Breast Angiosarcoma is a rare malignancy, accounting less than 1% of all soft tissue. It comprises primitive and secondary subtypes, such as radiogenic breast angiosarcoma (RAS). Despite the multimodal treatment, angiosarcomas represent an incurable disease for many patients and represent a cause of substantial deterioration of their quality of life. Surgery represents the cornerstone in the management, but high recurrence rates are reported. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is practicable locoregional treatment in patients with advanced angiosarcoma, in a multimodal therapeutic strategy. ECT palliative benefit includes optimal patient compliance, good local hemostasis control, and local responses. Considering that only 22 cases are described in literature, we reported a rare case of RAS treated with ECT, after a multidisciplinary approach including Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). A literature review about the feasibility of ECT in RAS management was also performed.

In the article, we are trying to find a general law that describes the physical properties of a complex compound through the same physical properties of compound elements. For metal alloys operated under extreme conditions - neutron and proton irradiations and thermal heating, the mechanical properties of these alloys and their elements have been studied. It turned out that the ultimate tensile strength of tantalum alloys used in the design of space reactors can be expressed in terms of the weighted sum of the ultimate tensile strengths of its elements in the range of neutron doses: (0 - 0.96) displacement per atom (dpa) for Ta–10W alloy and (1.4 - 1.7) dpa for T–111 alloy with a neutron energy of more than 0.1 MeV. For tungsten binary alloys used in the design of fusion reactors, the Vickers hardness can also be expressed in terms of the weighted sum of the Vickers hardnesses of the alloy elements in the range of proton irradiation doses: (0 - 0.05) dpa for W-1%Re alloy, (0.05 - 0.2) dpa for W-3%Re alloy and (0.05 - 1) dpa for W-1%Ta with a proton energy of 1 MeV.

The swelling behavior of titanium-modified austenitic stainless steel 15-15Ti was investigated by pre-implantation of He at room temperature followed by Ni irradiation at 580 °C to peak doses of 120, 240 and 400 dpa. Relatively smaller cavities were observed in the zone of helium implantation while large cavities appeared in the region near the damage peak. A correction formula of the dpa curve was proposed and applied for samples with large swelling. It is found that the steady-state swelling rate of 15-15Ti keeps at ~1% /dpa even to high doses. By comparing the swelling data of the helium-implanted and helium-free regions at same doses, 70 dpa and 122 dpa, the suppression of excessive helium on swelling can be deduced at such doses.

Cross-contamination poses a pervasive challenge within the realm of food production. The propagation of infections is recognized to occur in an uncontrolled manner. Given the essential nature of food for human sustenance, the domain necessitates stringent control over contamination and cross-contamination due to the perilous potential for severe intoxication. In the context of managing biological contamination in fresh food items, commencing from production and extending to the final consumable, the utilization of chemicals must be judiciously limited to avert adverse effects. This biochemical approach, however, engenders environmental and health quandaries attributable to the incessant employment and discharge of such materials. The present research is centered upon demonstrating, at a laboratory scale, a process involving the leaching of plants, accompanied by the application of UVC irradiation during this procedure. This obviates the necessity for chemical solutions. The empirical findings showcased that subjecting the solution utilized for vegetable washing to UV irradiation rendered it 99 % microorganism-free in vegetables and 99.999% in the water component. This attests to efficacious decontamination, resource conservation, and mitigation of discharge-associated predicaments. The mathematical model precisely characterizes the behaviors manifested in the empirical data, thereby establishing a close correspondence with the kinetics law equation. Grasping the fundamental mechanisms and articulating them enables the enhancement of optimization and seamless integration of this approach to combat cross-contamination with heightened efficacy. This approach to addressing cross-contamination holds significant promise, underscoring its pivotal role in elevating food safety measures and ameliorating environmental repercussions. Envisioning the implementation of these practices at an industrial scale carries the potential to yield substantial dividends in terms of public health and sustainable practices

The Dead Sea basin is the lowest terrestrial site on the globe and is internationally recognized as a photoclimatotherapy center. Since the last century, questions raised regarding the possible presence of a unique incident ultraviolet irradiation, allowing successful treatment of psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and other dermatological diseases. Aim: Determine the characteristics of the solar ultraviolet irradiation and understand the mechanism of action of photoclimatotherapy while applying the results to clinical protocols of treatment. Methods: A meteorological station was established at the Dead Sea basin to continuously measure global, UVB and UVA irradiation. The same irradiation parameters are also being monitored continuously by a set of identical ultraviolet irradiation instruments installed on the campus of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in Beer Sheva. Results: This study details the results of these long-term measurements, ae well as their correlation with the success obtained by clinicians treating psoriasis patients. Conclusions: A database of more than 25 years has enabled the medical staff to establish tailor-made protocols for sun-exposure time intervals as a function of particular month and hour of day. The availability of such information has significantly improved the results of photoclimatotherapy for psoriasis and at the same time increasing the safety of sun-exposure at the Dead Sea.

The role of postmastectomy radiotherapy and regional nodal irradiation after radical mastectomy is defined in high-risk patients with locally advanced tumors, positive margins, and unfavorable biology. The benefit of postmastectomy radiotherapy in intermediate-risk patients (T3N0 tumors) remains a matter of controversy. It has been demonstrated that radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery lowers the locoregional recurrence rate compared with surgery alone and improves the overall survival rate. In patients with 4 or more positive lymph nodes or extracapsular extension regional lymph node irradiation is indicated regardless of the surgery type (breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy). Despite the consensus that patients with more than 3 positive lymph nodes should be treated with radiotherapy, there is a controversy regarding the recommendations for patients with one to three involved lymph nodes. In patients with N0 disease with negative findings on axillary surgery, there is a trend to administer regional lymph node irradiation in patients with a high risk of recurrence. In patients treated with neoadjuvant systemic therapy and mastectomy, adjuvant radiotherapy should be administered in case of clinical stage III and/or ≥ypN1. In patients treated with neoadjuvant systemic therapy and breast-conserving surgery, postoperative radiotherapy is indicated irrespective of pathological response.

Phototherapy is an efficient strategy to respond to oxidative stress and has been in the spotlight in various therapeutic fields through its biological effect, but the exact molecular mechanism has not yet been established. As a result of irradiating RAW264.7 cells with a 630 nm or 850 nm LED with an energy intensity of 0.01J/cm2, cell viability was increased depend on the irradiation time. After H2O2 was added, 630 nm or 850 nm LEDs were irradiated for 10 min or 40 min to increase cell viability by about 1.7- or 1.6-fold, respectively. In addition, 630nm or 850nm LED irradiation showed a significant ROS scavenging effect and significantly reduced TUNEL-positive cells by 45.7% and 37.8%, respectively, compared to cells treated only with H2O2. In the result of flow cytometry, the number of cells in the late apoptosis stage was about 2.3- and 1.8-fold lower than that of the cells treated with H2O2 only, but there was no significance. The Bax/Bcl-2 ratio of cells irradiated with 630 nm or 850 nm LED was significantly lower than that of cells treated with H2O2 only, and the expression of procaspase-3 and cleaved PARP was also significantly expressed in the direction of suppressing cell death. In conclusion, the ROS scavenging activity by 630 nm or 850 nm LED irradiation, leading the expression of cell death pathway proteins in the direction of inhibiting cell death.

The irradiation biology of the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB, Halyomorpha halys Stål) treated at the nymphal stage was investigated to determine its application for sterile insect technique (SIT). Fifth instar males of BMSB were exposed to gamma-radiation 60Co at different doses of 12, 16, 20, 24 and 64 Gy. Irradiated males were mated with non-irradiated virgin females to assess the longevity of both sexes, female fecundity and fertility of their offspring until the egg stage of the F2 generation. The mortality of each of the developmental stages of the F1 and eggs of the F2 generation was observed to determine whether negative effects from exposure to radiation was inherited. The data indicated that irradiation significantly reduced the lifespan of male insects at doses above 20Gy. Irradiated males did not affect the longevity and fecundity of their female partners, nor either sex of their resulting progeny, but it did reduce the hatch rate of the eggs at all doses tested. The sterility rates of F1 eggs were 55.6%, 73.3%, 74.1% and 74.1% at doses of 12Gy, 16Gy, 20Gy and 24Gy respectively. Eggs were completely sterile (100%) at a dose of 64Gy with no egg hatch recorded. A low hatch rate of F2 eggs illustrated that negative effects from radiation was inherited by the subsequent generation. The results support the potential for the use of SIT for BMSB management by irradiating the fifth instar male nymphs at 16-64Gy.

Zinc oxide is one of the most important semiconductor metal oxides and one of the most promising n-type materials, but its practical use is limited because of both its high thermal conductivity and its low electrical conductivity. Numerous studies have shown that doping with metals in ZnO structures leads to the modification of the band gap energy. In this work, Al-doped ZnO, Ni-doped ZnO, and undoped ZnO nanocrystalline powders were prepared by sol-gel method coupled with ultrasound irradiation. The doping concentration in ZnO was 1.0 at.% of Al and Ni. Influence of Al³⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions in the ZnO network are explored in this paper. X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy, Nitrogen Adsorption (BET method), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) analyses demonstrated the incorporation of metal ions (aluminum and nickel) into the ZnO wurtzite structure. The crystallite size of the sample was decreased from 24.5 nm (ZnO) to 22.0 nm (ZnO-Al) and 21 nm (ZnO-Ni).

Adenoviruses (Ads) have been extensively manipulated for the development of cancer selective replication, leading to cancer cell death or oncolysis. Clinical studies using E1-modified oncolytic Ads have shown that this therapeutic platform was safe, but with limited efficacy, indicating the necessity of targeting other viral genes for manipulation. To improve the therapeutic efficacy of oncolytic Ads, we treated the entire Ad genome repeatedly with UV-light and have isolated AdUV which efficiently lyses cancer cells as reported previously [1]. In this report, we show that no mutations were observed in the early genes (E1 or E4) of AdUV while several mutations were observed within the Ad late genes which have structural or viral DNA packaging functions. This study also reported the increased release of AdUV from cancer cells. In this study, we found that AdUV inhibits tumor growth following intratumoral injection. These results indicate the potentially significant role of the viral late genes, in particular the DNA packaging genes, to enhance Ad oncolysis.

Abstract: COVID-19 Long Haulers, an estimated 3% to 12% of people infected globally with coronavirus having latter devasting symptoms 12 weeks after the initial infection is on the rise. We conducted a collaborative study with the long covid patient organization in Greece in order to estimate the prevalence, symptoms and problems that adult long haulers experience and then propose a management plan for these patients. Symptoms were obtained from 208 patients using unstructured qualitative free text entries in an anonymized online questionnaire. The majority of respondents (68.8%) were not hospitalized and had been diagnosed more than six months ago with lingering symptoms (66,8%). Eighteen different symptoms (fatigue, tachycardia, shortness of breath, parosmia etc) were mentioned in both hospitalized and community patients. Interestingly, patients with initial mild symptoms suffer from the same persistent symptoms as those who were hospitalized. Awareness of long covid sequelae seems to be low even among medical doctors. Treatment options incorporating targeted rehabilitation programs are either not available or still excluded from the management plan of long covid patients. Since long COVID is a multi-systemic entity, we propose a holistic interventional approach using a multidisciplinary medical team in order to securely and effectively diagnose and treat these specific patients. Academic and medical community must collaborate with long covid patients’ organizations so as to provide personalized medicine.

The photodegradation of azithromycin present was carried out in water using H2O2 under UV irradiation. The reaction variables considered in this study were the amount of H2O2 solution and the initial concentration of azithromycin to evaluate the performance of the photodegradation process. The azithromycin degradation was not observed in the dark during stirring for 20 minutes. The study showed efficient photodegradation of azithromycin using H2O2 as an oxidant in the presence of UV irradiation. The azithromycin degradation was affected significantly by the pH of the irradiated solution. The degradation was low at an acidic pH and showed an increasing trend as the pH changed to basic. The azithromycin degradation was increased with a higher amount (higher concentration) of H2O2. The degradation of azithromycin decreased with a higher concentration of azithromycin in the reacting solution. The highest degradation of AZT was achieved in 1 hour using a 1.0 ppm AZT solution containing 3 ml of H2O2. The experimental data obtained was well-fitted to zero-order reaction kinetics. The results of this study were found to be superior when compared with those reported in the literature, with photocatalysis using nanomaterials and photolysis using irradiation and H2O2. The UV/H2O2 system was found to be quite efficient for the photodegradation of azithromycin, and this system can be applied to degrade other organic pollutants present in industrial wastewater. To this point, such a study has not been reported specifically for AZT photodegradation.

Ionizing radiation exposure is known to induce molecular and cellular injury, inflicting a cascade of potentially catastrophic events leading to tissue and organ damage. Metabolomic analysis allows for the identification and quantification of small molecules downstream of genomic changes induced by radiation exposure. We aimed to characterize metabolomic changes that underscore the prefinal stage of lethally irradiated rhesus nonhuman primates (NHPs). Peripheral blood was drawn at baseline, post-exposure as well as at the preterminal stage of NHPs (immediately prior to death in moribund NHPs), which did not survive exposure with 7.2 Gy total-body radiation (LD70/60). Herein, we analyzed global metabolomic changes using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS) in plasma samples of NHPs collected at various timepoints in relation to irradiation. The overall goal was to identify metabolic shifts present immediately prior to death. Our findings, for the first time, show that radiation induced significant time dependent metabolic perturbations when compared to pre-irradiation samples, particularly in the glycerophospholipid metabolism and steroid hormone biosynthesis and metabolism pathways. These findings provide valuable insights for identifying biomarkers for lethality, which may be helpful for triage during a mass casualty scenario.

