As revealed by the recent resurgence of yellow fever virus (YFV) activity in the tropical regions of Africa and South America, YFV control measures need urgent rethinking. Over the last decade, most reported outbreaks occurred in, or eventually reached, areas of low vaccination coverage but suitable for virus transmission, with an unprecedented risk of expansion to densely populated territories in Africa, South America and Asia. As reflected in the World Health Organization’s initiative launched in 2017, it is high time to strengthen epidemiological surveillance to monitor accurately, viral dissemination and redefine vaccination recommendation areas. Vector-control and immunisation measures need to be adapted and vaccine manufacturing must be reconciled with an increasing demand. We will have to face more YF cases in the upcoming years hence, improving disease management through the development of efficient treatments will prove most beneficial. Undoubtedly, these developments will require in-depth descriptions of YFV biology at molecular, physiological and ecological levels. This second section of the two-part review describes the current state of knowledge and gaps regarding the molecular biology of YFV, along with an overview of the tools that can be used to manage the disease at the individual, local and global levels.

The recent resurgence of yellow fever virus (YFV) activity in the tropical regions of Africa and South America has sparked renewed interest in this infamous arboviral disease. YFV had been a human plague for centuries prior to the identification of its urban transmission vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito species, and the development of an efficient live-attenuated vaccine, the YF-17D strain. The combination of vector-control measures and vaccination campaigns drastically reduced YFV incidence in humans on many occasions, but the virus never ceased to circulate in the forest, through its sylvatic invertebrate vector(s) and vertebrate host(s). Outbreaks recently reported in Central Africa (2015-2016) and Brazil (since late 2016), reached considerable proportions in terms of spatial distribution and total numbers of cases, with multiple exports, including to China. In turn, questions regarding the likeliness of occurrence of large urban YFV outbreaks in the Americas or of a successful import of YFV to Asia are currently resurfacing. This two-part review describes the current state of knowledge and gaps regarding the molecular biology and transmission dynamics of YFV, along with an overview of the tools that can be used to manage the disease at the individual, local and global levels.

The phytophagous insect pests were vectors and could transmit the majority of the phytoviruses to their host plants. The orders of Hemiptera and Thysanoptera were the most common vectors of phytoviruses. The orders Orthoptera, Dermaptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Thysanoptera, and Hemiptera were also the vectors of phytoviruses. Furthermore, aphids, whiteflies, cicadas, spittlebugs, leafhoppers, planthoppers, assassin bugs, plant bugs, stink bugs, lygaeid bugs, and thrips were among the most phytophagous insects that vector and transmit phytoviruses to healthy plants. The occurrence of a single species of these phytophagous insects resulted in one or more phytoviruses in general, and the Hemipteran order, in particular, vectored a lot of phytoviruses species. This review manuscript is focused on vectors of phytoviruses, techniques for their detection, and future directions. It will play a vital role in exploring scientific information concerning the interactions of phytoviruses and vector insects, the effect of phytoviruses on host behavior, mediators of phytoviruses transmission, persistent phytoviruses, some other insect vectors of the phytopathogen, mechanisms of host plant resistance against phytoviruses, and techniques of phytoviruses detection, as well as some important points to be considered in the future sustainably.

Psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) can transmit the phloem restricted bacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (Lso). In Europe, Lso causes severe losses to carrot and represents a threat to the potato industry. A rising concern of Lso transmission from carrot to potato and within potato has driven the need for monitoring populations of psyllid species that could serve as vectors on both crops, which would provide a fundamental understanding of the epidemiology of this pathogen. Different sampling methods were used to survey populations of psyllid species in commercial carrot and potato fields in Central and Eastern mainland Spain from 2015 to 2017. Two psyllid species, Bactericera trigonica and Bactericera nigricornis were found to be mainly associated with carrot and potato crops. In carrot fields the most abundant species was B. trigonica occurring from crop emergence to harvest, whereas in potato crops the most abundant psyllid species was B. nigricornis. The maximum psyllid population occurred between June and October its timing depending on the field location. Since B. nigricornis was found on both carrot and potato and is the only psyllid species able to feed and breed on both these crops in Europe, there is the potential risk of Lso transmission from carrot to potato

