresses. Especially boosting our insight into the ways by which plants balance their growth and their defense programs appears to be of paramount importance, as this may lead to novel perspectives that can pave the way to increase agricultural productivity in a sustainable manner. In this review, our aim was to present a detailed overview of different factettes of the crosstalk between the antagonistic plant hormones abscisic acid (ABA) and auxin, two phytohormones that are the main drivers of plant stress responses, on the one hand, and plant growth, on the other.

Salidroside, a valuable phenylethanoid glycoside, is obtained from plants belonging to the Rhodiola genus, known for its diverse biological properties. At present, salidroside is still far from large-scale industrial production due to the lower titer and higher process cost. In this study, we constructed a biosynthetic pathway from L-tyrosine to salidroside in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To increase sali-droside production, we for the first time constructed an in vivo UDP-glucose regeneration system that sucrose synthase GmSUS worked in conjunction with UDP-glucose transferase RrUGT33 to improve the UDP-glucose availability with inexpensive sucrose as the consumed substrate. Finally, the molar conversion rate of L-tyrosine could reach 95%. To further reduce the cost, co-culture with E. coli that synthesized L-tyrosine de novo resulted in an 81% reduction in the final substrate cost per 1 kg of salidroside compared to the initial cost. The final titer of salidroside obtained 3.8 g/L and was the highest titer achieved at the Shake-Flask-Level in the existing reports. And this marked the first successful synthesis of salidroside in an in situ enhanced UDP-glucose system using sucrose. This accomplishment laid a robust groundwork for further investigations into the synthesis of other notable glycosides and natural compounds.

Bacterial indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), an effector molecule in microbial physiology, plays an important role in plant growth-promotion. Here, we comprehensively analyzed about 7282 prokaryotic genomes representing diverse bacterial phyla, combined with root-associated metagenomic data to unravel the distribution of tryptophan-dependent IAA synthesis pathways and to quantify the IAA synthesis-related genes in the plant root environments. We found that 82.2% of the analyzed bacterial genomes were potentially capable of synthesizing IAA from tryptophan (Trp) or intermediates. Interestingly, several phylogenetically diverse bacteria showed a preferential tendency to utilize different pathways and tryptamine and indole-3-pyruvate pathways are most prevalent in bacteria. About 45.3% of the studied genomes displayed multiple coexisting pathways, constituting complex IAA synthesis systems. Furthermore, root-associated metagenomic analyses revealed that rhizobacteria mainly synthesize IAA via IAM and tryptamine (TMP) pathways and might possess stronger IAA synthesis abilities than bacteria colonizing other environments. The obtained results refurbished our understanding of bacterial IAA synthesis pathways and provided a faster and less labor-intensive alternative to physiological screening based on genome collections. The better understanding of IAA synthesis among bacterial communities could maximize the utilization of bacterial IAA to augment the crop growth and physiological function.

Background and Objectives: In recent years Electronic scooters (E-Scooters) have gained popularity, whether for private use or as a publicly available transportation method. With introduction of these vehicles, reports of E-Scooter related accidents have surged, sparking a public debate and concern. Aim of this study was to analyse epidemiological data, characteristics and severity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) related to E-Scooter accidents. Materials and Methods: This retrospective case series evaluated 28 patients who were admitted to three largest neurosurgery clinics in Riga, Latvia between time period from April to October in two separate years – 2022 and 2023 after an E-Scooter related accident. Data were collected on patient demographics, time of the accident, alcohol consumption, helmet use, type of TBI, other related injuries, treatment and assessment at discharge. Results: A total of 28 patients were admitted with TBI related to E-Scooter use, with median age 30 years (Q1-Q3, 20.25-37.25), four individuals under age of 18, majority (64%) were male. In 23 cases the injury mechanism was fall, in 5 cases collision. None were wearing a helmet at time of injury. Alcohol intoxication was evident in over half of the patients (51.5%), with severe intoxication (&gt;1.2ppm) in 75% cases among them. Neurological symptoms upon admission were noted in 50% of cases. All patients had intracranial trauma - 50% brain contusions, 43% traumatic subdural hematoma, almost 30% - epidural hematoma. Craniofacial fractures were evident in 71% of cases, fractures in other parts of body in 3 patients. 6 patients required emergency neurosurgical intervention. Neurological complications were noted in 2 patients, 1 patient died. Conclusions: E-Scooter related accidents result in a significant number of brain and other associated injuries, with notable frequency linked to alcohol influence and lack of helmet use. Prevention campaigns to raise awareness of potential risks and implementation of more strict regulations should be done.

Background and Objectives: The site types of Eucalyptus urophylla × Eucalyptus grandis clonal plantations in southern Yunnan were compared, aiming to provide basis for site selection and scientific plantations management. Materials and Methods: In this study, 80 standard plots were set up in the 6−9-year-old Eucalypts plantations in Pu'er City and Lincang City. Furthermore, the quantitative theory I model and canonical correlation analysis were used to analyze the relationship between dominant tree growth traits and site factors, and evaluate the growth potential of E. urophylla × E. grandis plantation. Results: The multiple correlation coefficient between 8 site factors (altitude, slope, slope level, soil thickness, slope direction, texture, soil bulk density, and litter thickness) and the quantitative growth of the dominant wood was 0.825 (P < 0.05). According to the correlation coefficient of the quantitative regression model, slope, altitude, and soil thickness were the main factors for the classification of E. urophylla × E. grandis plantations in southern Yunnan. In addition, E. urophylla × E. grandis plantations grew best downhill and mid uphill at relatively low altitude, where the soil layer was thick and composed of weathered red soil. Contrastingly, E. urophylla × E. grandis plantation growth was extremely poor in uphill sites at higher altitude, where the soil layer was thin and composed of semi-weathered purple soil. Furthermore, total N, and available B, Cu, and Zn content, as well as soil organic matter content in the soil had a great influence on the growth of E. urophylla × E. grandis. Conclusions: Nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer as well as trace elements such as B, Zn, and Cu can be properly applied in middle- and low-yield forests to promote the growth and development of E. urophylla × E. grandis plantations.