Development of new techniques of multimodal treatment, diagnostics of various neoplasms and improvement of these techniques can significantly increase the life expectancy of patients with carcinomas of the colon and abdominal cavity organs, since prevention of various side effects of radiation therapy is one of the main problems of oncological care. Electron irradiation is one of the most promising types of radiation therapy. There are no data on proliferation and apoptosis of the colon epithelium after irradiation with electrons, especially in different modes (single and summary). Aim of the study: Morphological evaluation of apoptosis and proliferation of colonic epithelium after local irradiation with electrons at doses 2 Gy and 25 Gy. Materials and methods. Colon fragments from sexually mature Wistar rats (n=50, body weight 200 ± 10 g) were divided into three groups: I - control (n = 10); II - experimental group (n = 20; local single electron irradiation at a dose of 2 Gy), III - experimental group (n=30), local fractional irradiation with electrons at a total dose of 25 Gy. They were studied by light microscopy using hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical reactions with antibodies to Ki-67 and Cas3. Morphological disorders were accompanied by increased expression of pro-apoptotic molecules (caspase-3), and the period of regeneration by proliferative marker (Ki-67). Conclusions: Local fractional irradiation of the colon with electrons at a dose of 2 Gy and 25 Gy resulted in minor changes in the epithelium, a decrease in the number of goblet cells, but with preservation of regenerative potential, mild degenerative-dystrophic lesions. Intestinal crypts were damaged, leading to a decrease in Ki-67 and an increase in the number of caspase-3-positive epitheliocytes.

Background: to assess the benefit of a deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) over standard irradiation technique, and eventually to identify anatomical and/or treatment preplanning characteristics correlated with LAD dose. Methods: We retrospectively identified patients with left-sided breast cancer who underwent whole breast radiotherapy in DIBH. All patients had both plans in DIBH and free-breathing (FB). Receiving operating characteristics (ROC analysis) were performed to define the cut-off point of parameters to predict LAD maximum dose >10 Gy and LAD mean dose > 4 Gy. Areas under the curve (AUCs) were calculated for all variables. Post-test probability has been calculated to evaluate advantage for parameters combination. Results: One hundred ninety-seven patients were identified. LAD dose was significantly reduced in DIBH plans with maximum and mean dose reduced by 31.7% (mean value 3.5 Gy vs 4.8 Gy, p=<0.001) and 28.1% (mean value 8.2 Gy vs 12.8 Gy, p=<0.001) in DIBH plans compared to FB plans. The strongest predictor of LAD maximum dose > 10 Gy and a LAD mean dose > 4 Gy was the minimum distance of LAD from tangent open fields. Other parameters were lung volume and heart volume for LAD Dmax > 10 Gy and lung volume, heart volume and breast separation for LAD Dmean > 4 Gy. Conclusion: The dosimetric benefit of DIBH is valid for all patients and DIBH should be preferred for all left sided patients.

Cyanides, though naturally occurring, are environmental pollutants when not treated properly. Some methods used to attenuate cyanides in waste waters from industrial processes are based simply on changing the physico-chemical properties of the waste water such as the pH and temperature. The effectiveness of these methods are based on hydrolysis of the cyanide and volatilization of the hydrogen cyanide formed. Another reaction which takes place simultaneously is ultraviolet-catalysed oxidation which converts the cyanide to bicarbonates and carbonates.The changes in the cyanide degradation rate approaches a minimum faster if the cyanide solution is maintained at a higher than ambient constant temperature.

In the present study, we investigate the post-editese phenomenon, i.e., the unique features that set machine translated post-edited texts apart from human-translated texts. We use two literary texts, namely, the English children's novel by Lewis Carroll Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (AW) and Paula Hawkins' popular book The Girl on the Train (TGOTT) translated from English into Brazilian-Portuguese to investigate whether the post-editese features can be found on the surface of the post-edited (PE) texts. In addition, we examine how the features found in the PE texts differ from the features encountered in the human-translated (HT) and machine translation (MT) versions of the same source text. Results revealed evidence for post-editese for TGOTT only with PE versions being more similar to the MT output than to the HT texts.

Conventional models do not fully explain composition of the solar system – for example, the presence of p-nuclei and post-post-Fe-nuclei remains not yet understood (and is one of the great unresolved puzzles of nuclear astrophysics in general); other puzzles exist. We offer a hypothesis which can explain the appearance of non-native elements in the solar system, and a feasible scenario for its implementation. The hypothesis suggests that a nuclear-fission "event" occurred in the inner part of the solar system at the time currently defined as the birth of the system. Conventional models have never considered fission as a contributing nuclei-production mechanism. Upon examination of the existing models and factual data (presented in volumes of publications but never combined into an aggregate), we identified one plausible scenario by which a fission event (not demolishing the entire solar system) could occur: an encounter with a compact super-dense stellar "fragment" (with specific properties) and its "explosion" in fission-cascades. Such scenario also helps resolve other long-standing puzzles of the solar system. For example, it provides that the fission-produced nuclei subsequently transformed into the material that (eventually) accreted into the "rocky" objects in the system (terrestrial planets, asteroids, etc.) and enriched the pre-existed hydrogen-helium objects (the Sun and the gaseous giants) – this offers an explanation for the planets’ inner position and compositional differences within the predominantly hydrogen-helium rest of the solar system. Other implications also follow.

Highly transparent, conductive nanosheets are extremely attractive for advanced optoelectronic applications. Previously, we have demonstrated that transparent, conductive Au nanosheets can be prepared by UV irradiation of Au nanoparticle (AuNP) monolayers spread on water, which serves as the subphase. In this study, we show that this UV irradiation technique can easily be extended as a nanosheet modification method by using subphases containing metal ions. That is, aqueous solutions containing Au and Ag ions are effective in modifying Au nanosheets. HAuCl4 solutions increased Au nanosheet thickness, which improved conductivity, but reduced transparency. On the other hand, use of aqueous AgNO3 and CH3COOAg solutions yielded Au-Ag hybrid nanosheets; however, their morphologies depended on the electrolytes used. Homogeneous Au-Ag nanosheets from AgNO3 and AuNPs covered with an Ag nanosheet from CH3COOAg were also produced. Further, these Au-Ag hybrid nanosheets had high conductivity without reduced transparency. Therefore, this UV irradiation method, modified by adding metal ions is quite effective at improving and diversifying properties of Au nanosheets.

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing applying polycaprolactone-(PCL)-based medical devices represents an important branch of tissue engineering, where the sterilization method is a key process for further safe application in vitro and in vivo. In this study, the authors intend to access the most suitable gamma radiation conditions to sterilize PCL-based scaffolds in a preliminary biocompatibility assessment, envisioning future studies for airway obstruction conditions. Three radiation levels were considered, 25 kGy, 35 kGy and 45 kGy and evaluated as to their cyto- and biocompatibility. All three groups presented biocompatible properties, indicating an adequate sterility condition. As for the cytocompatibility analysis, devices sterilized by 35 kGy and 45 kGy showed better results, with the 45 kGy showing overall improved outcomes. This study allowed to select the most suitable sterilization condition for PCL-based scaffolds, aiming at immediate future assays, by applying 3D-customized printing techniques to specific airway obstruction lesions of the trachea.

Purpose: Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is the current global concern. Radiotherapy (RT), commonly employed in cancer management, has been considered one of the potential treatments for COVID-19 pneumonia. Here, we present the final report of the pilot trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of low-dose whole-lung irradiation (LD-WLI) in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods and Materials: We enrolled patients with moderate COVID-19 pneumonia who were older than 60 years. Participants were treated with LD-WLI in a single fraction of 0.5 or 1.0Gy along with the national protocol of COVID-19. The primary endpoints were improvement of SpO₂, the number of hospital/ICU stay days, and the number of intubations after RT and the secondary endpoints were alterations of the c-reactive peptide, interleukin-6, ferritin, procalcitonin, and D-dimer. The response rate (RR) was defined as a rise in SpO₂ upon RT with rising or constant trend in the next two days, and clinical recovery (CR) included patients who were discharged from the hospital or acquired SpO₂ ≥93% on room air. Results: Between 21 May 2020 and 2 July 2020, ten patients were enrolled. The median age was 75 years, 80% were male, and 80% had comorbidities. The first five patients received a single 0.5Gy-WLI, and others received 1.0Gy. Patients were followed for 2-14 days (median 5.5 days). Following one day, nine patients experienced an improvement in SpO₂. Five patients were discharged (median 6^th day, range 2^nd-14^th day), and four patients died (median 7^th day, range 3^rd-10^th day). Overall, the RR and CR were 60.0% and 55.5%, respectively. The RR and CR rates of 0.5- and 1.0Gy group were 80% vs 40% and 75% vs 40%, respectively. No acute radiation-induced toxicity was recorded. Conclusions: LD-WLI with a single 0.5Gy fraction seems to be a more appropriate dose to warrant further evaluation in a large-scale, randomized trial.

The search for molecular biosignatures at the surface of Mars is complicated by an intense irradiation in the mid- and near- ultraviolet (UV) spectral range for several reasons: (i) many astrobiologically relevant molecules are electronically excited by efficient absorption of UV radiation and rapidly undergo photochemical reactions; (ii) even though the penetration depth of UV radiation is limited, aeolian erosion continually exposes fresh material to radiation; and (iii) UV irradiation generates strong oxidants such as perchlorates that can penetrate deep into soils and cause subsurface oxidative degradation of organics.As a consequence, it is crucial to investigate the effects of UV radiation on organic molecules embedded in mineral matrices mimicking the martian soil, in order to validate hypotheses about the nature of the organic compounds detected so far at the surface of Mars by the Curiosity rover, as well as organics that will be possibly found by the next rover missions Mars 2020 and ExoMars 2020. In addition, studying the alteration of possible molecular biosignatures in the martian environment will help to redefine the molecular targets for life detection missions and devise suitable detection methods.Here we report the results of mid-UV irradiation experiments of Mars soil analog samples obtained adsorbing relevant organic molecules on a clay mineral that is quite common on Mars, i.e. montmorillonite, doped with 1 wt% of magnesium perchlorate. Specifically, we chose to investigate the photostability of a plausible precursor of the chlorohydrocarbons detected on Mars by the Curiosity rover, namely phthalic acid, along with the biomarkers of extant life L-phenylalanine and L-glutamic acid, which are proteomic amino acids, and adenosine 5’-monophosphate, which is a nucleic acid component.We monitored the degradation of these molecules adsorbed on montmorillonite through in situ spectroscopic analysis, investigating the reflectance properties of the samples in the Near InfraRed (NIR) spectral region. Such spectroscopic characterization of molecular alteration products provides support for two upcoming robotic missions to Mars that will employ NIR spectroscopy to look for molecular biosignatures, through the instruments SuperCam on board Mars 2020, ISEM, Ma_Miss and MicrOmega on board ExoMars 2020.

Post-ovulatory aging (POA) is an inevitable factor during some assisted reproduction technology procedures, and results in poor fertilization rates and impaired embryo development. This study used RNA sequencing analysis and experimental validation to study the similarities and differences between in vivo- and in vitro-matured porcine oocytes before and after POA. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between fresh in vivo-matured oocyte (F_vivo) and aged in vivo-matured oocyte(A_vivo) and DEGs between fresh in vitro-matured oocyte (F_vitro) and aged in vitro-matured oocyte(A_vitro) were intersected to explore the co-effects of POA. It was found that "organelles", especially "mitochondria", were significantly enriched GO terms. The expression of genes related to the “electron transport chain” and “cell redox homeostasis” pathways related to mitochondrial function significantly showed low expression patterns in both A_vivo and A_vitro groups. WGCNA analysis to explore gene expression modules specific to A_vivo. Trait-modules association analysis showed that the red modules were most associated with in vivo aging. There are a total of 959 genes in the red module, which are mainly enriched in “RNA binding”, “mRNA metabolic process”, etc. GO terms, and “spliceosome” and “nucleotide excision repair” pathways. DNAJC7, IK, and DDX18 were at the hub of the gene regulatory network. And these genes were all expressed higher in A_vivo. In summary, POA affects the organelle function of oocytes. A_vivo oocytes have some unique gene expression patterns. These genes may be potential anti-aging targets. This study helps us understand the detailed mechanism of POA and provides strategies for researching oocyte aging.

Background: Patients with burn scars often suffer from a ‘vicious cycle’ in which their skin becomes dry and pruritus. This greatly reduces patients' quality of life, but there is no well-known mechanism yet, and the development of drugs for effective treatment is necessary. Objective: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of cosmetic formulation containing arginine glutamate ion pair (named as RE:pair) on epidermal barrier function and reducing pruritus. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 patients [15 male and 5 female; average age 48.35 ± 13.13 years] participated in evaluating the effectiveness of using the RE:pair formula topically twice daily for up to 4 weeks after burn pruritus. Treatment efficacy was evaluated by Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for itching and pain, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration, Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) evaluation, and the patient’s overall satisfaction. Results: This formula was well-tolerated, with significant relief of NRS for itching and pain score after 2nd weeks and 4th weeks of application (p &lt; 0.05). The itching score was high in some patients, and overall, it decreased significantly after 4 weeks compared to before application. Also, the personal pain score decreased after 4th weeks. Overall TEWL showed 35 % improvement after 4th week, and 52 % improvement was confirmed in arms and 19 % in legs. The overall improvement effect of skin hydration was also 45 % (p = 0.0012), and the improvement effect was 40 % (p = 0.0371) in areas including arms and 54 % (p = 0.0313) in areas including legs. All patient satisfactory evaluations were "excellent". Conclusions: RE:pair formula was safe and effective in improving skin barrier and itch relief, and if further studies are conducted, it can be used as an excellent topical treatment for post-burn scar that strengthens the skin barrier.