Begomovirus infection in plant causes a great economic loss in many countries every year. Increasing rate of the infectivity of this single stranded DNA virus forces to study of its transmission in detail for the necessary researches regarding the control of this disease. This pathogenic virus is whitefly vector borne and transferred from one plant to another plant during the suckling of phloem sap by that vector. Viral transmissibility through this insect vector may depend on the genetic variations within the cryptic species groups. Two distinct categories of begomoviruses viz., bipartite and monopartite types consist of different genome organization. Virion particles modify the intracellular environment of the host according to their need of replication and survival. Viral replication takes place through RCR as well as RDR methods. Interplay among host, vector and pathogen is crucial for the establishment of infection. Several endosymbiotic organisms living within the insect vector also have vital role here. Being infected with this virus, host plant responds with defensive activities like TGS, PTGS, autophagy, hormonal regulation, metabolic alteration etc. However, virus also counteracts those through the manipulation of several pathways of cellular events. It is necessary to study in different directions and utilize advanced molecular biological techniques to develop begomovirus resistance within plants.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is transmitted to humans by the infectious bite of mosquitoes like Aedes aegypti. After a viremic blood meal, the virus must infect the midgut, disseminate to tissues, and reach the salivary gland to be transmitted to a vertebrate host. Many factors influence the mosquito’s ability to become infected and transmit viruses, such as the mosquito’s genetic diversity, intrinsic antiviral barriers, and midgut microbiota. This study evaluated the patterns of ZIKV infection in Ae. aegypti field populations of a city. The infection rate, disseminated infection rate, viral transmission rate, and transmission efficiency were measured by quantitative PCR at 14 days post-infection. The results showed that all Ae. aegypti populations had individuals susceptible to ZIKV infection and able to transmit the virus. The infection parameters showed the city’s geographical area of origin of the Ae. aegypti influences their vector competence for ZIKV transmission.

EV transmissions operate at high speeds, upto 30,000 rpm. High speed operation puts higher demands on bearings, seals, and gears. Bearings in EV transmissions are prone to electrically induced bearing damage and may exhibit signs of pitting and fluting. Surface-initiated rolling contact fatigue is another common problem gaining increased attention lately. Most EV transmissions require a coupling between an oil-lubricated gearbox to an electrical motor that runs with minimal lubrication at very high rpm. High mechanical and thermal stresses the seals are exposed to under starved lubrication conditions have a detrimental impact on their service life. Hence, proper lubrication is critical. In general, EV transmission fluids call for a somewhat different spectrum of properties compared to conventional ATF. Gear tribology simulations open new ways to the design and optimization of lubrication for EV transmissions. Additionally, such simulations can also provide valuable insights into the effects of different oil properties on cooling and lubrication efficiencies, thereby helping in matching the lubricant and hardware characteristics for optimal performance. In the present communication, we demonstrate the effects of different lubricants and surface finishing technologies on the tribology of high-speed gears using tribological tests and advanced thermal elastohydrodynamic (TEHD) simulations. Important roles of lubricity additives and surface finish optimization are highlighted in conjunction with a move towards ultralow viscosity EV transmission fluids.

Vector geographic data play an important role in the natural resources and environment sector and other location information services. This is also one of the types of data where the cost to create it is relatively large because of the difficulty in surveying, collecting, and authorizing. The rapid development of the Internet has created many advantages in the distribution, exploitation, and use of vector geographic data, but it also gives rise to many problems such as duplication, redistribution, forgery, and illegal data use. The theft on the Internet is becoming more and more sophisticated and the number of violations is increasing, showing the urgent need to research and develop an effective solution to protect the copyright of vector geographic data and prevent them from being illegally collected and used. Among the major studies and solutions, digital watermarking emerges as an effective method and is an active research area for copyright protection. Towards a good solution for copyright protection of vector geographic data, our study proposes a new algorithm with three main contributions, including: (1) generating short, pseudo-random meaningful watermarks to increase robustness and to enable automated as well as visual manual verifying; (2) building a uniformly distributed mapping between the vertex coordinates and the watermark bit indexes to increase the robustness of the watermarks; and (3) integrate two types of watermarks, namely, spatial domain-based watermarking and zero-watermarking to be resistant to most common attacks on geographic vector data. The algorithm also allows working on all types of vector geographic data, including points, polylines, and polygons.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has been confirmed in over 10,000,000 individuals worldwide and has resulted in more than 500,000 deaths in a few months since it first surfaced. With such a rapid spread it is no surprise that there has been a massive effort around the world to collectively elucidate the mechanism by which the virus is transmitted. Despite this, there is still no definitive consensus regarding droplet versus airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Public health officials around the world have introduced guidelines within the scope of droplet transmission. However, increasing evidence and comparative analysis with similar coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-1) and middle eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS), suggest that airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 cannot be effectively ruled out. As the data supporting COVID-19 airborne transmission grows, there needs to be an increased effort in terms of technical and policy measures to mitigate the spread of viral aerosols. These measures can be in the form of broader social distancing and facial covering guidelines, exploration of thermal inactivation in clinical settings, low-dose UV-C light implementation, and greater attention to ventilation and airflow control systems. This review summarizes the current evidence available about airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, available literature about airborne transmission of similar viruses, and finally the methods that are already available or can be easily adapted to deal with a virus capable of airborne transmission.