Eucalyptus, a therapeutic plant mentioned in the ancient Algerian pharmacopeia, specifically two species belonging to the Myrtaceae family - E. radiata and E. cinerea, were investigated in this study for their antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. The study used aqueous extracts (AE) obtained from these plants, and the extraction yields were found to be dif-ferent. The in vitro antibacterial activity was evaluated using a disc diffusion assay against three typical bacterial strains. The results showed that E. radiata EAq was effective against all three strains, while E. cinerea EAq was only effective against E. coli. Both extracts displayed significant antioxidant activity compared to BHT. The anti-inflammatory impact was evaluated using a pro-tein (BSA) inhibition denaturation test. The E. radiata extract was found to inhibit inflammation by 75% at a concentration of 250 g/ml, significantly higher than the placebo. Ellagic acid, a pri-mary phytochemical found in the extracts, demonstrated noteworthy toxic and pharmacokinetic characteristics and a maximum binding energy of -7.53 kcal/mol for its anti-TyrRS activity in sili-co. The study suggests that the extracts and their primary phytochemicals could enhance the effi-cacy of antibiotics, antioxidants, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). As phar-maceutical engineering experts, we believe this research contributes to developing natural-based drugs with potential therapeutic benefits.

Increased proliferation of IT services in all sectors has reinforced the adoption and diffusion across all levels of education and training institutions. However, lack of awareness of and knowledge about the key challenges and opportunities of elearning, seem to allude policymakers, resulting in low adoption or increased failure rate of many e-learning projects. Our study tries to address this problem through a review of relevant literature in e-learning. Our goal was to draw from the existing literature, insights into the opportunities and challenges of e-learning diffusion, and the current state-of-research in the field. To do this, we employed a systematic review of literature on some of the salient opportunities and challenges of e-learning innovation for educational institutions. These results aimed to inform policymakers and suggest some interesting issues to advance the research and adoption and diffusion of e-learning. Moreover, the bibliometric analysis shows that the field is experiencing high research attraction among scholars. However, several research areas in the field witnessed relatively low research paucity. Based on these findings, we discussed topics for possible future research.

Enzymatic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling processes are gaining interest for their low environmental impact, use of mild conditions, and specificity. Furthermore, PET hydrolase enzymes are continuously being discovered and engineered. In this work, we studied a PET hydrolase (PET2), initially characterized as an alkaline thermostable lipase. PET2 was produced in a fusion form with a 6-histidine tag in the N-terminal. The PET2 activity on aromatic terephthalate and new indole-based polyesters was evaluated using polymers in powder form. Compared with IsPETase, an enzyme derived from Ideonella sakaiensis, PET2 showed a lower PET depolymerization yield. However, interestingly, PET2 gave significantly higher polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polyhexylene terephthalate (PHT) depolymerization yields. A clear preference was found for aromatic indole-derived polyesters over non-aromatic ones. No activity was detected on Akestra™, an amorphous copolyester with spiroacetal structures. Docking studies suggest that a narrower and more hydrophobic active site reduces its activity on PET but favours its interaction with PBT and PHT. Understanding the enzyme preferences of polymers will contribute to their effective use to depolymerize different types of polyesters.

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that suppresses plant growth; however, application of endophytic bacteria can increase resistance of plants against Cd, as well as improve plant growth. Two bacterial endophytic strains were isolated from Solanum nigrum and were identified as Serratia sp. AI001 and Enterobacter sp. AI002 by 16S DNA sequencing. Strains AI001 and AI002, tolerated up to 25 mg/mL Cd in broth culture and showed phosphate solubilization potential in Pikovskaya agar medium. AI001 and AI002 produced indole-3-acetic acid, which was confirmed by gas spectrometry-mass chromatography. Brassica plants stressed with 0, 5, 15, and 25 mg/L Cd showed significant decrease in plant growth, chlorophyll content and biomass, and significant increase in Cd dose-dependent electrolyte leakage. Inoculation of strain AI001 or AI002 significantly enhanced the plant growth attributes of shoot length, root length, chlorophyll content, and biomass as compared to those in uninoculated plants. Reduced glutathione contents in plants stressed with different concentrations of Cd also increased with inoculation of AI001 and AI002. The reason of Cd resistance enhancement in plants by inocula could be due to their greater plant growth promoting activities as well as their antioxidative response.

This study focuses on a new class of functions called sub-b-s-preinvex, that is a generalization of sub-b-s-convex and preinvex functions, and discusses some of their properties. A new sub-b-s-preinvex programming is introduced and the sufficient conditions of optimality under this type of function is established.

This work investigated the effects of manufacturing variations including coil resistance, initial pod mass, and e-liquid color on coil lifetime and aerosol generation of Vuse ALTO pods. Random samples of pods were used until failure (where e-liquid was consumed, and coil resistance increased to high value indicating a coil break). Initial coil resistance, initial pod mass, and e-liquid net mass ranged between 0.89 to 1.14 [], 6.48 to 6.61 [g], and 1.88 to 2.00 [g] respectively. Coil lifetime with light color e-liquid was (mean) = 149, (standard deviation) = 10.7 puffs while pods with dark color e-liquid was = 185, = 22.7 puffs with a difference of ~36 puffs (p &lt;0.001). Total mass of e-liquid consumed until coil failure was = 1.93, = 0.035 [g]. TPM yield per puff of all test pods for the first session (brand new pods) was = 0.0123, = 0.0003 [g]. During usage, TPM yield per puff of pods with light color e-liquid was relatively steady while it was continuously decreasing for pods with dark e-liquid. Coil lifetime and TPM yield per puff were not correlated with either variation in initial coil resistance or variation in initial pod mass. The absence of e-liquid in the pod is an important factor in causing coil failure. Small bits of the degraded coil could be potentially introduced to the aerosol. There is a potential correlation of e-liquid color with both coil lifetime and TPM yield per puff. Change of e-liquid color might have been a result of oxidation which changed some nicotine into nicotyrine.