Open pit mining is a common activity in the Yucatan peninsula for the extraction of limestone. This mining is known under the generic name of quarries, and regionally as sascaberas (sascab=white soil in Mayan language). These areas are characterized by the total removal of the natural vegetation cover and soil in order to have access to the calcareous material. The present study shows the composition and structure of the vegetation in five quarries after approximately ten years of abandonment, and the conserved vegetation near to each one of the quarries in southeastern Quintana Roo. Using a canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), the distribution of the species was determined in relation to the edaphic variables: soil depth, percentage of organic matter (OM), cationic exchange capacity (CEC), pH and texture. 26 families, 46 genera and 50 species were recorded in the quarries and 25 families, 45 genera and 47 species were recorded in the conserved areas. The dominant species in the quarries belong to the families Poaceae, Fabaceae, Rubiaceae and Anacardiaceae. The quarries with higher values of OM (1.63%), CEC (24.05 Cmol/kg), depth (11 cm) and sand percentage (31.33%) include the following species like Lysiloma latisiliquum, Metopium brownei and Bursera simaruba which are commonly found in secondary forests. On the other hand, quarries with lower values of OM (0.39%), CEC (16.58 Cmol/kg) and depth (5.02), and higher percentage of silt (42.44%) were dominated by herbaceous species belonging to the Poaceae family and by Borreria verticillata, which are typical in disturbed areas of southeastern Mexico. In all cases, the pH was slightly alkaline due to the content of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), characteristic of the soils of the region. The edaphic variables are significantly correlated with the development and distribution of vegetation, and with the structure of the communities.

The roots, leaves, and other parts of American ginseng contain ginsenosides and polyphenols, among other bioactive components. So far, reports on exploring the changes in bioactive components within its leaves after heat treatment have been limited. In the present study, we investigated the effects of far-infrared irradiation (FIR) heat treatment from 160 to 200 ℃ on the deglycosylation and dehydration rates of the bioactive components in American ginseng leaves. As the temperature was increased, the amounts of constant ginsenosides decreased while those of rare ginsenosides increased. After FIR heat treatment of the American ginseng leaves at an optimal 190 ℃, the highest total polyphenolic content and kaempferol content were detected, the antioxidant activity was significantly enhanced, and the amounts of rare ginsenosides F4, Rg6, Rh4, Rk3, Rk1, Rg3, and Rg5 were 41, 5, 37, 64, 222, 17, and 266 times higher than those in the untreated leaves, respectively. Moreover, the radical scavenging rates for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), and the reducing power of the treated leaf extract, were 2.17, 1.86, and 1.77 times higher, respectively. Hence, optimal FIR heat treatment at 190 ℃ is an efficient method for producing beneficial bioactive components from American ginseng leaves.

Nondestructive determination of the neutron irradiation induced embrittlement of nuclear reactor pressure vessel steel is a very important and recent problem. In the frame of the so called NOMAD project, funded by the Euratom research and training program, novel nondestructive electromagnetic testing methods were applied for inspection of irradiated reactor pressure vessel steel. In this review the most important results of this project are summarized. Different methods were used and compared with each other. Measurement results were compared with the destructively determined ductile to brittle transition temperature (DBTT) values. Three magnetic methods: 3MA (micromagnetic, multiparameter, microstructure and stress analysis), MAT (magnetic adaptive testing) and Barkhausen noise technique (MBN) were found as the most promising techniques. The results of these methods were in good confidence with each other. Good correlation was found between the magnetic parameters and the DBTT values. The basic idea of the NOMAD project is to use a multi-method/multi-parameter approach and to focus on their synergies that allows to recognise the side effects therefore supressing them at the same time. Different types of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms were tested in competition and their performances were evaluated. The important outcome of the ML technique is that not only one, but several different ML techniques could reach required precision and reliability, i.e. to keep the DBTT prediction error lower than +/-25°C threshold, which was previously not possible for any of the NDE methods as single entities. A calibration/training procedure was carried out on the merged outcome of testing methods with excellent results to predict transition temperature, yield strength and mechanical hardness for all investigated materials. Our results, achieved within NOMAD project can be useful for the future potential introduction of this (and in general, any) nondestructive evolution method.

Dengue virus infections are a serious public health problem worldwide. Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue in Cuba. Since there is no vaccine or specific treatment, the control efforts are directed to reduce mosquito populations. The indiscriminate use of pesticides can lead to increase insecticide resistance as well as adverse effects on human health. The sterile insect technique is a species-specific and environmental friendly method of insect control based on the release of large numbers of sterile males. The success of this technique in sustainable control of agricultural pests has encouraged its evaluation for mosquito control. Here, we describe an open field trial to evaluate the effect of the release of irradiated males on a wild population of Aedes aegypti. The case-control study was performed in a suburb of Havana, and compared the mosquito population before and after the intervention, in both control and treated areas. The wild population was monitored by an ovitrap network, recording frequency and density of eggs as well as their hatch rate. A significant induced sterility was observed in the field population, compared to the control. The ovitrap index and the mean eggs/ trap declined dramatically after an expected lag period of twelve and five weeks, respectively. For the last three weeks, no egg was collected in the treated area, evidencing a significant suppression of the wild population. We conclude that the sterile males released competed successfully, and induced enough sterility to suppress the local Aedes aegypti population.

We utilized laser irradiation as a potential technique in tuning the electrical performance of NiOx/SiO2 thin film transistors (TFTs). By optimizing the laser fluence and the number of laser pulses, the TFT performance is evaluated in terms of mobility, threshold voltage, on/off current ratio and subthreshold swing, all of which were derived from the transfer and output characteristics. The 500 laser pulses irradiated NiOx/SiO2 TFT exhibited an enhanced mobility of 3 cm2/V-s from a value of 1.25 cm2/V-s for as-deposited NiOx/SiO2 TFT. The laser-irradiated NiOx material likely has a significant concentration of defect gap states, which could also be involved in light absorption processes. Second, and more importantly, the excess energy that the photogenerated charge carriers possess (due to the significant difference between the photon energy and the bandgap of NiOx), combined with the very high light intensity, would result in complex thermal and photo thermal changes thus resulting in an enhanced electrical performance of p-type NiOx/SiO2 TFT structure.

Previous studies suggested that trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) is effective in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in children and adolescents. However, the effects of app-assisted TF-CBT-based interventions in psychiatric clinics compared to treatment-as-usual (TAU) are under-explored. The purpose of this study was to reveal the added value of the app-assisted TF-CBT-based intervention as an add-on to TAU. The digitalized measures of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS), The Adolescent Dissociative Experience Scale (A-DES), Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ), PTSD Checklist (PCL-5), and Children's Post-Traumatic Cognitions Inventory (CPTCI) were applied at baseline and post-treatment. The app-assisted TF-CBT-based group participants started with higher levels of negative alterations in cognition and mood compared to TAU participants but at post-treatment, no significant differences were observed between the app-assisted TF-CBT and TAU groups. Within the app-assisted TF-CBT group, post-treatment scores were significantly lower in post-traumatic stress symptoms, intrusion symptoms, alterations in arousal and reactivity, overall post-traumatic cognitions, and belief in being "a fragile person in a scary world”. Within the TAU group, post-treatment scores were notably lower just in dissociation and intrusion symptoms. The study suggests that app-assisted TF-CBT-based intervention can be effective in addressing specific trauma-related symptoms. The findings imply the necessity for screening for traumatic experiences, incorporating trauma-informed care, implementation of TF-CBT into treatment protocols, utilization of app-assisted interventions, tailoring interventions to individual needs, and comprehensive assessment and monitoring of treatment progress.

Background: This study aimed to examine the course of Depression and anxiety in COVID-19 survivors with a psychiatric history compared with those without a psychiatric history. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey for COVID-19 survivors was conducted from July to September 2021. 6016 COVID-19 survivors, the accuracy of whose responses was determined to be assured, were included in analyses. Exposures included psychiatric history and time since COVID-19 infection, and the main outcomes and measures included severity of depression and anxiety, as assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), respectively. Results: Mean severity of PHQ-9 and GAD-7 were significantly higher in participants with a psychiatric history than in those without a psychiatric history. Two-way analysis of covariance for PHQ-9 showed a significant main effect of the presence of psychiatric history and a significant interaction effect of psychiatric history × time since infection. Two-way analysis of covariance for the GAD-7 score revealed a significant main effect of the presence of psychiatric history and time since COVID-19 infection and the interaction effect of these factors. Conclusions: The course of depression and anxiety was more severe in COVID-19 survivors with a psychiatric history than in those without a psychiatric history.

Direct and indirect effects after mine operations cease must ideally be subject to perpetual monitoring routines in order to detect possible risks or avoid adverse effects on the surrounding ecosystems at an early stage. In this contribution, mining subsidence lakes created inside the nature reserve Kirchheller Heide and Hilsfeld Forest are subjected to analysis for a long-term monitoring scheme. For this purpose, we employ high-resolution unmanned aerial system (UAS)-based multispectral and thermal mapping tools to provide a fast, non-invasive and multitemporal environmental monitoring method. Specifically, we propose to monitor vegetation evolution through multispectral analysis, biotypes identification using machine learning algorithms, and water surface extent detection, together with their thermal behavior. The aim of this contribution is to present the proposed workflow and first results to establish a baseline for future analyses and subsequent surveys for longterm multi-temporal monitoring

Non-impregnated small pore graphite (NSPG) with the compact microstructure for using in molten salt reactors (MSR) was prepared by the novel process, and the pore diameter of the obtained graphite was reduced to ~800 nm. The irradiation evaluation of the prepared graphite was carried out by 7 MeV Xe26+ ion irradiation and the microstructural changes of the graphite were investigated with IG-110 as a comparison. The graphitization degree of NSPG was higher than that of IG-110, though it was not subjected to an impregnation process. Under low-dose ion irradiation (

In this paper, the effects on the rheological properties, particle size distribution, and fluorescence properties of red wine were investigated under microwave irradiation, and the mechanism of the effects of microwave irradiation on the sensory properties of red wine was discussed. The results showed that the effect of microwave on the rheological properties in red wine could be fitted by the Power-law model and Carson model, through the analysis of the rheological constants, yield stress, and viscosity coefficient of wine, it was found that microwave treatment could improve leg phenomenon and thickening effect by the change of rheological properties; the particle size distribution in wine indicated that microwave irradiation did change the particle size distribution through friction effect and oxidative polymerization, resulting in the wine’s visual effect and mouthfeel; the wine quality could be improved by enhancing the fluorescence intensity under different microwave conditions, which meant that microwave technology could speed up the formation of fluorescent substances, such as the polymerization of flavan-3-ols. In conclusion, microwave treatment could modify the sensory characteristics of wine, and further provide the theoretical basis for the application of microwave in winemaking.

CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst is a commonly used catalyst for rea methanol steam reforming reaction. Oxalic acid was as precipitant in preparing oxalate precursor of CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst by co-precipitation, deionized water and ethanol were as solvents, microwave irradiation and water bath were as aging heating manner respectively. It indicated that ethanol selected crystal phase composition of oxalate precursors and restricted their growth. Microwave irradiation prompted the isomorphous substitution between Cu2+ of CuC2O4 and Zn2+ of ZnC2O4 in mother liquid, forming the master phase (Cu,Zn)C2O4 in precursor, the solid solution Cu-O-Zn formed after calcination, which exhibited nano-fibriform morphology. It possessed small CuO grains, large surface area and strong synergy between CuO and ZnO, which is beneficial to improve the catalytic performance of methanol steam reforming, the STY of H2 reached 516.7 mL·g-1·h-1, and the selectivity of CO was only 0.29%.

The aim of this study is to compare different methods used for determination of the DS for sulfonated membranes before and after high dose irradiation. Commercial PEEK was homogenously sulfonated up to DS of 60-90% and the membranes were prepared using solvent casting method. Part of the samples were irradiated with 10 MeV electron beam up to 500 kGy dose to assess the ionising radiation induced effects. Both non-irradiated and irradiated membranes were characterized by Fourier Transformation infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), electrochemical impedance analysis and for the first time for non-irradiated membranes by spectrophotometric analysis with Cr(III). Comparison of the above-mentioned methods for application for DS assessment was done. It was observed that irradiated membranes presented a higher value of DS. Appearance of different new signals in 1H-NMR and FT-IR spectra of irradiated membranes indicated the effects of radiation induced changes in the structure of SPEEK materials. It was determined that the novel method with Cr(III) is applicable for the determination of SPEEK DS under 80%.

A CoCrFeNiNb0.65 eutectic high-entropy alloys (EHEAs) prepared by arc melting were irradiated with a 100 keV He+ ion beam. Swelling, helium bubbles and mechanical response induced by irradiation were evaluated. When the ion fluence reached 1.0×1018 ions/cm2, the irradiation-induced swelling occurred on the sample surface, and as the ion fluence increasing, the swelling became increasingly severe and the surface of Nb-rich phase appeared peeling and shedding. Meanwhile, along the boundaries of matrix and Nb-rich phase there was a neat line of helium bubbles. The size of these helium bubbles decreased with distance from the center of the helium bubble layer. This result indicated that the phase boundaries were favorable sites for the nucleation and gathering of helium bubbles. Nanoindentaion results indicated that hardening and softening induced by He+ ion irradiation occurred in various ion fluences. At ion fluence of 5.0×1017 ions/cm2, the CoCrFeNiNb0.65 EHEAs exhibited an obvious hardening behavior, which can be explained by dislocation-dominated hardening effect. When the ion fluence reached 1.0×1018 ions/cm2 and 2.0×1018 ions/cm2, the hardening effect decreased probably due to the helium bubble aggregation and growth, as well as helium bubbles induced noncompact structures. The results of this study provide insights into the effect of helium bubbles on mechanical evolution and pave the way for designing EHEAs suitable for the nuclear industry.