Rosette caused by rose rosette virus (RRV) is the most devastating malady of rose in the United States. Because of the recent discovery of the virus and the completion of Koch’s postulates all assumptions about the disease are based on visual observations of material that may or may have not been infected by the virus. This study addresses several aspects of virus and disease epidemiology. Twenty rose genotypes were screened for mite and/or virus resistance. Phyllocoptes fructiphilus the only known vector of RRV, was able to establish, lay eggs and develop to nymphs and adults in all genotypes. ‘Stormy Weather’ shows resistance to the virus as assessed by both mite and cleft-grafting transmission experiments. The acquisition/latent and inoculation access periods were studied revealing long acquisition/latent periods but rapid inoculation time frames. The outputs of this study will assist in the better management of the vector and the disease. The resistant genotype identified could be used in areas with high disease pressure to minimize spread and for identification of the mechanisms behind resistance or as breeding material to incorporate virus resistance to new cultivars. The short inoculation access period indicates that chemical control for the vector may be a challenging undertaking.

We present the detailed calculations of social distancing requirement. A comparative study of the growth pattern and death tolls in different communities indicates that the growth pattern of infected patients and death rate follow the similar distribution with different parametrizations. Every distribution follows an exponential growth pattern curve, like other microbes, then reaches the saturation point an d eventually decay s However, the argument for the exponential function depends on several parameters unbeknownst, as of yet. However, the slope varies different ial ly for various epicenter s and seems to have a relationship with parameters such as accessibi lity to healthcare facilities, pre existing medical conditions socio economic conditions and lifestyle. The mismatch of the growth pattern is also linked with the impact of various other factors and a premature interpretation of limit ed data. Novel behavi or of the virus brought many surprises, opened up new venues for medical research, and the need for the more detailed study of pathogens in the light of the interaction of RNA and DNA The adaptability to diverse ecological condition s and the relevant modification in the structure is also worth investigation The genetic modification can be studied using quantum mechanical probabilistic approach.

Predator-prey interactions present heightened opportunities for pathogen spillover, as predators are exposed to novel parasites through consumption of prey harboring potentially infectious agents. Epizootics with high morbidity and mortality have been recorded following prey-to-predator spillover events with significant conservation implications, particularly for sensitive species. However, relatively few virulent infections following prey consumption are reported, given the very large number of exposures that presumably occur. Further, many transmitted agents are infectious but clinically silent and thus go unrecognized. Mechanisms that determine outcome of predator exposure to prey-based pathogens therefore represent an important, understudied component of disease dynamics that should be considered in modeling approaches and empirical research to better understand disease risk and emergence, particularly in vulnerable or threatened species.

We propose versatile integrated polarizers based on geometric metasurfaces. Metasurface polarizer consists of L-shaped hole array etched on a silver film and it can generate simultaneously several polarization states including the linear polarization, circular polarization, elliptical polarization, or even hybrid polarization. Meanwhile, the combination of output polarization states changes with the illumination polarization type. The theoretical analysis provides the detail explanation for the generation of the integrated polarization states. The well-designed metasurface polarizers may generate more complex polarization modes including vector beams and vector vortex beams. The theoretical and simulated results confirm the polarization performance of the proposed integrated metasurface polarizers. The compact design of metasurface polarizers and the controllable generation of versatile polarization combinations are benefit to the applications of polarization light in optical imaging, biomedical sensing and material processing.