Background Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphism has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major public health concern worldwide, including in Pakistan. Cardiovascular problems linked with T2DM have a significant impact on people and society. The study's goal is to investigate the relationship between Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotypes, lipid profiles, and cardiovascular complications such as ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke. Methods: This study was carried out on 260 subjects, divided into control D1: Diabetics without cardiovascular issues. D2: Diabetics with heart disease. D3: Diabetics with stroke. D4: Diabetics with both heart disease and stroke. Anthropometric parameters (age, BMI) and risk factors (smoking, diabetes duration, hypertension) were assessed in all groups. Serum levels of TC, TG, LDL, HDL, VLDL, creatinine, BSF, and HbA1c were measured. Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism was determined using PCR-RFLP. Results: Hypertension, BMI, and dyslipidemia, defined as elevated levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, and VLDL, as well as uncontrolled hyperglycemia (elevated fasting blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin) in T2DM, were linked to vascular complications such as IHD and stroke. Hypertension was prevalent in 75.4% of the population, with greater rates among the elderly. Stage 2 hypertension was more prevalent in all age groups. Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism was discovered, with genotypes 3/3, 4/4, 2/3, and 3/4 being the most prevalent. Genotype 3/4 was more common in diabetics who had IHD/stroke or both problems, whereas genotype 2/3 was linked to DM and stroke. Conclusion: It is concluded that BMI, hypertension, hyperglycemia, atherosclerosis, and dyslipidemia are linked with cardiovascular complications of type 2 diabetes. Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism is associated with cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients by affecting the lipid profile.

Rapid analysis and characterization of compounds by mass spectrometry may overlook trace compounds, although targeted analysis methods can significantly improve detection sensitivity, it is difficult to discover novel scaffold compounds. This study developed a strategy for discovering trace compounds in the aging process of traditional Chinese medicine based on MS fragmentation and known metabolic pathway. Specifically, we found that the characteristic component of C. reticulata 'Chachi', methyl N-methylanthranilate (MMA), fragmented in ESI-CID to produce rearrangement ion 3-hydroxyindole, which has been proven to exist in trace amounts in C. reticulata 'Chachi' comparing with the reference substance by LC-MS/MS. By combining the known metabolic pathways of 3-hydroxyindole and the possible methylation reactions that may occur during aging, 10 possible indole derivatives were untargeted predicted. These compounds were confirmed to originate from MMA by purchasing or synthesizing reference substances and all of them were detected in C. reticulata 'Chachi' through LC-MS/MS analysis, achieving trace compound analysis from untargeted to targeted. It may contribute to explain the aging mechanism of C. reticulata 'Chachi' and the strategy of CID-induced special rearrangement ion binding metabolic pathway has potential application value in discovering trace compounds.

Tryptophan metabolism, via the kynurenine (Kyn) pathway, and microbial transformation of tryptophan to indolic compounds, are fundamental for host health; both of which are altered in colon carcinogenesis. Alterations in tryptophan metabolism begin early in colon carcinogenesis as an adaptive mechanism for the tumor to escape immune surveillance and metastasize. The microbial community is a key part of the tumor microenvironment and influences cancer initiation, promotion and treatment response. A growing awareness of the impact of the microbiome on tryptophan (Trp) metabolism in the context of carcinogenesis has prompted this review. We first compare the different metabolic pathways of Trp under normal cellular physiology to colon carcinogenesis, in both the host cells and the microbiome. Second, we review how the microbiome, specifically indoles, influence host tryptophan pathways under normal and oncogenic metabolism. We conclude by proposing several dietary, microbial and drug therapeutic modalities that can be utilized in combination to abrogate tumorigenesis.

Nowadays, the transparency of governments with respect to the sustainability of public services is a very interesting issue for stakeholders and academics. It has led to previous research and international organisations (EU, IMF, OECD, United Nations, IFAC, G-20, World Bank) to recommend promotion of the online dissemination of economic, social and environmental information. Based on previous studies about e-government and the influence of administrative cultures on governmental accountability, this paper seeks to identify political actions useful to improve the practices of transparency on economic, social and environmental sustainability in European local governments. We perform a comparative analysis of sustainability information published on the websites of 72 local governments in 10 European countries grouped into main three cultural contexts (Anglo-Saxon, Southern European and Nordic). Using international sustainability reporting guidelines, our results reveal significant differences in local government transparency in each context. The most transparent local governments are the Anglo-Saxon ones, followed by Southern European and Nordic governments. Based on individualized empirical results for each administrative style, our conclusions propose useful policy interventions to enhance sustainability transparency within each cultural tradition, such as development of legal rules on transparency and sustainability, tools to motivate local managers for online diffusion of sustainability information and analysis of information needs of stakeholders.

Multi-sensor data fusion of E-tongue and E-nose can provide a more comprehensive and more accurate analysis results. However, it also brings some redundant information, it is a hot issue to reduce the feature dimension for pattern recognition. In this paper, the taste-olfactory data fusion based on E-tongue and E-nose combined with Support Vector Machine (SVM) was used to classify five different beers. First, the taste and olfactory feature information were obtained based on E-tongue and E-nose. Second, the original feature data of single system were fused, then Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to extract principal components, Genetic Algorithm-Partial Least Squares (GA-PLS) was used to select the characteristic variables, 20 subsets were generated with those variables based on the best Variable Importance of Projection (VIP) score. Finally, the classification models based on SVM were established, also c and g of SVM were calculated by Grid Search (GS), Genetic Algorithm (GA), and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), the classification results of all subsets were obtained. The results showed that the classification accuracy using data fusion was much higher over single E-tongue and single E-nose, and the variable selection method by VIP had the best classification performance in #12 subset coupled with GA-SVM.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been reported to cause oxidative stress in metabolic processes. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between exposure to PAHs, including benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and 1-nitropyrene (1-NP), in the atmosphere and oxidative stress levels in the human body. This study included 44 Korean adults who lived in Cheongju, South Korea. Atmospheric BaP and 1-NP concentrations and urinary 6-hydroxy-1-nitropyrene (6-OHNP), N-acetyl-1-aminopyrene (1-NAAP), and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) concentrations were measured. The oxidative stress level was assessed by measuring urinary thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) concentrations. Urinary TBARS and 6-OHNP concentrations significantly differed between winter and summer. BaP exposure was significantly associated with urinary 8-OHdG concentrations in summer. However, atmospheric 1-NP did not show a significant correlation with oxidative stress marker concentrations. Urinary 1-NAAP concentration was a significant determinant for urinary 8-OHdG concentration in summer. Oxidative stress in the body increases in proportion to inhalation exposure to BaP, and more 8-OHdG is produced in the body as the amount of 1-NP, which is metabolized to 1-AP or 1-NAAP, increases.