The papaya mealybug Paracoccus marginatus is an invasive, polyphagous pest and poses a quarantine threat to tropical and subtropical countries. Infested commodity internationally should be undergoing phytosanitary treatment, while irradiation is recommended to replace methyl bromide fumigation. Dose-response tests were conducted on the 2-, 4-, and 6-d-old eggs and gravid females of P. marginatus using the X-ray radiation doses of 15–105 Gy with an interval of 15 Gy, respectively. Radiotolerance was compared using fiducial overlapping and lethal dose ratio (LDR) test, resulting in insignificant difference except for LDR test at LD90 (leading 90% mortality at 95% confidence level (CL)); the estimated dose for 99.9968% mortality at 95% CL was 176.5–185.2 Gy, which was validated in the confirmatory tests using gamma irradiation because gammy and X-rays have equal biological effect on pests. Therefore, a total of estimating 60,386 gravid females of papaya mealybug irradiated with 146.8–185.0 Gy resulted in no F1 nymphs developing. Eggs can therefore be used as an alternative to gravid females for dose-response tests; the recommended minimum dose for phytosanitary treatment of P. marginatus on infested commodity is 185 Gy, with treatment efficacy ≥ 99.9950% at 95% CL.

The use of vitamin D (VitD) supplements has become widespread in the last decade due not only to the dissociation between the blood levels recommended as "optimal" and those shown by the healthy population, but also to its presumed beneficial effects on multiple disorders. This work evaluated the levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in a healthy population of European origin living in a region with high solar irradiation. In serum samples from a population-based study conducted in the Canary Islands, levels of 25(OH)D were analyzed. In 876 individuals who had no history of kidney or malabsorption disorders and who had not been treated with calcium and/or VitD supplementation, the median 25(OH)D level was 26.3 (5th;95th percentile, 14.3;45.8)ng/mL. Notably, 65.4% of the population had 25(OH)D blood levels below 30ng/mL, 23.4% below 20ng/mL and 6.4% below 15ng/mL. Based on the lack of evidence supporting causality between 25(OH)D levels below what is recommended as optimal (≥20ng/mL, or even ≥30ng/mL) and major skeletal and non-skeletal diseases, and in light of the distribution of the concentration of this vitamin in healthy adults living under optimal conditions of solar irradiation, it seems reasonable to consider 25(OH)D levels below 20ng/mL and close to 15ng/mL as adequate for the general population.

The tumor suppressor protein p53 is considered a guardian of genome integrity, regulating the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in response to irradiation to block the transmission of teratogenic mutations to progeny cells. We examined the function of p53 in highly radiosensitive tissues, the developing brain and mature testis, using a small fish model, medaka (Oryzias latipes). Medaka offer advantages as a vertebrate model system, as the transparency and small size of the embryos enables clear detection of apoptotic cells in the developing brain. In addition, the simple architecture of medaka testes enables more precise identification of the differentiating spermatogenic stages compared with mammals. We found that in irradiated p53-deficient embryonic brain, diminished induction of apoptosis facilitated tissue regeneration earlier compared to irradiated wild-type embryos, which remained structural abnormalities in the retina at hatching. Moreover, the prominent delay in apoptotic induction in irradiated p53-deficient testes could induce transient mis-differentiation during spermatogenesis, such as the formation of ovum-like cells (testis-ova). However, all testis-ova cells were eliminated via p53-independent apoptosis, and spermatogenesis was completely restored within 1 month after irradiation. Collectively, these data indicate that p53 is not indispensable for the restoration of irradiation-induced damaged tissues.

Suzuki cross-coupling reaction has developed one of the furthermost effectual approaches for the synthesis of biaryls or substituted aromatic moieties from aryl halides and arylboronic acids with a palladium-catalyst in the past two era’s. Herein, Pd-free layered double hydroxide containing nickel catalysts were prepared by co-precipitation method under ultrasonic irradiation and N2 atmosphere with different molar ratios of Ni: Mg: Al and coded as (1NiLDHs-Dr), (1.5NiLDHs-Dr) and (2NiLDHs-Dr). A series of reduced catalysts under 5%H2/N2 at different temperatures were coded as 1NiLDHs-R200, 1.5NiLDHs-R200 and 2NiLDHs-R200. As-synthesized 2NiLDHs-Dr was the superlative catalyst when coupling different aryl halides with different boronic acids derivatives. Deep investigation of all catalysts was done using different techniques such as inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) connected with energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) and N2-physisorption at -196 ℃. The results attained verified that ɑ-Ni(OH)2 was fashioned for 2NiLDHs-Dr catalyst and the enclosure of nickel ions in the cationic sheet of layered structure were responsible for the fascinating catalytic efficacy rather than the basic nature of material. The Ni-containing LDHs catalysts encourage forthcoming studies in Pd-free catalyzed C-C coupling reactions.

Iron Doped TiO₂ nanoparticles (Fe-TiO₂) were synthesized and photocatalitically investigated under high and low fluence values of UV-radiation. The Fe-TiO₂ physical characterization was performed using X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) technique. The XPS evidenced that ferric ion (Fe³⁺) was in the lattice of TiO₂ and co-dopants no intentionally added were also present due to the precursors of the synthetic method. The Fe³⁺ concentration played a key role in the photocatalytic generation of hydroxyl radical (•OH) and estriol (E3) degradation. Fe-TiO₂ materials accomplished E3 degradation, and it was found that the catalyst with 0.3 at. % content of Fe (0.3 Fe-TiO₂) enhanced the photocatalytic activity under low UV-irradiation compared with no intentionally Fe-added TiO₂ (zero-iron TiO₂) and Aeroxide^® TiO₂ P25. Furthermore, the enhanced photocatalytic activity of 0.3 Fe-TiO₂ under low UV-irradiation may have applications when radiation intensity must be controlled, as in medical applications, or when strong UV absorbing species are present in water.

Premortem clinical diagnoses and postmortem autopsy findings do not match throughout history. These clinicopathological discrepancies are expected to be raised during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic due to increased pressure on healthcare. At the same time, autopsies and clinicopathological discrepancies accurately display the quality of the healthcare system. To assess that, we examined the relevant works of literature according to the PRISMA-based protocol. As discrepancy rate changes in the correlation to the length of stay in the hospital, we also checked whether studies with patients from the intensive care unit (ICU) differed in discrepancies significantly. We found overall risk differences pretty much alike in "pre-COVID" and "during the pandemic" groups of studies. Based on that, we concluded that healthcare quality did not drop significantly during the pandemic. Be it as it may, the pandemic exposed some shortcomings in mortem healthcare regarding consensus to the autopsy, organ retention, burial, and the postponed burial or the digitalization of post mortem healthcare. All of these issues should be addressed in the future.

The embryonic epicardium originates from the proepicardium, an extracardiac primordium constituted by a cluster of mesothelial cells. In early embryos, the embryonic epicardium is characterized by a squamous cell epithelium resting on the myocardium surface. Subsequently, it invades the subepicardial space and thereafter the embryonic myocardium by means of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Within the myocardium, epicardial-derived cells present multilineage potential, later differentiating into smooth muscle cells and contributing both to coronary vasculature and cardiac fibroblasts in the mature heart. Over the last decades, we have progressively increased our understanding of those cellular and molecular mechanisms driving proepicardial/embryonic epicardium formation. This study provides a state-of-the-art review of the transcriptional and emerging post-transcriptional mechanisms involved in the formation and differentiation of the embryonic epicardium.

Background: Whilst lack of concentration is a known symptom of anaemia, its association with post-stroke dementia is unclear. Methods: We used data from a UK regional stroke register. To be eligible, patient must have survived to discharge and had anaemia by WHO criteria. Dementia status and other prevalent co-morbidities were assessed using ICD-10 codes. Patients were followed till May 2015 (mean follow-up 3.7 years, total person years = 27,769). Hazard Ratio for incident dementia was calculated using Cox-proportional hazards model controlling for potential confounders. Fine and Gray model was additionally constructed using mortality as the competing risk. Results: A total of 7,454 stroke patients were included with mean age (SD) of 75.9(12.3) years (50.2% men). Those with anaemia were older, has higher disability and co-morbidity burden prior to stroke. We observed a large amount of variation in the dementia incidence rates over time and that the hazard ratio increased every year. The significant association between anaemia and dementia incidence was lost after controlling for pre-stroke Modified Rankin score (HR1.17(0.97,1.40)). With every 20g/dL increase in Hb was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of dementia after adjustment for age, sex, stroke factors and disability but lost significance after adjustment for vascular risk factors. Competing risk analyses showed similar results. Conclusion: Whilst we found no evidence of anaemia as a risk factor for post-stroke dementia, the findings may be limited by potential under recognition of post stroke dementia.

Chert rock is a by-product of sand quarrying (about 40% in the geological section). All attempts to use ordinary technologies for aggregate production from chert have been economically unsuccessful, resulting in significant chert "waste" accumulation covering vast quarry areas. This paper presents the study results of the effect of microwave irradiation on the mechanical properties of chert gravel, which is mineralogically relatively homogenous and consists of fine quartz grains. The results show that an increase in irradiation time decreases the strength of chert gravel (by a factor of 4-6 for the 2.5 min of irradiation), while the quenching changes the fractional content of the samples after the crushing test, decreasing the Gravel-to-Sand ratio.

Background: Radiotherapy is an important part of the medical therapy concept treating tumors in the head and neck region; however, the impact on the field of dentistry could be im-mense. The objective of this study was to evaluate the microtensile bond strength (µTBS) of uni-versal adhesives and to compare the results of different application modes (etch-and-rinse and self-etch) on irradiated and sound human dentin. Methods: Dentin specimen of 180 extracted human wisdom teeth were divided in two superordinate groups. Ninety teeth received either no irradiation (control group) or the high-level therapeutic dose of 60 Gy (test group) applied frac-tionally (2 Gy/day, 5 days/week, 6 weeks). Samples from each group were randomly divided in-to six subgroups assigned to three established universal adhesives (Futurabond® U, VOCO; AdheSE® Universal, Ivoclar Vivadent; Xeno® Select, Dentsply) in both conceivable application modes: etch-and-rinse and self-etch (n = 15). Bond strength was assessed with a universal testing machine immediately after application and light curing of the adhesive materials. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way ANOVA (p<0.01) and Tukey's test (p<0.05). Results: The effect of dentin irradiation and application mode for the adhesive restoration was found to be significant (p<0.01, ANOVA). In all groups, a decrease of µTBS could be observed when used on irradiated dentin. However, no significant influence of high level radiation on the bond strength of Futurabond® U and AdheSE® Universal in both modes could be evaluated (p>0.05, Tukey´s test). Solely in the case of the adhesive system Xeno® Select, significantly reduced bond strength could be determined in self-etch mode after irradiation (group 60 Xse) compared to the control group (0 Xse) (p<0.05, Tukey´s test). Conclusions: Within the limitations of an in vitro study, some effects of high-level tumor irradiation on the bond strength of universal adhesives can be detected. However, these effects were strongly depending on the used material and application mode.

Date palm trees generate large amounts of various types of waste, including leaf sheath fibers which can be used as a low-cost, precursor for production of biochar including activated carbon (AC) that can be employed for adsorption of contaminants. In the current study, activated carbon was made from leaf sheath fibers of date palm (LSDPFAC) by use of chemical activation with K2CO3, combined with microwave irradiation, characterized and evaluated for its adsorptive capacity of lead ions (Pb2+). The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, Langmuir surface area, total pore volume and average pore diameter of LSDPFAC were 560.20 m2/g, 744.31 m2/g, 0.29 cm3/g and 2.47 nm respectively. When the initial concentrations of Pb2+ were increased from 1 to 10 mg/L, Pb2+ adsorption increased from 0.97 to 8.76 mg/g, dry mass (dm) while the percent of Pb2+ removed decreased from 96.70 to 87.60%. The greatest removal of Pb2+ occurred at pH 13 with adsorption capacity of 9.15 mg/g, dm. Results of isotherm and kinetic studies demonstrated that adsorption of Pb2+ onto LSDPFAC was best described by the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second order (PSO) models. Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity, Qm was 14.10 mg/g. Thermodynamic parameters of H°, S°, G° and Ea were 6.39 kJ/mol, 0.12 kJ/mol.K, -31.28 kJ/mol and 15.90 kJ/mol, respectively, which demonstrated that adsorption of Pb2+ by LSDPFAC was endothermic, spontaneous and governed by physisorption.

Mesoporous TiO2/reduced graphene oxide/Ag (TiO2/RGO/Ag) ternary nanocomposite with effective electrons transfer pathway is obtained by an electrostatic self-assembly method and photo-assisted treatment. Compared with bare mesoporous TiO2 (MT) and mesoporous TiO2/RGO (MTG), the ternary mesoporous TiO2/RGO/Ag (MTGA) nanocomposite exhibited superior photocatalytic performance for the degradation of MB under visible light, and the degradation rate reached 0.017 min-1, which was 3.4 times higher than that of MTG. It is proposed that Ag nanoparticles can form the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) to absorb the visible light and distract the electrons into MT, and RGO can accept the electrons from MT to accelerate the separation efficiency of carriers. The establishment of MTGA ternary nanocomposite make the three components act synergistic effect to enhance the photocatalytic performance.