The impact of the accurate estimated time of arrival (ETA) is often overlooked by bus operators. By providing accurate ETA to riders, it gives them the impression of bus services is efficient and reliable and this promotes higher ridership in the long run. This research project aims to predict bus arrival time by using the Support Vector Regression (SVR) model which is based on the same theory as the Support Vector Machine (SVM). Urban City Bus data covering part of the Petaling Jaya area (route name PJ03) is used in this research work. Features related to traffic such as travel duration, a distance of the road, weather and operation at peak or non-peak hour have been used as input in the training of the SVR model. By using kernel trick and specifying optimum parameters, all the features in higher dimensions are efficiently calculated and the SVR model achieves convergence. The model is evaluated with the test set of data split from the original dataset. The experimental result indicates the SVR model displays good prediction ability with its low average error on the prediction result. However, weather data has not been influential to the prediction model as the results of the model trained with and without weather data show a negligible difference.

Spinors are used for the computation of probability in quantum mechanics. They are treated as elements of a complex vector space in contrast to a real vector space. Spinor theory is abstract mathematics with an ambiguous interpretation. The overall phase of spinors does not affect the computation of probability in quantum mechanics. If two spinors have an overall phase of imaginary number i, then they can be treated like vectors in a real vector space. The square of the magnitude of the number, which is the sum of dot product and the term having basis vector i of cross product of two such vectors, is equal to the probability computed using the corresponding spinors. Therefore, the geometry of such spinors can be easily depicted in a three-dimensional space like vectors in a real vector space. Spinors are not isotropic vectors in Hilbert space. The sum of dot product and cross product of two complex numbers is equivalent to the quotient of the division of one complex number by another. Similarly, the sum of dot product and cross product of two vectors is the quotient of the division of one vector by another. Using the rules of division of vectors, we can find the rules of multiplication of vectors. The rules of multiplication and division of basis vector i match the rules of multiplication and division of imaginary number i. Therefore, basis vector i is nothing but imaginary number i. Multiplication of dot and cross product of two vectors to the second vector will give us the components of the first vector that are parallel and orthogonal to the second vector. Vectors are also made up of complex numbers like spinors. The reason for finding dot product of complex numbers in the process of computing the probability is to ignore the overall phase in contrast to the phase difference. This is misconstrued as complex vector space in quantum mechanics. 3-D number which is nothing but a spinor with new notation is an extension of vector algebra. It can have a real number as a term in addition to the terms i, j and k. In all other respects, it is a vector. 3-D numbers are part of the number system like real numbers and complex numbers. The real numbers are one dimensional numbers, the complex numbers are two-dimensional numbers and the 3-D numbers as well as vectors and spinors are three-dimensional numbers. As polarisation and spin are one and the same, we can straight away apply 3-D numbers to polarisation of light. 3-D numbers will greatly simplify the study of areas of science where three-dimensional space is involved.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common congenital infection worldwide, affecting between 0.7% and 1% of all live births. Approximately 11% of infected newborns are symptomatic at birth, and between 30% and 40% of these are at risk of developing long-term neurological sequelae. Until recently, the lack of an effective treatment did not justify universal testing of pregnant women. In recent years, however, valacyclovir at a dose of 8 g/day has been shown to be effective in preventing vertical transmission, and ganciclovir has been shown to be effective in preventing long-term sequelae in the treatment of symptomatic neonates. The aim of this article is to review congenital CMV infection, from its epidemiology to its treatment, using the most recent studies in the literature, and to help in the decision to modify protocols for universal testing of pregnant women according to the possibilities of each locality.