Background: Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among youth in Poland has become very popular. The aim of this study was to identify potential points of access to these products among students aged 16-17 before implementation of sales restrictions to minors in Poland in November 2016. Methods: A school-based, cross-sectional survey was administered in 2015-2016 in 21 secondary/technical schools across two regions of Poland. Analyses focused on 341 students aged 16-17 who reported past 30-day use of e-cigarettes. Pearson chi-square analyses were utilized to examine associations between access-related items, e-cigarette use, and demographics. Results: Among youth e-cigarette users, the most common access to their first e-cigarette was from a friend (38%), followed by purchasing from vape shops (26%). Similar patterns emerged when students were asked about the access to their currently used e-cigarette. Most youth reported no difficulty purchasing cartridges/e-liquid containing nicotine (90%); the majority of users (52%) reported buying such products in vape shops. Conclusions: Prior to implementing age-related sales restrictions, youth access to e-cigarettes and paraphernalia did not pose any significant barriers. Poland’s introduction of a new age limit on e-cigarette sales may help limit the number of youth who purchase e-cigarettes from vape shops.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant threat to society in recent times, endangering human health, life, and economic well-being. The disease spreads quickly due to the highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has undergone numerous mutations. Despite intense research efforts by the scientific community since its emergence in 2019, no effective therapeutics have been discovered yet. While some repurposed drugs have been used to control the global outbreak and save lives, none have proven universally effective, particularly for severely infected patients. Although the spread of the disease is generally under control, anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents are still needed to combat current and future infections. This study reviews some of the most promising repurposed drugs containing indolyl heterocycle, which is an essential scaffold of many alkaloids with diverse bio-properties in various biological fields. The study also discusses natural and synthetic indole-containing compounds with anti-SARS-CoV-2 properties, as well as computer-aided drug design (in-silico studies) for optimizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 hits/leads.

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a key vegetative hormone that plays crucial roles in plant growth and development. In this study, the effect of the exogenous application of IAA as a biostimulant in the cultivation of onions (Allium cepa) was investigated. Different IAA concentrations were evaluated to determine their effects on onion growth and chemical parameters. Various physical and chemical parameters such as total fresh weight, plant height, chlorophyll content, nitrates, total phenols, and antioxidant capacity (DPPH) were analyzed. The results revealed that exogenous application of IAA had a significant impact on onion growth and quality. Specifically, it was found that certain concentrations of IAA fostered a greater fresh weight of the bulb, an increase in the levels of phenolic compounds and a greater DPPH. However, the onion response to IAA was dependent on the concentration. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence that the exogenous application of IAA as a biostimulant can improve onion growth and quality. These results are relevant for the development of sustainable agricultural practices and could be oriented towards crop improvement.

This dissertation presents a method for the synthesis of substituted indoles bearing heterocyclic substituents onto the 3- position. The route for the synthesis of the heterocyclic substituents indoles starts from 3-acetyl indole nucleus depend on two parts. One part: Reaction of 3-acetylindole 1 with hydrazide compounds such as phenyl hydrazine, hydrazine hydrate, and thio-semicarbazide, to yield 3-(1-(2-phenylhydrazono) ethyl)-1H-indole 2, 3-(1-hydrazonoethyl)-1H-indole 6, and thiosemicarbazone 10 respectively. 3-(1-Hydrazonoethyl)-1H-indole 6 reacted with thiophene-2-carboxaldeyde, isatin and 3-acetyl indole. In the same way, 3-(1-(2-phenylhydrazono) ethyl)-1H-indole 2 reacted with thioglycollic acid, glycine and benzaldehyde. 3-Acetylindole 1 thiosemicarbazone reacted with acetic anhydride, piperidine, concentration of hydrochloric acid and thiophene-2-carboxaldeyde. Second part. Reaction of 3-acetyl indole 1 with amines compounds such as p-nitroaniline to formed Schiff base 15 which it reacted with thioglycollic acid to give compound 16. 3-Acetyl indole 1 reacted with ethylene diamine to afford bis imine indole to afford compound 17. The reports of this docking study revealed that the new compounds exhibit good antibacterial activity. The synthesized compounds screened in vitro for their antibacterial activity revealed remarkable inhibitory effects against the selected microorganisms. And also an anti-oxidant activity studying for some synthesized compounds. Structures of the newly synthesized compounds examination by spectral data (IR, 1H- NMR and 13C -NMR).

A E. Crassipes is considered a problem in different aquatic ecosystems, due to its abundance could become a solution to design and build economic and efficient treatment plants, and especially for the production of biofuels such as bioethanol. The objective of this research is to design and implement a sustainable development process between phytoremediation and bioethanol production with E. crassipes, evaluating the incidence of chromium adhered to the biomass of this plant in the production of bioethanol. Materials and methods: A system was installed to evaluate the phytoremediation with E crassipes with water loaded with chromium, determining the effectiveness of this plant to remove this heavy metal even if it is alive in a body of water. After this process, we proceeded to bring the biomass loaded with chromium to bioreactors to evaluate the production of bioethanol, assessing three types of biomass, one without chromium adhered and the other two with chromium adhered to its plant structure. There was an impact of the ethanol production of the E crassipes due to the presence of chromium, but this production can be taken into account for the assembly of an integral system of phytoremediation and bioethanol production, making the most of this biomass.