The Sars-Cov-2 pandemic led to several needed containing measures that conditioned the onset of depressive, anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms in population. These symptoms, espe-cially if not diagnosed and treated, can also occur in patients undergoing surgery with high im-pact on people’s lives, like hysterectomy. To evaluate the post-surgical distress and anx-ious-depressive symptoms following hysterectomy for benign disease focusing on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. The prospective observational cohort study included patients undergoing hysterectomy for benign disease. Psychologic evaluation through social-demographic question-naires was obtained before surgery (T1), postoperatively (T2), and 3 months after surgery (T3). The HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) was used to evaluate anxious-depressive symptoms and the PCL-5 (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5) compared the on-set of post-surgical distress and anxiety and depressive symptoms. The pre-COVID-19 pan-demic period was compared to the post-COVID-19 pandemic phase. Patients treated after COVID-19 pandemic showed higher depressive symptoms rate compared to those treated before (p-value=0.02); conversely, pre-COVID-19 patients were more prone to develop a PTSD (p-value=0.04). A significative association between the occurrence PTSD and anxiety-depressive symptoms registered at T2 a (p-value=0.007) and T3 (p-value

Long COVID (LC) encompasses a constellation of long-term symptoms experienced by at least 10% of people after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, and so far has affected about 65 million people. The etiology of LC remains unclear; however, many pathophysiological pathways may be involved, including viral persistence; chronic, low grade inflammatory response; immune dysregulation and defective immune response; reactivation of latent viruses; autoimmunity; persistent endothelial dysfunction and coagulopathy; gut dysbiosis; hormonal dysregulation, mitochondrial dysfunction; and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. There are no specific tests for the diagnosis of LC, and clinical features including laboratory findings and biomarkers may not specifically relate to LC. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to develop and validate biomarkers that can be employed for the prediction, diagnosis and prognosis of LC and its therapeutic response. Promising candidate biomarkers that are found in some patients are markers of systemic inflammation including acute phase proteins, cytokines and chemokines; biomarkers reflecting SARS-CoV-2 persistence, reactivation of herpesviruses and immune dysregulation; biomarkers of endotheliopathy, coagulation and fibrinolysis; microbiota alterations; diverse proteins and metabolites; hormonal and metabolic biomarkers; as well as cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers. At present, there are only two reviews summarizing relevant biomarkers; however, they do not cover the entire umbrella of current biomarkers or their link to etiopathogenetic mechanisms, and the diagnostic work-up in a comprehensive manner. Herein, we aim to appraise and synopsize the available evidence on the typical laboratory manifestations and candidate biomarkers of LC, their classification based on main LC symptomatology in the frame of the epidemiological and pathogenetic aspects of the syndrome, and furthermore assess limitations and challenges as well as potential implications in candidate therapeutic interventions.

Chikungunya virus is a re-emerging mosquito-borne alphavirus. Outbreaks are unpredictable and explosive in nature. Fever, arthralgia, and rash are common symptoms during the acute phase. Diagnostic tests are required to differentiate chikungunya virus from other co-circulating arboviruses, as symptoms can overlap, causing a dilemma for clinicians. Arthritis is observed during the sub-acute and chronic phases, which can flare up, resulting in increased morbidity that adversely affects activities of daily living. During the 2019 chikungunya epidemic in Thailand, cases surged in Bangkok in the last quarter of the year. Here, we demonstrate the chronic sequelae of post-chikungunya arthritis in one of our patients 1 year after the initial infection. An inflammatory process involving edema, erythema, and tenderness to palpation of her fingers' flexor surfaces was observed, with positive chikungunya IgG and negative IgM tests and antigen. The condition produced stiffness in the patient’s fingers and limited their range of motion, adversely affecting daily living activities. Resolution of symptoms was observed with a short course of an anti-inflammatory agent. More research is required to determine whether sanctuaries enable chikungunya virus to evade the host immune response and remain latent, flaring up months later and triggering an inflammatory response that causes post-chikungunya arthritis.

In this paper, the single event burnout(SEB) and reinforcement structure of 1200V SiC MOSFET (SG-SBD-MOSFET) with split gate and schottky barrier diode(SBD) embedded were studied. The device structure was established using Sentaurus TCAD, and the transient current changes of single event effect(SEE), SEB threshold voltage, as well as the regularity of electricfield peak distribution transfer were studied when heavy ions were incident from different regions of the device. Based on SEE analysis of new structural device, two reinforcement structure designs for SEB resistance were studied, namely the expansion of P+body contact area and the design of multi-layer N-type interval buffer layer. Firstly, two reinforcement schemes for SEB were analyzed separately, and then comprehensive design and analysis were carried out. The results showed that the SEB threshold voltage of heavy ions incident from the N+source region was increased by 16% when using the P+body contact area extension alone; When the device is reinforced with multi-layer N-type interval buffer layer alone, the SEB threshold voltage increases by 29%; The comprehensive use of P+body contact area expansion and multi-layer N-type interval buffer layer reinforcement increased the SEB threshold voltage by 33%. Overall, the breakdown voltage of the reinforced device decreased from 1632.935V to 1403.135V, which can be seen as reducing the remaining redundant voltage to 19%. The device performance was not significantly affected.

This study aimed to assess the impact of different modes of laser irradiation on the bactericidal efficacy of aPDT. Dentin plates were prepared by sectioning the crown dentin of bovine teeth infected with Streptococcus sobrinus. Nine aPDTs involving the combinations of three photosensitizers (brilliant blue, BB; acid red, AR; and methylene blue, MB) and three laser irradiation modes (50 mW for 120 s, 100 mW for 60 s, and 200 mW for 30 s) were performed for each infected dentin plate, and the control group consisted of the specimens not applied with aPDT. The bactericidal effects in 10 experimental groups were evaluated (n=11) using both assays of the colony-count and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The data obtained were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The aPDT performed with semiconductor laser in combination with BB, AR, and MB exerted a remarkable bactericidal effect. aPDT with MB exerted a more significant bactericidal effect in the colony-count assay. The results of aPDT performed with varying irradiation times and powers but with constant irradiation energy showed no difference with AR and MB between the modes, whereas BB showed a more significant bactericidal effect when irradiated for a shorter time at a higher irradiation power.

Laser-induced functionalisation using excimer laser irradiation has been widely applied to transparent conductive oxide films. However, exploring suitable irradiation conditions is time-consuming and cost-ineffective as there are numerous routine film fabrication and analytical processes. Thus, we herein explored a real-time technique to monitor the laser-induced functionalisation of transparent conductive oxide films. We developed two types of monitoring apparatus, electrical and optical, and applied them to magnetron-sputtered Sn-doped In2O3 films grown on glass substrates and hydrogen-doped In2O3 films on glass or plastic substrates using a picosecond Nd:YAG pulsed laser. Both techniques could monitor the functionalisation from a change in properties of the films on glass substrates by laser irradiation, but electrical measurement was unsuitable for plastic samples because of a laser-induced degradation of the underlying plastic substrate, which harmed proper electrical contact. Instead, we demonstrated that the optical properties in the near-infrared region were suitable for the monitoring and the changes in the optical properties were visually detected in real-time by using a near-infrared camera.

Over the past two decades, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have become the most widely studied porous crystalline materials. Its specific physical and chemical properties are determined by the arrangement of atoms (crystal structure). Therefore, the determination of its structure is arguably the most important characterization step for COFs. Although single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) is the most widely used method for structure determination, the size of COF crystals is too small, or their crystal quality is so poor that confirmation of their structure is limited to lattice fringes by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At present, many 2D-COFs have clear PXRD patterns, but not all 2D-COFs can obtain specific lattice fringes. This severely hinders the development of the COF field. Here, we discover the lattice shrinkage behavior of COFs under electron beam irradiation by comparing the lattice fringes of 2D-COFs under different conditions. By comparing the lattice fringes of TAPT-TFPT COF at room temperature and under liquid nitrogen freezing conditions, we found that the lattice fringes are in good agreement with the Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and theoretical values of COF (2.213 nm) under freezing conditions, however, the lattice fringe spacing is only 1.656 nm at room temperature. The discovery not only provides new insights into the TEM characterization of COFs, but also further expands the range of crystalline COF materials.

In order to study the effects of irradiation on the physicochemical properties and digestion behavior of chickpea protein, chickpea protein concentrate (CPC) was treated with electron beam irradiation (EBI) at doses of 5, 10, 15 and 20 kGy, respectively. After irradiation, protein solubility first increased at 10 kGy and 15 kGy, and then decreased at higher dose of 20 kGy. This was supported by SDS-PAGE where the intensity of major protein bands first increased and then decreased. Increased does of EBI generally led to greater oxidative modification of proteins in CPC, indicated by reduced sulfhydryls and increased carbonyls. In addition, protein structure was modified by EBI shown by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis where α-helix generally decreased and β-sheet increased. Although the protein digestibility was not significantly affected by EBI, the peptidomic analysis of the digests revealed significant difference among CPC irradiated with varying doses. A total of 337 peptides were identified from CPC irradiated with 0 kGy, 10 kGy and 20 kGy, respectively, with 18 overlapping peptides and 60, 29 and 40 peptides specific to the groups of 0, 10 and 20 kGy respectively. Theoretical calculation showed that the distribution of peptide length, hydrophobicity, net charge, and C-terminal residues were affected by irradiation. The 2, 2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity showed a marginal decrease with increasing dose of irradiation. In conclusion, EBI led to oxidative modification and structural changes of the chickpea protein, which subsequently affected the physicochemical properties of peptides obtained from in-vitro digestion of CPC despite of similar digestibility.

The review starts by highlighting the significance of nuclear power plants in contemporary world, especially its indispensable role in the global efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. Then, it describes the impact of irradiation on microstructure and mechanical properties of reactor structural materials. The main part provides the reader with a thorough overview of crystal plasticity models developed to address the irradiation effects so far. All three groups of most important materials are included. Namely, the Zr alloys used for fuel cladding, austenitic stainless steels used for reactor internals and ferritic steels used for reactor pressure vessel. Other materials, especially those considered for construction of future fission and fusion nuclear power plants, are also mentioned. The review pays also special attention to ion implantation and instrumented nanoindentation which are a common way to substitute costly and time-consuming neutron irradiation campaigns.

Different machine learning models (multiple linear regression, vector support machines, artificial neural networks and random forests) are applied to predict the monthly global irradiation (MGI) from different input variables (latitude, longitude and altitude of meteorological station, month, average temperatures, among others) of different areas of Galicia (Spain). The models were trained, validated and queried using data from three stations, and each best machine model was checked in two independent stations. The results obtained confirmed that the best ML methodology is the ANN model which presents the lowest RMSE value in the validation and querying phases 122.6·10kJ/(m2∙day) and 113.6·10kJ/(m2∙day), respectively, and predict conveniently for independent stations, 201.3·10kJ/(m2∙day) and 209.4·10kJ/(m2∙day), respectively. Given the good results obtained, it is convenient to continue with the design of artificial neural networks applied to the analysis of monthly global irradiation.

Chitosan decorated copper nanoparticles (CS/CuNPs) catalysts were synthesized via reduction methods utilizing green protocol. The CS/CuNPs hybrid catalysts were tested for the synthesis of quinoline derivatives utilizing one-pot multicomponent reaction (MCR) under ultrasonic irradiation. The best catalyst (CS/CuNPs) that provided good conversion reaction yield and high turnover frequency (TOF) was characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), , scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. Generalization of the scope of the proposed catalytic process was studied using different aldehydes. Excellent products yield and high TOF in even shorter reaction time (~5 min) was attained. Recyclability performance of the catalyst over five times re-use without detectable loss in product yield was recorded. The current method is green process utilizing environmentally benign catalyst and considered to be promising sustainable protocol for the synthesis of fine chemicals.

BACKGROUND This study investigated the association of postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) with cancer mortality using a general cohort of US adults. METHODS This cohort study included 14,860 US adults who attended the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1988 to 1994, with mortality being followed up to December 31, 2019. The experimental exposures were levels of plasma glucose, including PPG with a fasting time of 0-3.9 h (PPG_0-3.9h) and 4-7.9 h (PPG_4-7.9h), plasma glucose with a fasting time ≥ 8 h (PG_fasting), and plasma glucose at 2 h after oral glucose tolerance test (PG_2hOGTT). Plasma glucose-associated cancer mortality risk was assessed using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS A 1-natural-log-unit increase in PPG_4-7.9h was associated with a higher multivariate-adjusted risk for cancer mortality [hazard ratio (HR), 3.24; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.50-7.00]. However, PPG_0-3.9h, PG_fasting, PG_2hOGTT, hemoglobin A_1c, and insulin were not significantly associated with cancer mortality. The positive association of PPG_4-7.9h with cancer mortality remained in those without a prior diagnosis of cancer. CONCLUSIONS High PPG_4-7.9h is associated with a higher cancer mortality risk in US adults. Lowering PPG_4-7.9h may reduce cancer mortality.

Objectives: To examine the long term impact of COVID-19 on sleep patterns and development of sleep disorders. Methods: Using the centralized Massachusetts General Brigham (MGB) Research Patient Data Registry (RPDR), SARS-CoV2 positive patients were surveyed about their sleep patterns before and after the viral infection. Information related to co-morbid conditions and medications were obtained through chart review. Results: Two hundred and forty five completed surverys were analysed. Average age was 53.3 ± 16.3 years, and participants were predominantly Non-Hispanic White (84.1%) and female (74.3%). Average BMI (kg/m2) was 29.9 ± 6.9, and a greater proportion was non-smokers (63.2%). After COVID-19, there was an increase in the percentage of participants reporting difficulty initiating (31 ± 46% vs. 39 ± 49%, P=0.01), and maintaining sleep (43 ± 49% vs. 57 ± 49%, P<0.001), and use of sleep aids (24 ± 43% vs. 30 ± 45% P=0.003) with an incidence rate of 24.3%, 37.4%, and 12.3% respectively. In addition, there was an increase in daytime fatigue and the need for napping (58 ± 49% vs. 36 ± 48%, P <0.0001) with an incidence of 8% and 23% respectively. The sleep symptoms persisted beyond 12 months among 28% of the participants and were predominantly seen among women. Conclusions: Infection with SARS-CoV2 has negative effects on sleep, and a significant proportion of adults experience insomnia and daytime sleepiness beyond 12 months after recovering from the initial infection.

Despite the relative scarcity of studies focusing on pharmacotherapy in aphasia, there is evidence in the literature indicating that remediation of language disorders via pharmaceutical agents could be a promising aphasia treatment option. Among the various agents used to treat chronic aphasic deficits, cholinergic drugs have provided interesting results. In the current review, we focused on published reports investigating the impact of acetylcholine on language and further cognitive disturbances. It has been suggested that acetylcholine plays an important role in neuroplasticity and is related to several aspects of cognition, such as memory and attention. Moreover, cholinergic input is diffused to a wide network of cortical areas, which have been associated with language sub-processes. This could be a possible explanation for the positive reported outcomes of cholinergic drugs in aphasia recovery, and specifically in distinct language processes, such as naming and comprehension, as well as overall communication competence. However, evidence with regard to functional alterations in specific brain areas after pharmacotherapy is rather limited. Finally, despite the positive results derived from the relevant studies, cholinergic pharmacotherapy treatment in post-stroke aphasia has not been widely implemented. The present review aims to provide an overview of the existing literature in cholinergic pharmacotherapy interventions in post-stroke aphasia, following an integrated approach by converging evidence from neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neuropsychology.