Marine wildlife and aquaculture species can accumulate large amounts of microplastic particles (<1 mm), threatening the health of marine populations and ecosystems and posing a risk to food safety and human health. The uptake of chemicals from microplastics seems to decrease the immune capacity of bivalves and corals to fight pathogenic bacteria, thereby increasing their vulnerability to disease. Moreover, major pathogens of bivalves, fish, and humans, including several Vibrio species, have been shown to be specifically enriched in the microbial communities adhered to marine microplastic debris (MMD). Microplastics can therefore serve as an important vector for and regulator of pathogen transmission and disease dynamics. Here, we outline a theoretical, three-perspective approach for studying the relationship between MMD and disease. First, we provide a framework for retrospective analysis of MMD and pathogen loads in marine animal tissues to assess the relationships between them, their bioaccumulation over time, and their relationship to other environmental variables. The results from such an analysis can be used to decide whether a compound or pathogen should be considered an emerging substance or organism. Second, we describe an experimental design for testing the effect of a variety of microplastics on in vivo pathogen removal (i.e., the phagocytic activity of hemocytes) and infection intensity in two study model species (oysters and zebrafish). Finally, we create a theoretical susceptible-infected microplastic particle and pathogen transmission model for bivalves and fish. Overall, the experiments and models we propose will pave the way for future research designed to assess the role of MMD as a vector for marine and human pathogens. This multi-faceted approach needs to be an urgent priority of the EU Strategic Research Innovation Agenda for addressing marine disease challenges related to MMD.

An ongoing monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries has resulted in the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). Though monkeypox has long been endemic in regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, relatively little is known about its ecology, epidemiology, and transmission. Here, we consider the relevant research on both monkeypox and smallpox, a close relative, to make inferences about the current outbreak. Undetected circulation, combined with atypical transmission and case presentation, including mild and asymptomatic disease, have led to the spread of monkeypox in non-endemic regions. Broader availability of diagnostics, enhanced surveillance, and targeted education, combined with a better understanding of the routes of transmission, are critical to identify at-risk populations and design science-based countermeasures to control the current outbreak.

Monkeypox virus was named so because of its detection in monkeys in 1958. It belongs to the same family as smallpox and chickenpox viruses. There had been numerous outbreaks of this malady initially in the African continent and other parts of the world. The simultaneous spread in nineteen countries in 2022 has raised some serious concerns.Monkeypox is no more a rare disease and has the potential for bioweapon use. We discuss the various ways to prevent its spread, treatment options available, diagnosis, and differentiation from other closely related diseases. We also discuss if the present outbreak could be a bioattack or if this disease is here to stay.The literature suggests that we can effectively manage Monkeypox because of the availability of drugs and vaccination against smallpox. There is also a need for active surveillance against the new resistant recombinant viral strains. The possibility of this outbreak being a bioattack seems remote, although there are questions about the transmission which still need to be answered.

Airborne transmission of seasonal and pandemic influenza viruses is responsible for their epidemiological success and public health burden in humans. Efficient airborne transmission of H1N1 influenza virus relies on receptor specificity and pH of fusion of the surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA). In this study, we examine the role of HA pH of fusion on transmissibility of a cell culture-adapted H3N2 virus. Mutations in the HA head at positions 78 and 212 of A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2), which were selected after cell culture adaptation, decrease the acid stability of the virus from a pH of 5.5 (WT) to 5.8 (mutant). In addition, we observed that this mutant H3N2 virus replicated to higher titers in cell culture but had reduced airborne transmission in the ferret model. These data demonstrate that, like H1N1 HA, the pH of fusion for H3N2 HA is a determinant of efficient airborne transmission. Surprisingly, we demonstrate that the NA segment noncoding regions can impact the pH of fusion of reassortant viruses. Taken together, our data confirm that HA acid stability is an important characteristic of epidemiologically successful human influenza viruses and is influenced by HA/NA balance.

There is a lot of discussion underway with conflicting opinions examining the airborne nature of the SARS-CoV2 virus. Surprisingly, important phenomena prevalent with respect to aerosols (suspended droplets) have not been considered. In this Technical Note, we propose a methodology for the coupling of aerosol phenomena (such as evaporation, particle transport accounting for drag) to accurately establish the lifetimes of the droplets. A characteristic time analysis illustrates the time scales for evaporation and settling: for example, the characteristic time for evaporation of a 10 µm droplet is 0.036 s at a relative humidity of 25%; compared to a settling time of about 500 s. For any particle smaller than ~ 100 µm, the evaporation of the emitted or exhaled droplet has to be considered. Coupling evaporation of the droplet as it settles, we estimate the horizontal distance traversed. Trajectories of a 10 µm and 100 µm particle emitted with a typical initial velocity of release associated with coughing and sneezing indicates the greater spread in the horizontal direction when evaporation is accounted for. The life time of the 10 µm particle increases from 8.3 min to 12 hours (will be intercepted prior and the actual airborne time will then be shorter); and for a 100 µm particle from 4.9 s to 39.4 s.