The investment in digital e-Health services is a priority direction in the development of global health care systems. While people are increasingly using the Web for health information, it is not entirely clear what is the physicians’ attitude towards digital transformation, and the acceptance of new technologies in healthcare. The aim of this cross-sectional survey study was to investigate physicians’ self-digital skills, and their opinions on obtaining online health knowledge by patients, as well as the recognition of physicians’ attitudes towards e-Health solutions. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed to emerge the variables from self-designed questionnaire, and cross-sectional analysis comparing descriptive statistics and correlations for dependent variables using the one-way ANOVA (F-test). 307 physicians participated in the study, reported using the internet mainly several times a day (66.8%). Most participants (70.4%) were familiar with new technologies and rate their e-Health literacy high, although 84.0% reported the need for additional training in this field, and reported a need to introduce a larger number of subjects shaping digital skills (75.9%) in medical studies 53.4% of physicians perceived Internet-sourced information as sometimes reliable, and in general assessed the effects of using it by their patients negatively (41.7%). Digital skills increased significantly with frequency of internet use (F = 13.167; p = 0.0001), and decreased with physicians’ age, and the need for training. Those who claimed that patients often experienced health benefits from online health showed higher digital skills (-1.06). Physicians most often recommended their patients to obtain laboratory test results online (32.2%), and to arrange medical appointments via the Internet (27.0%). Along with the deterioration of physicians’ digital skills, the recommendation of e-Health solutions decreased (r = 0.413), and lower the assessment of e-Health solutions for the patient (r = 0.449). Physicians perceive digitization as a sign of the times, and frequently use its tools in daily practice. The evaluation of Dr. Google’s phenomenon and online health is directly related to their own e-Health literacy skills, but there is still a need for practical training to deal with digital revolution.

Background - Chronic kidney disease with unknown aetiology (CKDu) is a progressing disease which is affecting many Sri Lankans’ yearly, this disease is slow progressive, irreversible and asymptomatic disease. Patients suffering from CKDu over the past two decades have been evaluated using the estimated glomerular filtration rate (e-GFR). This is the standard test performed under WHO guidelines to investigate and grade the CKDu, and this creatinine clearance is measured in this in order to grade the patient. Backache has been a common symptom presented in most of the chronic kidney disease patients (CKD), patients with CKDu are liable to get backache due to the renal failure that takes place (Jayathilake et al., 2013; Redmon et al., 2016). Objective – To detect a correlation between serum creatinine values and level of backache presented in the patient. Method -Using an interview based questionnaire to assess patients’ body condition and the degree of backache is assessed, 59 patients were part of the study for a period of five months and had an average age of 60.3 years. The questionnaire answers are scaled into four main types of backache from the least to the most painful based on the pain scale adapted from Kapkia. Serum creatinine is measured using an automated analyzer which is measured using Jaffe’s reaction. Using Pearson R correlation, the relationship was determined between serum creatinine and backache (Kafkia et al., 2011). Results – The results were obtained for 58 patients (n=58), where the mean backache score was 2.30 and mean serum creatinine value 2.77. The Pearson R value obtained was 0.01 which is indicating almost no relationship between backache and serum creatinine. Patients with stage 3 kidney disease (n=14) had an average E-GFR of 38.0, stage 4 (n=38) with 22.3 and stage 5 (n=6) with 14.0. Conclusion – Backache can be used an indicator of CKDu since it is presented in most patients’ suffering from the disease but unable to be used to determine the stage of CKDu suffered by the patient due to the external causes that leads to backache. Several predisposing factors such as temperature, water source and agricultural activity can influence the backache.

Various metals and semiconductors containing Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are abundant in any electronic device equipped with controlling and computing features. These devices inevitably constitute E-waste after the end of service life. The typical construction of PCBs includes mechanically and chemically resistive materials, which significantly reduce the reaction rate or even avoid accessing chemical reagents (dissolvents) to target metals. Additionally, the presence of relatively reactive polymers and compounds from PCBs requires high energy consumption and reactive supply due to the formation of undesirable and sometimes environmentally hazardous reaction products. Preliminarily milling PCBs into powder is a promising method for increasing the reaction rate and avoiding liquid and gaseous emissions. Unfortunately, current state-of-the-art milling methods also lead to the presence of significantly more reactive polymers still adhered to milled target metal particles. This paper aims to find a novel single and two-stage disintegration-milling approach that can provide the formation of metal-rich particle size fractions. The morphology, particle fraction sizes, bulk density, and metal content in produced particles were measured and compared. Research results show the highest bulk density (up to 6.8 g·cm-3) and total metal content (up to 95.2 wt. %) in finest sieved fractions after the single-step milling of PCBs. Therefore, the concentrations of about half tested metallic elements are higher in the single milled specimen and with lower adhered plastics concentrations, as compared to double milled specimens.

O26 enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), possesses a unique pseudocapsule composed of polysaccharides identical to the O antigen in their lipopolysaccharide (LPS) membrane. Therefore, the impact of O26 polysaccharides on the immune evasion mechanisms of capsulated O26 EPEC was investigated. Our findings reveal that the concentration of GlcNAc, an immunodominant unit of O26 polysaccharides capable of activating the MBL (Mannose Biding Lecting) pathway of the complement system, was found to be lower in capsulated EPEC O26 compared to naked shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O26 strain. It was noted that, unlike the naked STEC strain, the capsulated EPEC O26 strain was protected against lysis by the alternative pathway of the com-plement system by inhibiting C3b adhesion to its bacterial surface. Capsulated EPEC O26 strains were also able to avoid phagocytosis by macrophages. However, the immune evasion provided by the capsule was overcome in the presence of anti-O26 polysaccharide antibodies. Additionally, these antibodies were able to recognize O26 EPEC in the presence of biofilm and inhibit their adhesion to human epithelial cells. Overall, the results indicate that the O26 polysaccharides can generate an effective humoral immune response, making them promising antigens for the de-velopment of a vaccine against capsulated O26 E. coli