Our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis has developed with several hypotheses over the last 40 years, including the Amyloid and Tau hypotheses, respectively. More recently, the p53 protein, well-known as ‘the guardian of the genome,’ has gained attention for its role in the early evolution of AD. This is due to p53’s central role in the control of oxidative stress and potential involvement in both Amyloid and Tau pathways. p53 is commonly regulated by post-translational modifications (PTMs), which affect its conformation, increasing its capacity to adopt multiple structural and functional states, including those that can influence several processes in AD. The following review will explore the impact of p53 post-translational modifications (PTMs) on its function and consequential involvement in AD pathogenesis.

Abstract Objectives To assess the causes and risk factors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adult asylum seekers and refugees. To explore whether the causes and risk factors of PTSD, between male and female adult refugees/ asylum seekers is different. Study design Systematic review of current literature. Data Sources PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar up until February 2019 Method A structured systematic search was conducted in the relevant databases. Papers were excluded, if they failed to meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Afterwards, a qualitative assessment was performed on the selected papers. Results 12 Studies were included for the final analysis. All papers were either case studies/report or cross sectional studies. The number of traumatic events experienced by refugees/asylum seekers, is the most frequently reported pre-migration causes for PTSD development. Whilst acculturative stress, is the most common post migration stressor. There were mixed reports, regarding the causes of PTSD between both genders of refugees/asylum seekers. Conclusion This reviews’ findings, have potential clinical application into helping clinicians, to risk stratify refugees/asylum seekers for PTSD development and thus aid in embarking on earlier intervention measures. However, more rigorous research similar to this one, is needed for it to be implemented into clinical practice.

Public key encryption methods are often used to create a digital signature, and where Bob has a public key and a private key. In order to prove his identity, he will encrypt something related to the message with his private key, and which can then be checked with his public key. The main current methods of public-key encryption include RSA and ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography), and which involve computationally difficult operations. But these operations have not been proven to be hard in an era of quantum computers. One well-known hard problem is the solving of quadratic equations with $m$ equations with $n$ variables. This is a known NP-hard problem, even in a world of quantum computers. These can be used as post-quantum signature schemes and which involve multivariate equations. In order to understand these methods, this paper outlines a simple example of implementing the oil and vinegar method, and where we have a number of unknown oil variables and a number of known vinegar variables, and where the vinegar variables help convert the hard problem into an easy one.

Biochirality is evident in the hierarchical relation of molecular and cellular physiology during organism development and aging. Chirality influences the higher levels of biological processes, such as perception, memory and cognition, through intermolecular interactions between DNA, proteins, and lipids. At the molecular level, an organism's aging is the accumulation of macro-molecules with the aberrant composition, chirality, and folding. Cellular aging is driven by the non-physiological phase transitions (PhTs) withing membrane-bound and membrane-less compartments. Genomic instability and protein aging, as the interconnected root-causes of cell and organism aging, share two essential feature – spontaneous nature and accumulation over a lifetime. Consequently, we will analyze the interaction between the enzymatic (Enz) and spontaneous (Sp) post-translational modifications (PTMs^Enz and PTMs ^Sp). Both forms of PTMs significantly contribute to the balance of L- and D-amino acids (L/D-AAs) in organisms, modulating the functions of nervous and immune systems. The most abundant form of PTM - enzymatic phosphorylation is bio-chemically associated with the spontaneous racemization (Rz^Sp). The crass talk of enzymatic phosphorylation and spontaneous racemization, as an essential determinant of protein aging and aggregation, associated with the aberrant autophagy, apoptosis, and cell signaling, is discussed in this review.

Tellurium exhibits exceptional intrinsic electronic properties. However, investigations into the modulation of tellurium's electronic properties through physical modification are notably scarce. Here, we present a comprehensive study focused on the evolution of the electronic properties of tellurium crystal flakes under plasma irradiation treatment by employing conductive atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The plasma-treated tellurium experienced a process of defect generation through lattice broken. Prior to the degradation of electronic transport performance due to plasma irradiation treatment, a remarkable observation emerged: in the low-energy region of hydrogen plasma-treated tellurium, a notable enhancement in conductivity was unexpectedly detected. The mechanism underlying this enhancement in electronic transport performance was thoroughly elucidated by comparing it with the electronic structure induced by argon plasma irradiation. This study not only fundamentally uncovers the effects of plasma irradiation on tellurium crystal flakes, but also unearths an unprecedented trend of enhanced electronic transport performance at low irradiation energies when utilizing hydrogen plasma. This abnormal trend bears significant implications for guiding the prospective application of tellurium-based 2D materials in the realm of electronic devices.

The process of ultrasonic atomization involves a series of dynamic/topological deformations of free surface, though not always, of a bulk liquid (initially) below the air. This study focuses on such dynamic interfacial alterations realized by changing some acousto-related operating conditions, including ultrasound excitation frequency, acoustic strength or input power density, and the presence/absence of a “stabilizing” nozzle. High-speed, high-resolution imaging made it possible to qualitatively identify four representative transitions/demarcations: 1) the onset of a protrusion on otherwise flat free surface; 2) the appearance of undulation along the growing protuberance; 3) the triggering of emanating beads fountain out of this foundation-like region; and 4) the induction of droplets bursting and/or mist spreading. Quantitatively examined were the two-parameters specifications—on the degrees as well as induction—of the periodicity in the protrusion-surface and beads-fountain oscillations, detected over wider ranges of driving/excitation frequency (0.43–3.0 MHz) and input power density (0.5–10 W/cm2) applied to the ultrasound transducer of flat surface on which the nozzle was mounted or not. The resulting time sequence of images processed for the extended operating ranges, regarding the fountain structure pertaining in particular to recurring beads, confirms the wave-associated nature, i.e., their size “scalability” to the ultrasound wavelength, predictable from the traveling wave relationship. The thresholds in acoustic conditions for each of the four transition states of the fountain structure have been identified—notably, the onset of plausible “bifurcation” in the chain-beads diameter below a critical excitation frequency.

TomoBreast hypothesized that hypofractionated 15 fractions/3 weeks image-guided radiation therapy (H-IGRT) can reduce lung-heart toxicity, as compared with normofractionated 25-33 fractions/5-7 weeks conventional radiation therapy (CRT). 123 women with stage I-II operated breast cancer were randomized to receive CRT (N=64) or H-IGRT (N=59). The primary endpoint used a four-items measure of the time to 10% alteration in any of patient self-reported measure, physician clinical evaluation, echocardiography or lung function tests, analyzed by intention-to-treat without exclusion. Results found comparable survivals, but H-IGRT significantly reduced the toxicity measured by lung diffusion capacity and alveolar volume as compared with CRT, G1 in 53% (31/59) versus 72% (44/61) patients, P=0.006; G2, 29% versus 48%, P=0.020. H-IGRT significantly reduced the risk of composite cardio-pulmonary alteration at 5 years, 10.2% versus 26.7%, P=0.024. In conclusion, TomoBreast is a proof-of-concept that image-guided radiation-therapy can improve the overall balance of lung-heart outcomes in breast cancer adjuvant therapy. Furthermore, the significance of the findings supports the efficacy of a small trial size design, which can be critical when clinical research resources are limited.

Fast neutron (FN) radiation mediated mutagenesis is a unique approach among the several induced mutagenesis methods being used in plant science in terms of impacted mutations. The FN mutagenesis usually creates deletions from a few bases to several million bases (Mb). A library of random deletion generated using FN mutagenesis lines can provide indispensable resources for the reverse genetic approaches. In this review, information from several efforts made using FN mutagenesis has been compiled to understand the type of induced mutations, frequency, and genetic stability. Concerns regarding the utilization of FN mutagenesis technique for a plant with different level of ploidy and genome complexity are discussed. We have highlighted the utility of next-generation sequencing techniques which can be efficiently utilized for the characterization of mutant lines as well as for the mapping of causal mutations. Pros and cons of Mut-map, MutChromSeq, exon capture, whole genome sequencing, MutRen-Seq, and different tilling approaches can be used for the detection of FN-induced mutation has also been discussed. Genomic resources developed using the FN mutagenesis have been catalogued wooing to meaningful utilization of the available resources. The information provided here will be helpful for the efficient exploration for the crop improvement programs and for better understanding of genetic regulations.

The effect of γ-ray irradiation on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing capability of refractive index (n = 1.418–1.448) of the silica glass optical fiber comprised of germano-silicate glass cladding embedded with Au nano-particles (NPs) was investigated. As the γ-ray irradiation increased from 1 hour to 3 hours with the dose rate of 1,190 Gy/h, the morphology of the Au NPs and the SPR spectrum were found to change. The average diameter of Au NPs increased with the aspect ratio from 1 to 2 and the nano-particles became grown to the clusters. The SPR peak wavelength shifted towards longer wavelength with the increase of total dose of γ-ray irradiation regardless of the corresponding refractive indices. The SPR sensitivities (wavelength/refractive index unit, nm/RIU) also increased from 407 nm/RIU to 3,553 nm/RIU, 1,483 nm/RIU, and 2,335 nm/RIU after the γ-ray irradiation at the total dose of 1,190 Gy, 2,380 Gy, and 3,570 Gy, respectively.

This article presents a narrative review of neonatal and paediatric complications in post-dated pregnancy and covers scientific views on the aetiology, pathology, risk factors, symptoms and complications of post-dated pregnancy. A pregnancy extending beyond 42 weeks of gestation is termed as a post term pregnancy. There are multiple complications that can occur in the perinatal period, some of the most common ones are stillbirth, asphyxia, meconium aspiration syndrome, fetal distress syndrome, etc which are found to be greater in post-dated pregnancy and hence ultimately leads to increased mortality and morbidity of the new born. Studies have shown that post-term pregnancy also causes increased risk of developing behavioural and emotional problems in children of paediatric age group. It is surprising not much importance has been given to the maternal and neonatal consequences of post- term pregnancies. It is not well understood why some women experience post-dated pregnancies. It is found that factors such as hormones and genetic build up, are responsible for causing post-term pregnancy in an obese female. The treatment and management of a post-term pregnancy still poses a challenge to clinicians in determining the right choice and right time for a particular intervention so that both mother and fetus can be prevented from having complications.

Introduction: Outcome measures using telerehabilitation (TR) in the context of post-stroke rehabilitation is an area of emerging research. The current review assesses the literature related to TR for patients requiring post-stroke rehabilitation. The purpose of this study additionally is to survey the outcome measures used in TR studies and to define which parts of the International Organization of Functioning are measured in trials. Methods: TR studies were searched in Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science from 2016 to June 2023. Two reviewers individually assessed the full text. Disagreements about inclusion or exclusion were determined by consensus or by checking with a third reviewer. Results: A total of 24 studies were included in the current review. The results were synthesized and reported considering the implications of the results within clinical practice, areas of investigation, and strategic implementation. Conclusions: The current scoping review recognized a wide range of outcome measures used in TR studies and helped elucidate gaps in the current use of outcome measures in the literature. The scoping review also informs researchers and end users (i.e. clinicians and policymakers) regarding the most suitable outcome measures for TR.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of Chitosan 0.2% in various final cleaning methods on the bond strength of fiberglass post (FP) to intrarradicular dentin. Ninety bovine incisors were sectioned to obtain root remnants measuring 18 mm in length. The roots were divided: G1: EDTA 17%; G2: EDTA 17% + PUI; G3: EDTA 17% + EA; G4: EDTA 17% + XPF; G5: Chitosan 2%; G6: Chitosan 2% + PUI; G7: Chitosan 2% + EA; G8: Chitosan 2% +XPF. After carrying out the cleaning methods, the posts were installed, and the root cleaved to to generate two disks from each root third. Bond strength values (MPa) obtained from the micro push-out test data were assessed by Kruskal-Wallis and Dwass-Steel-Critchlow-Fligner tests for multiple comparisons (α = 5%). Differences were observed in the cervical third between G1 and G8 (p=0.038), G4 and G8 (p=0.003), G6 and G8 (p=0.049), and Control and G8 (p=0.019). The final cleaning method influenced the adhesion strength of cemented FP to intrarradicular dentin. Chitosan 0.2% + XPF positively influenced adhesion strength, with the highest values in the cervical third.

Actively combating post-harvest food spoilage and waste can dramatically increase the efficiency of food utilization worldwide. In climacteric fruits, chemical treatments such as 1-MCP are an effective way of reducing post-harvest spoilage and waste by inhibiting the fruit’s ability to perceive ethylene. 1-MCP treatment is increasingly being used to explore the complex nature of ripening physiology at a fundamental level, however, differences in application and quantitation methods create difficulties in comparing conclusions across studies. Here we report an effective and reproducible method for 1-MCP application and quantitation for small-medium sized research applications. By use of surrogate alkene standards 1-butene and cis-2-butene, the highly volatile and elusive 1-MCP molecule can be identified and quantified by gas chromatography and subsequent standard curves may be developed. It is hoped that the methodology outlined here can help standardize consistent 1-MCP application for post-harvest research without excessive investment in specialized equipment.

Post-evaluation of ecological redevelopment is a good method for its achievements. The eco-engineering technologies and achievements of landscape water reconstructed from aquaculture ponds in Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden have been introduced in this study. The sediments and water quality were also sampled and tested for basic physicochemical parameters and heavy metal concentration. The ecological redevelopment of landscape water reconstructed from aquaculture ponds was evaluated using the Nemero comprehensive pollution index method. The results shown that nutrients including organic matter, organic nitrogen and their ratio of sediment were found to be in a state of moderate pollution, while their ecological risk of heavy metals was low. Although total nitrogen and total phosphorus of water quality was really higher than that of other indexes, the decline trends of ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen and total phosphorus was obvious presented over time. In general, this is a good example that redevelopment of water ecosystems from aquaculture ponds using eco-engineering technologies.

Residential satisfaction with post-disaster housing is crucial for the success and sustainability of a resettlement project. However, little attention has been given to this aspect in the permanent houses developed after the 2015 Gorkha earthquake. To bridge this gap, the study examined factors affecting residential satisfaction among poor displaced households resettled in the Panipokhari Integrated Settlement of Nepal. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey, interviews, and field observation. Internal consistency and reliability were assessed using Cronbach's Alpha test, while satisfaction was measured by mean satisfaction scores. The relative importance index ranked the factors, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient analyzed their relationship with overall residential satisfaction. The study identified several crucial fac-tors influencing residential satisfaction, including the design and layout of the house, space for modification, provision of a kitchen garden and cattle shed, thermal comfort, completeness of the house, provision of a hearth, and spaces for rituals and cultural events. These findings shed light on the resettlement decisions of affected populations and provide valuable insights for policymakers, implementers, and researchers aiming for successful and sustainable resettlement outcomes.

Background: Optimal hypofractionated schedule of post-prostatectomy radiotherapy remains to be established. We evaluated treatment outcomes and toxicity of the moderately hypofractionated post-prostatectomy radiotherapy in 16 daily fractions delivered with IMRT/VMAT. The treatment schedule selection was motivated by limited technology resources. Methods: One hundred consecutive M0 patients with post-prostatectomy radiotherapy were evaluated. Radiotherapy indication was adjuvant (ART) in 19%, early salvage (eSRT) in 46% and salvage (SRT) in 35%. The dose prescription for prostate bed PTV was 52.8 Gy in 16 fractions of 3.3 Gy. The Common Terminology Criteria v.4 for Adverse Events scale was used for toxicity grading. Results: The median follow-up was 61 months. Five-year biochemical recurrence-free survival (bRFS) was 78.6%, distant metastases-free survival was 95.7% and overall survival was 98.8%. Treatment indication was the only significant factor for 5-year bRFS in multivariate analysis which was 84.6% vs. 67.6% for ART or eSRT vs. SRT respectively (HR 0.15, 95% CI 0.05–0.47, p=0.001). Acute GI toxicity grade 2 was recorded in 24%, grade 3 in 2% and acute GU toxicity grade 2 in 10% and no grade 3. Cumulative rate of late GI toxicity grade ≥2 was observed in 9% and late GU toxicity grade ≥2 in 16%. Conclusion: Observed results confirmed efficacy and acceptable toxicity of post-prostatectomy hypofractionated radiotherapy in 16 daily fractions.

Current study was to estimation the post-harvest loss of avocado at the producer level using cross-sectional data obtained from 385 proportionately sampled respondents from Wolaita and Kembata Tembaro Zones, the SNNPR of Ethiopia. Descriptive and multiple regression analysis were used to the amount and determinant of post harvest loss of avocado fruits. Estimated total post harvest- loss of avocados was 24%; of which 5.7% unacceptable harvesting methods and 4.9% of improper storage practices. The respondent's sex, education, income, training, contact with extension agents, distance from the nearest road, and off-farm income were found to be negative determinants, whereas storage accessibility and avocado harvest techniques were found to be positive determinants of post-harvest loss of avocado fruits. Post-harvest management techniques for avocados need to be better understood and used by avocado growers if they are to minimize losses. Post-harvest losses contribute considerably to food insecurity and create a problem for the source of revenue for people and the economy of the country as well. Therefore, the use of a practical and effective post-harvest loss reduction technique could be a sustainable solution to increase food availability, eliminate hunger and improve farmers' livelihoods.

The universal chirality is the commonly accepted view of nature. Biological chirality is the distinct part of the more general phenomena. Following this view, all living organisms are characterized by the non-equilibrium state of their molecular constituents. From the thermodynamic perspective, the non-equilibrium state of biomolecular ensemble holds inevitable consequences being the substrate of spontaneous reactions directed to equilibrium (not associated with life) state. At the protein level, spontaneous biological reactions represent the natural part of proteins' post-translational modifications (PTMs). The essential contribution to the origin and maintenance of the non-equilibrium state belongs to prevalent bio-molecular chirality. Correspondently, spontaneous PTMs such as racemization and glycation, working against life-supporting prevalent chirality, are known as the significant determinants of protein misfolding, dysfunctions, and aggregation. Accumulation of aberrant protein during life-span allows consideration of time-dependent spontaneous racemization and glycation as protein aging. Spontaneous PTMs of proteins is occurring in the interaction with other forms of enzymatic and non-enzymatic PTMs. In this review, we are considering the contribution of spontaneous racemization and non-enzymatic glycosylation to protein aging.

Smoking during pregnancy remains one of the most significant risk factors for poor birth outcomes. The Loma Linda University Health Comprehensive Tobacco Treatment Program (CTTP) is the largest maternal tobacco cessation program in San Bernardino County – the largest county in the contiguous US. CTTP is an eight week, incentivized, behavioral intervention for tobacco cessation for pregnant smokers. As part of program evaluation, we used a retrospective cohort design to assess smoking abstinence and to identify predictors of relapse/smoking after enrollment. Among CTTP cohort enrollees (n=233) from 2012-2013 we found: 1) a 28.4% 8 week point prevalence abstinence (PPA), and at a median of 9 months of follow-up after the PPA, 81.6% continued to indicate tobacco cessation, and 2) a high rate of relapse or loss to follow-up (56%). Our modeling of relapse/smoking after enrollment indicated that this was higher in young mothers, non-Hispanic mothers (White, Black), first/third trimester mothers, and rural mothers. The evaluation identified efficacy of the behavioral model at 8 weeks, but that relapse/smoking was occurring in disparity populations. Formative research is needed to expand the programmatic outreach and enrollment of mothers wanting to quit smoking.

Postpartum depression (PPD), a condition that affects up to the 15% of mothers in high-income countries, reduces attention toward the needs of the child and it is among the first causes of infanticide. PPD is usually identified using self-report measures and therefore the diagnosis may not always be valid. Previous studies highlighted the presence of significant differences in the acoustical properties of the vocalizations of children of depressed and healthy mothers. In this study, cry episodes of infants of depressed and non-depressed mothers are analyzed to investigate the possibility that a machine learning model can identify PPD in mothers from the acoustical properties of infants' vocalizations. Acoustic features (F0, F1-4, Intensity) are first extracted from recordings of crying infants, then novel cloud-based artificial intelligence models are employed to identify maternal depression versus non depression from estimated features. Trained model shows that commonly adopted acoustical features can be successfully used to individuate Post-Partum Depressed mothers with very high accuracy (89.5%).

Background: Paracetamol may be use as antipyretic agent for the treatment of fever, as well as an analgesic in the treatment of mild to moderate pain on post vaccination in infants. The use of Paracetamol during fever may be or may not be recommended since it may alter natural human body immune response although it may reduce pain. Objectives: This study described the relevancy of Paracetamol use post infants vaccination based on data collection systematic review analyses. This study aims to describe the effectiveness of breastfeeding in reducing pain and Paracetamol in reducing fever and pain post infants vaccination. Data Sources and Study Selection: Electronic literature search by hand searching six (6) databases which include Ovid LWW Total Access Collection and Medline, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Alled Health Literature) Plus with Fulltext, Science Direct, Proquest Dissertations and Theses, Proquest Education Journal and Proquest Health and Medical Complete. Additionally, manual reference checks of all articles on Paracetamol and breastfeeding post infants vaccination published in English Language between 1978 and 2017. Two level of screening were used on 9614 citations which include screening of abstracts and titles followed by full text screening. Data Synthesis: Data synthesis were tabulated into study characteristics, quality and effects. Authors of trials were not contacted for further details or provision of original data if the published report contained insufficient information. The study findings, as reported by the authors, were included in this review. The data in this research cannot be pool due to not enough data regarding odd ratio or relative risk as well as confidence interval in each study. Results: Systematic review of breastfeeding included three (3) studies from 9614 of database searching. The reviews of all these three (3) studies found significant benefit from breastfed in pain score and duration of crying as well as behavioral changes. None study stated the unbeneficial of breastfeeding before, during and after immunization. Meanwhile, systematic review of Paracetamol effectiveness included four (4) studies from 1177 of database searching. The reviews of two (2) studies found significant benefit from prophylaxis Paracetamol in fever and only one (1) study found significant benefit from prophylaxis Paracetamol in fussiness. On the other hand, there was one (1) study found not signifiant benefit from prophylaxis Paracetamol in fever. Other than that, there were two (2) studies evaluate the safety of prophylactic Paracetamol which revealed different outcomes, in which study by Prymula et. al. in 2009 found that antibody responses to several antigens were reduced significantly, and the other study by Uhari et. al. in 1988 found that antibody titres to DTP bacteria of placebo and PCM not differ significantly. Thus, Paracetamol seems to be not relevant post infants vaccination and breastfeeding was found to be beneficial post infants vaccination. Conclusions: The relevancy of giving Paracetamol post all types of vaccination may be questionable since the safety issue of this intervention may be arised. Breastfeeding before, during and after immunization are recommended for pain reduction as it was proved effectively. Finally, in deciding Paracetamol to be of rational use following infants immunization, it may need for further research which include in depth quantitative and qualitative studies to identify specific problem and causes regarding this issue.

Experimental quantification of retention factors related to post-fire strength as well as post-fire ductility of intentionally selected stainless steel grades applied in construction is the objective of research presented here. These steel grades are characterized by a two-phase austenitic-ferritic microstructure of the duplex type. In this context two mutually corresponding chromium-nickel-molybdenum steel grades have been subjected to analysis, namely X2CrNiMoN22-5-3 steel belonging to the standard duplex group (DSS 22% Cr) and X2CrMnNiN21-5-1 steel belonging to the lean duplex group (LDSS). The similarities and differences in the mechanical properties exhibited by these steel grades after effective cooling, following more or less prolonged simulated fire action conforming to several development scenarios, have been identified and indicated. The resistance of given steel grade to permanent structural changes induced by the heating program proved to be the critical factor determining these properties and resulting in many cases in increased susceptibility to brittle fracture.

Introduction: Despite more than one year passed since the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 were reported, there is still no consensus on the definition and clinical management of post-acute-COVID-19. The condition has heterogeneously been named as Chronic COVID syndrome, Post COVID-19 Syndrome, post-acute sequela of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), and the more familiar long COVID. Method: In order to capture all relevant published studies, we undertook a multi-step search with no language restriction. The following four-step search strategy was utilized: First, a preliminary (limited) search was conducted on January 20, 2021, in Google Scholar and PubMed to identify the appropriate keywords. Then, on January 30, 2021, we adopted a search strategy of electronic databases from Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of sciences, using those keywords. Then, after duplicate removal, we screened all titles, abstracts, and full texts. This resulted in 66 eligible studies. Subsequently, after a forward and backward search of their references and citations an additional 54 publications were found, resulting in a total of 120 publications that formed the basis of the present analysis. The titles, abstracts, and full-texts of non-English articles were translated using Google Translate for further evaluation. We conducted our scoping review based on the PRISMA-ScR Checklist.Results: We found only one randomized clinical trial in our search. Of the 67 original studies, 22 were cohort and 28 were cross-sectional studies totaling 74.6% of the original studies. Of the total of 120 publications, 59 (49.1%) focused on signs and symptoms, 28 (23.3%) were focused on management, and 13 (10.8%) focused on pathophysiology. Ten (9%) publications focused on imaging studies. Ninety-one percent of the original investigations came from high and upper-middle-income countries, highlighting the scarcity of reports originating from low-income and lower-middle-income countries.Conclusion: The predominant symptoms among those with the so-called “Long COVID” were: fatigue, breathlessness, arthralgia, sleep difficulties, and chest pain. Recent reports also point to the risk of long-term sequela with cutaneous, respiratory, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, mental health, neurologic, and renal involvement in those who survive the acute phase of the illness. The ambiguity and controversies in its definition have impaired proper recognition and management of those requiring additional support following the resolution of the acute phase of this infection. This has resulted in long-standing distress for the patients and their families. Our findings highlight the need for a multidisciplinary approach, support, and rehabilitation for these patients in terms of long-term mental and physical health.

Modification the biodegradable matrix was carried by graft-copolymerization polylactide with methacrylic acid of various concentrations. Ultraviolet irradiation with different exposure times to the samples was chosen as the initiator of copolymerization. In the experiment the effect of ultraviolet light on polylactide and graft copolymerization was investigated: the resulting samples were studied by viscosimetry, gravimetry, FTIR, static cation- exchange capacity analysis . The conditions for obtaining grafted copolymers and the dependence of the characteristics on the reaction conditions are established.

We have investigated the effect of electron-beam irradiation by a forevacuum-pressure plasma-cathode electron source on the surface roughness and hardness of Al2O3- and AlN-based ceramics. The roughness increases with increasing temperature of the processed surface, while the hardness slightly decreases. For aluminum nitride ceramic, we find that the thermal conductivity increases by a factor of 1.5 to 2 depending on the electron-beam irradiation regime.

Large-span post-tensioned (PT) beams play a crucial role in maximizing the benefits of post-tensioning techniques. Bonded and unbonded systems are prevalent, with the latter being more widespread in the United States. While bonded systems are advantageous for creating long spans when multiple tendons are grouped in ducts, limited literature exists on their demolition. In a case study, this paper addresses the unique challenge of demolishing large-span bonded post-tensioned beams due to a building's functional change. Emphasizing insights for engineers, it explores the use of cutting and dismantling methods, considering the presence of prestressed cables. The demolition process is distinctive due to the presence of numerous pre-stressed cables along the beams, necessitating a specialized and cautious cutting approach. This is accomplished through the use of a drilling technique that selectively distresses the tendons, ensuring they are not all affected simultaneously. An intriguing observation discussed in this paper pertains to the occurrence of horizontal cracks accompanied by loud sounds following the drilling process, offering insights from the design perspective of PT systems. The paper details an innovative method for safely demolishing large-span bonded PT beams, using ground-penetrating radar and computer models to navigate structural complexities and ensure nearby structures' safety.