E-petitioning is a useful object of study for observing the potential emergence of a new relationship to politics and new forms of political participation. Access to a dataset of hundreds of thousands of users of an electronic petitioning platform, provides the opportunity to overcome a certain number of limitations that are associated with traditional methods of studying political participation, since it allows us to focus on the reality of the signatories’ behaviour rather than on their declarations. We follow the traces left by the petitioners on this site to better understand the process of dissemination of an online petition, and its linked with offline activities. Our examination of the three most signed petitions in the ‘environment’ category, combining an analysis of their petitioning dynamics and an analysis of the comments attached to them, allows us to show: firstly, that there is an interwoven relationship between the local anchoring of the mobilisation and the processes of dissemination by which petitions extend from local signatories to signatories who are geographically more distant; and secondly, that it is not accurate to imagine that just anyone can sign any petition, since petitioning dynamics proceed from one person to the next, whether these dynamics start from a pre-existing local anchorage on the ground, or act through a platform effect which is dependent on the attractiveness of the petition in question.

Communication and effective interactions are inevitable necessities in every organizational setting. In this era of information and communication technology, where limitations and difficulties in proper communication and interactions between different entities of various organizations have been reduced maximally, the government, stakeholders, and citizens of the different nations should also utilize these available tools in a way to improve the maximum performance in governance through interactions and e-participation between the citizens, stakeholders, and the government parastatals. This research focuses on examining the available and most preferred applications or platforms which encourage the best level of communication and interaction through E-participation among the citizens, stakeholders, and government from the local government lev-el taking Nigeria as a case study

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an emerging pathogen frequently associated with acute diarrhea in children and travelers to endemic regions. EAEC was found the most prevalent bacterial diarrheal pathogen from hospitalized Bolivian children less than five years of age with acute diarrhea from 2007 to 2010. Here, we further characterized the epidemiology of EAEC infection, virulence genes, and antimicrobial susceptibility of EAEC isolated from 414 diarrheal and 74 non-diarrheal cases. EAEC isolates were collected and subjected to a PCR-based virulence gene screening of seven virulence genes and a phenotypic resistance test to nine different antimicrobials. Our results showed that atypical EAEC (a-EAEC, AggR-negative) was significantly associated with diarrhea (OR, 1.62, 95% CI, 1.25 to 2.09, P < 0.001) in contrast to typical EAEC (t-EAEC, AggR-positive). EAEC infection was most prevalent among children between 7 - 12 months of age. The number of cases exhibited a biannual cycle with a major peak during the transition from warm to cold season (April – June). Both typical and a-EAEC infections were graded as equally severe; however, t-EAEC harbored more virulence genes. aap, irp2, and pic were the most prevalent genes. Surprisingly, we detected 60% and 52.6% of multidrug resistance (MDR) EAEC among diarrheal and non-diarrheal cases. Resistance to ampicillin, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines was most common, being the corresponding antibiotics, the ones that are frequently used in Bolivia. Our work is the first study that provides comprehensive information on the high heterogenicity of virulence genes in t-EAEC and a- EAEC and the large prevalence of MDR EAEC in Bolivia.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 20 million people worldwide are infected annually with the hepatitis E virus (HEV). There are 4 main genotypes of HEV. Genotype 1 and genotype 2 are common in developing countries and are transmitted by contaminated water from a fecal-oral route. Genotype 3 and genotype 4 are common in developed countries and can lead to occasional transmission to humans by undercooked meat. Hepatitis E virus 1 and HEV3 can lead to fulminant hepatitis, and HEV3 can lead to chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis in immunocompromised patients. The majority of patients with HEV infection are asymptomatic and usually have spontaneous viral clearance without treatment. However, infection in immunocompromised individuals can lead to chronic HEV infection. Both acute and chronic HEV infections can have extrahepatic manifestations. No specific treatment is required for acute HEV infection, no treatment has been approved in chronic infection and no HEV vaccine has been approved by the (United States) Food and Drug Administration. This review focuses on the molecular virology (HEV life cycle, genotypes, model systems, zoonosis), pathogenesis, clinical manifestation, and treatment of chronic HEV infection, especially in immunocompromised patients, to provide clinicians a better understanding of the global distribution of these infections and the significant effect they can have on immunocompromised patients.

Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are essential to most electronic devices. Digitalization and upgradation of gadget generates lots of PCB-containing electronic waste. Conserving resources and protecting the environment requires recycling such e-waste. The present paper is focused on the recovery of metals from PCBs by physical pretreatment and hydrometallurgical processes. Initially, the waste PCBs were pre-treated to separate metallic and non-metallic fractions. The metallic concentrate was leached using nitric acid (strong oxidative agent) for dissolution of metals. The system was fully jacketed with scrubber and condenser so that no emission of toxic gases to the environment. The process parameters viz. effect of acid concentration, pulp density, temperature, time, etc. were optimized and the obtained data were scientifically validated. Kinetics leaching fitted well with the Shrinking core model, XB = kc.t for Cu, (1-(1-XB)1/2) for Ni and 1-3(1-XB)2/3 + 2(1-XB) for Pb. The optimized conditions derived from these studies will be useful for recovery of metals from waste PCBs, and tin left in the residue could be further treated for the purpose of safe disposal or the utilization in an environmentally friendly manner. The developed process provides environmental benefits and has potential to be commercialized after scale-up studies.

This article is an effort to scrutinize the role of Information Technology development in the chronological transformation of Urban Planning domain using the exploratory research approach. In this research, it is argued that the theoretical and practical understanding of Urban Planning should absorb and integrate the bright outcome of the rise of Information and Technology to foster congruent future urban development. The article addresses the trends of transformation in the urban planning domain through the myopic lens of the expansion of information and communications technology era followed by investigating the key drivers shaping the interaction between modern-day urban planning and information technology considering both the dark and bright sides into account.