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.

The study aimed to evaluate the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sleep quality and patterns of women across different cultural settings within Iraq, spanning the period of 2022. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a diverse cohort of women from multiple provinces in Iraq. The survey measured various parameters, including sleep duration, onset latency, and disturbances. The post-pandemic period has seen a notable decline in sleep quality among the female population. Contributing factors include psychological stress, lifestyle changes due to the pandemic, and ongoing socio-economic challenges. The impact on sleep quality exhibited variation across different cultural groups, indicating a significant cultural influence on the pandemic's psychological aftermath. The study concludes that the post-pandemic phase has adversely affected the sleep health of women in Iraq, with cultural factors playing a critical role in these changes. There is a pressing need for culturally sensitive public health strategies to address sleep disturbances and mitigate their long-term effects on women's health. Public health initiatives should be tailored to address the specific cultural contexts within Iraq to improve sleep health among women. Further research is warranted to explore the long-term consequences of disturbed sleep patterns and the effectiveness of different intervention strategies.

Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex condition that represents a significant burden in terms of individual disability and societal costs. Despite decades of research investigating treatment options, PTSD remains a major cause of quality-of-life impairment. We hypothesized that patients with PTSD might benefit from peripheral somatosensory stimulation (PSS) therapy. Methods Six adult patients with clinically diagnosed PTSD were enrolled to undergo daily PSS therapy over a 4-week period. Patients completed two surveys evaluating satisfaction with treatment and overall well-being (Survey 1) and severity of PTSD symptoms (Survey 2). Survey 1 was completed weekly during the course of the study. Survey 2 was based on the 9-question National Stressful Events Survey PTSD Short Scale (NSESSS) and was completed as a baseline prior to initiation of therapy and then at the conclusion of the trial. All data were analyzed by an independent statistician. Results Six male patients were enrolled in the study; all completed the trial. All patients demonstrated a decrease in symptoms within one week of initiation of therapy. This benefit was sustained and appeared to further improve over the course of the trial. For Survey 1, the overall median scores demonstrated a significant time-dependent improvement across measurement times (p < 0.001). For Survey 2, patients had statistically significant improvements from baseline regarding feelings of being emotionally upset and being overly alert. Results from a cumulative link mixed model demonstrated that treatment yielded a 38.2-fold higher likelihood of transitioning from a higher PTSD score at baseline to a lower (improved) score at week 4. No adverse events were described by the patients. Conclusions PSS stimulation appeared to improve symptoms in all six patients with PTSD symptoms in this trial. Patients had unanimous and clinically meaningful improvement in overall PTSD symptoms with treatment. By week 4, all patients responded that they enjoyed the treatment and would like to keep their device. We suggest that further investigation into the potential usefulness of PSS therapy in patients with PTSD is warranted.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health disorder that causes significant dysfunction in individuals. Currently, there are many approved Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy treatment options for PTSD, but unfortunately, half of the patients do not respond to traditional therapies. In this article, we reviewed clinical trials and research on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) assisted Psychotherapy in PTSD patients, its pharmacokinetics and current treatment guidelines for PTSD. Based on the results of the efficacy of MDMA assisted Psychotherapy from six phases II Randomized controlled trials. MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD has received the “Breakthrough Therapy” designation from the FDA. MDMA can potentially reduce PTSD symptoms even in treatment-resistant cases by increasing certain neurohormones, i.e. dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine and oxytocin. It also modulates activities in the brain regions involved in fear and anxiety. Future research is needed to show whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and whether its use can be integrated into available treatment options for PTSD.

Aims: The aims of this meta-analysis were to assess: the prevalence of Post-Acute COVID-19 sequalae in HIV positive patients; average time of diagnosis; and meta-regress for possible moderators of PACS.Methods: A standard search strategy was used in PubMed, and then later modified according to each specific database to get the best relevant results. These included Medline indexed journals; PubMed Central; NCBI Bookshelf and publishers' Web sites in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis statement. Search terms included “long COVID-19 or post-acute COVID-19 syndrome/sequalae”, “persons living with HIV or HIV. The criteria for inclusion were published clinical articles reporting HIV in association with long COVID-19, further, the average time to an event of post-acute COVID-19 sequelae among primary infected patients with COVID-19. Random-effects model was used. Rank Correlation and Egger's tests were used to ascertain publication bias. Sub-group, sensitivity and meta-regression analysis were conducted. A 95% confidence intervals were presented and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Review Manager 5.4 and comprehensive meta-analysis version 4 (CMA V4) were used for the analysis. The review/trial was PROSPERO registered (CRD42022328509).Results: A total of 43 studies reported post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. Of those, five reported post-acute COVID-19 sequalae in PLHIV. Prevalence of post-acute COVID-19 sequalae was 43.1% (95% CI 20.5% to 68.9%) in persons living with HIV (PLWH). The average time to PACS diagnosis was 4 months at 64% [0.64 (95% CI 0.230, 0.913) (P < 0.0000), I²= 93%] and at one year to PACS diagnosis was at 70 %, however with non-significant correlation (P > 0.05). On comorbidities, asthenia was associated with PACS at 17.6 % [0.176 (95% CI 0.067, 0.385) (P = 0.008), I²= 86%] while fatigue at 82%, however not related with PACS event incidence (P < 0.05). Americas, Asian and European regions showed PACS events rates of 82%, 43% and 19 % respectively (P<0.05) relative to HIV infection. Conclusion: PACS prevalence in PLWH was 43% occurring at an average time of 4 months at 64% and 70 % at 12 months however non-significant with PACS. Asthenia was significantly associated with PACS at 17.6 % while fatigue at 82%, however not related with PACS event incidence. Americas recorded the highest PACS event rates in PLWH.

In this review we extensively describe the main post-translational modifications that give rise to the multiple proteoforms characterized to date in the human salivary proteome and their potential role. Most of the data reported were obtained by our group in over twenty-five years of research carried out on human saliva mainly by applying a top-down strategy. At the beginning we describe the products generated by proteolytic cleavages, which can occur before and after secretion. In this section the most relevant families of salivary proteins are also described. Next, we report the current information concerning the human salivary phospho-proteome and the limited news available on sulfo-proteome. Three sections are dedicated to the description of the glycation and enzymatic glycosylation. Citrullination and N- and C- terminal PTMs and a miscellaneous of other modifications are described in the last two sections. Results highlighting the variation in the level of some proteoforms in local or systemic pathologies are also reviewed along the sections of manuscript to underline the impact and relevance of this information for the development of new diagnostic biomarkers useful in clinical practice.

Abstract Congenital rubella syndrome is a constellation of birth defects that can have devastating consequences, impacting approximately 100,000 births worldwide each year. The incidence is much lower in countries that routinely vaccinate their population. In the US, postnatal immunization of susceptible women is an important epidemiological strategy for the prevention of rubella. However, concerns that co-administration of Rubella vaccine with other immunoglobins (i.e., Rhogam) could comprise vaccine efficacy has produced warnings that can delay the administration of Rubella vaccination postpartum, leaving women susceptible in a subsequent pregnancy. We aimed to address whether co-administration of Rubella vaccine and Rhogam decreased antibody responses as compared to those receiving only Rubella vaccination. This retrospective cohort study utilized clinical data from 80 subjects who received Rubella vaccine and Rhogam after delivery and 43 subjects received Rubella vaccine alone. Maternal demographics, pregnancy complications and rubella status at the start of a subsequent pregnancy were recorded for analysis. Overall, the two cohorts had similar baseline characteristics; however, lower parity was noted in the participants having both Rubella vaccination and Rhogam. Based on maternal antibody IgG index for rubella during the next pregnancy, we observed that 88% of the Rhogam + Rubella vaccine group had positive titers, which was not significantly different than the 81% in the Rubella vaccine only cohort (p=0.36). In conclusion, no differences in the rubella immunity status in a subsequent pregnancy were observed in those mothers administered both Rubella vaccine and Rhogam concurrently. Given these findings, warnings against co-administration of Rubella vaccine in combination with other immunoglobulins should be discontinued.

(1) Background: High-grade cervical dysplasia is primarily caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Conservative surgery is the preferred treatment approach for this condition. The most commonly employed technique is the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), which involves removing the affected portion of the cervix. Excisional treatments are often curative, and complications are typically rare and minor; (2) Methods: The loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is the standard method used for conservative surgery in high-grade cervical dysplasia. It entails the excision of the specific area of the cervix where the abnormal cells are present. The procedure employs a wire loop carrying an electrical current to remove the affected tissue; (3) Results: Excisional treatments, such as LEEP, have shown to be effective in treating high-grade cervical dysplasia. They have a high success rate in eliminating abnormal cells and reducing the risk of cervical cancer. Complications associated with LEEP are infrequent and usually minor. Short-term complications may include bleeding, which can be managed easily. Long-term complications may involve cervical canal stenosis, which can impact fertility; (4) Conclusions: Conservative surgery, particularly the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), is the preferred and effective treatment for high-grade cervical dysplasia caused by HPV infection. It offers a high cure rate with rare and minor complications. While short-term bleeding is a common occurrence, it is manageable. Long-term complications such as cervical canal stenosis may impact fertility. However, an extremely rare and possibly unique complication described in this case is the development of a vaginorectal fistula. This complication is likely due to indirect thermal injury resulting from compromised tissue. Further research is needed to better understand and prevent such complications.

Abstract: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and mental health issues are significant public health concerns in globally. Although rising peaks observed post-COVID-19, there is a sever paucity in high quality data. Using descriptive analysis, we identified the frequency and associations of age- and gender, sport, genetic, and psychiatric consequences in the coexistence of GERD and IBD in 2067 participants 18 to &gt;60 years with mean age of 26.8 ± 12.9 years. Most were 18 -29 years old (66%, n=1364) of which majority were young Saudi females (72.4%, n=1496). Estimated 1099 (53.2%) were students, 428 (20.7%) were unemployed, and 540 (26.1%) were. The majority were Saudis (94.7%, n= 1957). Psychological syndromes anxiety (60.7%), stress (60.7%), and depression (60.6%) were most frequent; whereas, IBD (48.7%) and GERD (36.3%), respectively were the second and third. In 51 % respondents depression, anxiety, and stress occurred first while in 33.9%, and 24.3% IBD and GERD, respectively, were the first signs. In most respondents (59.2%, n=1178), these signs first appeared recently and 33.6% (n=669) reported occurrence during adult life, and only in 7.2% (n=144) the signs noticed during childhood (7.2%, n=144)). Aggravating factors were 32.9% (n=681) genetic and other factors of which 476 (69.9%) inherited IBD while 215(31.6%) and 175 ((25.7), respectively, inherited psychological (depression, anxiety, and stress) and GERD. However, only 18.3% sought treatment (n=378) and only 66 (3.2%) had colectomy or a colostomy bag. Little over half of the studied population (58.1%, n=1201) were active in outdoor. GERD or IBS and psychological factors (anxiety, depression, and stress), were significantly associated with age (P value =.001).; GERD with old age, IBD with mid-age 40-49 years, and psychological disorders among younger ages. Thus, while mental health issues predispose young millennial women to neurogastroenterological disorders, the IBD and GERD initiate psychological problems in old and mid-ages, respectively. Intriguingly, despite the significantly mosaic global genetic population structures, their lifestyles, and nutritional habits, the pattern of these disorders remains similar. Thus, this is potentially consistent with notion that the gut nerve cells are conserved and that the changes in gut dysbiosis of gut microbiome signatures are responsible. These findings have significant clinical implications in the patient treatment strategies and tailored educational and awareness programs in lifestyle medicine. Future microbiome studies would reveal more insight into the mechanisms of disorders.

The rapid development of quantum computing devices promises powerful machines with capabilities that solve a wide range of problems that traditional computers cannot. Therefore, quantum computers generate new threats at unprecedented speed and scale and specifically pose an enormous threat to encryption. Lattice-based cryptography is considered to be the rival to a quantum computer attack and the future of post-quantum cryptography. So, cryptographic protocols based on lattices have a variety of benefits, like security, efficiency, lower energy consumption, and speed. In this work, we study the most well-known lattice-based cryptosystems while a systematic evaluation and comparison is presented also, and focuses on their strengths and weaknesses.

Temperature is a critical factor that influences the proliferation of pathogens in hosts. The impact of temperature on pathogens is commonly explored in controlled and constant temperatures. Experiments under varying environmental temperature are becoming more frequent, however, testing every temperature scenario à la carte is unachievable. One example of this is the human pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) in oysters. Here, a predictive model was developed for predicting the growth of Vp in oysters under varying ambient temperature. The model was fitted and evaluated against data from experiments studying growth and inactivation of Vp in oysters at eight constant temperatures. Once evaluated, Vp dynamics in oysters were estimated at different post-harvest varying temperature scenarios affected by water and air temperature, and different ice treatment timing. The model performed adequately under varying temperature, reflecting that (i) increasing temperature, particularly in hot summers, favors a rapid Vp growth in oysters, resulting in a very high risk of gastroenteritis in humans after consumption of a serving of raw oysters, (ii) pathogen inactivation due to day/night oscillations, and more evidently, due to ice treatments, (iii) ice treatment is much more effective limiting risk of illness when applied immediately onboard compared to dockside. The model results to be a promising tool for improving the understanding of the Vp-oyster system and support studies on public health impact of pathogenic Vp associated with raw oyster consumption. Although robust validation of the model predictions is needed, initial results and evaluation show the potential of the model to be easily modified to match similar systems where the temperature is a critical factor shaping the proliferation of pathogens in hosts.