This contribution deals with the assessment of air pollution caused by atmospheric aerosol particulate matter fraction PM10 and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in the urban agglomeration of Ostrava, located in the Czech Republic in Central Europe. The motivation for this research was the need to identify the sources of air pollution in the area, particularly in locations where the contribution of different sources to concentrations of pollutants of concern has not been elucidated yet. In this study, source apportionment in the vicinity of the industrial hot-spot was performed by statistically evaluating measured pollutant concentrations as a function of meteorological variables and using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) receptor model. A significant methodological innovation and improvement over previous assessments was the higher monitoring resolution of benzo[a]pyrene, with samples collected at three-hour intervals instead of the standard 24-hour collection period. The key findings indicate that in the cold part of the year, secondary particles - specifically sulphates and ammonium nitrates - were responsible for the most significant portion of PM10 air pollution throughout the area of interest. The contribution of these particles ranged from one third to two fifths of the total concentration, except at the industrial site of Ostrava-Radvanice (TORE), where they accounted for approximately one fifth of the measured pollution concentration level. Emissions from individual household heating were identified as the main source of this type of pollution. With regards to benzo[a]pyrene air pollution, the study found that in the whole area of interest, except for the Ostrava-Radvanice site, it mainly originated from individual heating with coal (90%). In contrast, at the Ostrava-Radvanice site, two-thirds of the benzo[a]pyrene pollution came from the premises of Liberty Ostrava a.s., primarily from coke production, and less than one-third from local domestic heating. This study also determined the spatial extent of the occurrence of extremely high benzo[a]pyrene concentrations (above 5 ng/m3), which are estimated to affect nearly 10,000 inhabitants. The results confirm that the data from the TORE station are only representative of its immediate surroundings and are not applicable to the assessment of air quality and causes of air pollution in the whole city of Ostrava or the urban area of Ostrava-Radvanice as a whole. After years of research, these findings provide the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic and the government with an accurate basis for implementing measures to address the identified pollution sources in the area of interest. The success of this study was made possible by the adoption of a more detailed sampling approach, which involved a resolution of 3 hours instead of 24 hours. This methodological improvement is a significant finding and will be useful for future source apportionment studies.

3-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-5-(1H-indol-5-yl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole was synthesized via the condensation of 3,4-dichlorobenzamidoxime and methyl 1H-indole-5-carboxylate using superbasic medium (NaOH/DMSO). The compound was tested as a potential inhibitor of human monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B. It demonstrated notable inhibition with an IC50 value of 0.036 μM for MAO-B and isoform specificity. The product was characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. In conclusion, the new active MAO-B inhibitor may serve as a candidate for the future discovery of therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

Sexual issues and treatment side effects are not routinely discussed with men receiving treatment for prostate cancer and support to address these concerns is not consistent across settings. This study evaluates a brief e-learning resource designed to improve sexual wellbeing support and examine its effects on healthcare professionals’ sexual attitudes and beliefs. Healthcare professionals (n=44) completed an online questionnaire at baseline which included a modified 12-item sexual attitudes and beliefs survey (SABS). Follow-up questionnaires were completed immediately after the e-learning and at 4 weeks. Data were analysed using one-way, repeat measures ANOVAs to assess change in attitudes and beliefs over time. Significant improvements were observed at follow-up for a number of survey statements including ‘knowledge and understanding’, ‘confidence in discussing sexual wellbeing’ and the extent to which participants felt ‘equipped with the language to initiate conversations’. The resource was seen as concise, relevant to practice, and as providing useful information on potential side effects of treatment. Brief, e-learning has potential to address barriers to sexual wellbeing communication and promote delivery of support for prostate cancer survivors. Practical methods and resources should be included with these interventions to support implementation of learning and long-term changes in clinical behaviour.

The majority of E-commerce transactions reveal private information such as customers' identities, order contents, and payment information during the transaction. Other personal information such as health conditions, religion, and even ethnicity may be also deduced. Even when deploying electronic cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, anonymity cannot be fully guaranteed. Also, many anonymous payment schemes suffer from possible double spending circumstances. E-commerce privacy is basically a difficult problem as it involves parties with concurring interests. Three major e-commerce requirements are highly difficult to resolve: anonymous purchase, anonymous delivery, and anonymous payment. This work presents a possible e-commerce system addressing all three anonymity requirements for electronic-items business on open networks. The system offers anonymous entities authentication mechanisms up to completing a fair anonymous e-commerce transaction. The system is based on deploying a physically clone-resistant hardware token for each relevant involved party. The tokens are made clone-resistant by accommodating a Secret Unknown Cipher (SUC) in each hardware-token as a digital PUF-like identity. A set of novel generic system-setups for units, protocols and e-commerce schemes is introduced. The proposed anonymization is basically attained by virtually-replacing relevant e-commerce entities by low-cost, unique and clone-resistant tokens/units using SUCs. The units act as trustable anonymous, authenticated and non-replaceable entities monitored by their acting users.

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.

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.

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.

Endophytic fungi colonize the inner tissues of plants and provide direct and indirect benefits to the plant. Although Mongolia is rich in medicinal plants, due to climatic and anthropogenic reasons the resources are being depleted and many species are under the threat of gradual extinction, while the endophytic fungi of Mongolian plants are largely unknown. Understanding the diversity and metabolic potential of endophytic fungi is of great significance in terms of the utilization of beneficial fungal strains in plant propagation and the discovery of bioactive compounds. In this study, a total of 24 culturable endophytic fungal strains were isolated from Cynomorium songaricum (Rupr.), a medicinal and vulnerable plant species of Mongolia. Based on the morphological characteristics and the sequences of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, the isolates were identified to 6 genera: Fusarium (8), Clonostachys (7), Penicillium (6), Alternaria (1), Aspergillus (1), and Madurella (1). The antimicrobial activity was assessed by agar-diffusion method, revealing that 15 strains were able to inhibit the growth of at least one of the test organisms. Among them, 1 strain showed inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli, 12 against Bacillus subtilis, 13 against Staphylococcus aureus, 8 against Aspergillus niger, respectively. All fungal strains were screened for their ability to solubilize complex phosphorus and zinc minerals and for their production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). The strains were preserved in the national culture collection for further sustainable exploitation of their biotechnological potential.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mandevilla (Apocynaceae) is a greatly appreciated genus in the world ornamental market. In this study, we attempted to address the poor genetic knowledge and the huge taxonomic gaps existing in this genus by analyzing the germplasm of 55 accessions. After cytometrically determining the triploid genome size (1,512.64 Mb) of a reference sample (variety “Mandevilla 2001”), the plastidial genome (cpDNA, 0,18 Mb) and a draft of the nuclear genome (nuDNA, 207 Mb) were assembled. While cpDNA was effective in reconstructing the phylogenesis of the Apocynaceae family based on a DNA superbarcoding approach, the nuDNA assembly length was found to be only 41% of the haploid genome size (506 Mb, predicted based on the K-mer frequency distribution). Its annotation enabled the prediction of thousands of genes, of which 5,275 resulted in full CDS. Among them, we identified nine genes whose orthologs (in Catharanthus roseus) encode enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs), including catharanthine, tabersonine and vincadifformine. The nuclear genome draft was also useful to develop a highly informative (mean PIC=0.62) set of 23 SSR markers that was validated on the Mandevilla collection. These results were integrated with cytometric measurements, nuclear ITS1 haplotyping and chloroplast DNA barcoding analyses to assess the origin, divergence and relationships existing among the 55 accessions object of the study. As expected, based on the scarce information available in the literature, the scenario was extremely intricate. A reasonable hypothesis is that most of the accessions represent interspecific hybrids sharing the same species as maternal parent (i.e., Mandevilla sanderi).

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.

Distinctive strains of Pantoea are used as soil inoculants for their ability to promote plant growth. Pantoea agglomerans strain C1, previously isolated from the phyllosphere of lettuce, can produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), solubilize phosphate, and inhibit plant pathogens, such as Erwinia amylovora. In this paper, the complete genome sequence of strain C1 is reported. In addition, experimental evidence is provided on how the strain tolerates arseniate up to 100 mM, and on how secreted metabolites like IAA and siderophores act as biostimulants in tomato cuttings. The strain has a circular chromosome and two prophages for a total genome of 4,846,925-bp, with a GC content of 55.2%. Genes related to plant growth promotion and biocontrol activity, such as those associated with IAA and spermidine synthesis, solubilization of inorganic phosphate, acquisition of ferrous iron, and production of volatile organic compounds, siderophores and GABA, were found in the genome of strain C1. Genome analysis also provided better understanding of the mechanisms underlying strain resistance to multiple toxic heavy metals and transmission of these genes by horizontal gene transfer. Findings suggested that strain C1 exhibits high biotechnological potential as plant growth-promoting bacterium in heavy metal polluted soils.

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.

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.

Enteric viruses are the major cause of gastroenteritis and enteric hepatitis worldwide, but in some areas like Saudi Arabia little data is known about their presence in water sources. The available information from clinical samples is not enough to figure their actual prevalence. The aim of this study was to gather information for the first time in Saudi Arabia on the presence of Norovirus (NoV) genogroup GI and GII, hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) in water. For this purpose, thirteen monthly samples were collected in lake Wadi Hanifa and surrounding wells from December 2014 to November 2015. Viruses were detected and quantified by Real-time RT-qPCR. Despite HEV findings were anecdotic, our results highlight interesting behaviors of the other viruses. There was a higher prevalence of noroviruses in Wadi Hanifa samples than in well water samples (46.43% vs12.5% of NoV GI; 66.67% vs8.33% of NoV GII). On the contrary, similar levels of HAV positivity were observed (40.48% in surface water vs 43.06% in well water). Also, a strong influence of flooding events on HAV and NoV GI occurrence was observed in both surface and well water samples, being NoV GII apparently not affected.

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.

Vitamin A and E are important during pregnancy, the neonatal period, and childhood. The objective of this study was to assess whether maternal RRR-a-tocopherol supplementation affects serum and breast milk retinol. Serum was collected at baseline and twenty days later, and breast milk, at baseline, and on days 1, 7, and 20 after delivery. After the baseline serum collection, the supplemented group (n=16) received a single 400 IU of RRR-α-tocopherol. The control group (n=18) was only performed collections. Retinol and alpha tocopherol levels were determined by liquid chromatography. Serum retinol and alpha tocopherol at baseline and 20 days after delivery indicated proper vitamin A (> 20 µg/dL) and E (> 516 μg/dL) statuses in the control and supplemented groups (p > 0.05). Colostrum retinol levels on days 1 and 7 after delivery were significantly higher in the supplemented group (p = 0.018 and p = 0.012, respectively). Maternal vitamin E supplementation increased colostrum retinol by 52.23% and 111.2%, 24 hours and 7 days, respectively. However, retinol in mature milk did not differ between the groups (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the supplementation with 400 IU of RRR-α-tocopherol improved vitamin A bioavailability in breast milk.

The mechanisms underlying the de novo regeneration of adventitious roots are still poorly understood, particularly in trees. In this study, we developed a system for studying different modulators of adventitious rooting (AR) at physiological and molecular levels by using for the first time leaves excised from chestnut microshoots. The rooting response of leaves was ontogenetic-stage dependent, and similar to that of the original microshoots. Initiation of root primordia and root development were inhibited by application of N-1-naphthyl-phthalamic acid (NPA), although the effect of this inhibitor of auxin polar transport (PAT) depended on the timing of application. Expression of CsSCL1, an auxin-inducible gene in juvenile and mature shoots during AR, was upregulated by auxin only in rooting-competent leaves during the novo root organogenesis and the expression was reduced by the NPA treatment. This inhibitory effect on gene expression was detected during reprograming of rooting competent cells towards root initials in response to auxin, indicating that PAT-mediated upregulation of CsSCL1 is required in the initial steps of AR in chestnut leaves. The localized expression of CsSCL1 in the quiescent center (QC) also suggests a role for this gene in the maintenance of meristematic competence and root radial patterning.

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.

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.

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.