Micro-combs [1-4] - optical frequency combs generated by integrated micro-cavity resonators – offer the full potential of their bulk counterparts [5,6], but in an integrated footprint. The discovery of temporal soliton states (DKS – dissipative Kerr solitons) [4,7-11] as a means of mode-locking micro-combs has enabled breakthroughs in many fields including spectroscopy [12,13], microwave photonics [14], frequency synthesis [15], optical ranging [16,17], quantum sources [18,19], metrology [20,21] and more. One of their most promising applications has been optical fibre communications where they have enabled massively parallel ultrahigh capacity multiplexed data transmission [22,23]. Here, by using a new and powerful class of micro-comb called “soliton crystals” [11], we achieve unprecedented data transmission over standard optical fibre using a single integrated chip source. We demonstrate a line rate of 44.2 Terabits per second (Tb/s) using the telecommunications C-band at 1550nm with a spectral efficiency – a critically important performance metric - of 10.4 bits/s/Hz. Soliton crystals exhibit robust and stable generation and operation as well as a high intrinsic efficiency that, together with a low soliton micro-comb spacing of 48.9 GHz enable the use of a very high coherent data modulation format of 64 QAM (quadrature amplitude modulated). We demonstrate error free transmission over 75 km of standard optical fibre in the laboratory as well as in a field trial over an installed metropolitan optical fibre network. These experiments were greatly aided by the ability of the soliton crystals to operate without stabilization or feedback control. This work demonstrates the capability of optical soliton crystal micro-combs to perform in demanding and practical optical communications networks.

This paper studies the spatial joint evolution of cooperative behavior and a partially assortative matching institution that protects cooperators. We consider cooperation as characterized by a cultural trait transmitted via an endogenous socialization mechanism a la Bisin and Verdier (2001) and we assume that such trait can diffuse randomly in space due to some spatial noise in the socialization mechanism. Using mathematical techniques from reaction-diffusion equations theory, we show that, under some conditions, an initially localized domain of preferences for cooperation can invade the whole population and characterize the asymptotic speed of diffusion. We consider first thecase with exogenous assortativeness, and then endogeneize the degree of social segmentation in matching, assuming that it is collectively set at each point of time and space by the local community. We show how relatively low cost segmenting institutions can appear in new places thanks to the spatial random diffusion of cooperation, helping a localized cultural cluster of cooperation to invade the whole population. The endogenous assortative matching institution follows a life cycle process : appearing, growing and then disappearing once a culture of cooperation is suffciently established in the local population.

Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of the Buruli ulcer, also known, in Australia, as Daintree ulcer or Bairnsdale ulcer. This destructive skin disease is characterized by extensive and painless necrosis of the skin and soft tissue with the formation of large ulcers, commonly on the leg or arm. To date, 33 countries with tropical, subtropical and temperate climates in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Western Pacific have reported cases of Buruli Ulcer. The disease is rarely fatal, although it may lead to permanent disability and/ or disfigurement if not treated appropriately or in time. It is the third most common mycobacterial infection in the world after tuberculosis and leprosy. The precise mode of transmission of M. ulcerans is yet to be elucidated. Nevertheless, it is possible that the mode of transmission varies with different geographical areas and epidemiological settings. The knowledge about the possible route of transmission and potential animal reservoir of M. ulcerans is poorly understood and still remains patchy. We conducted a systematic review with selected key words on PubMed and INFORMIT databases to aggregate available published data on animal reservoirs of M. ulcerans. After certain inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 17 studies were included in the review. A variety of animals, e.g rodents, shrews, possums (ringtail and brush tail), horses, dogs, alpacas, koalas and Indian flap-shelled turtles have been recorded as being infected with M. ulcerans around the world. The majority of studies included in this review identified animal reservoirs, either aquatic or terrestrial, as predisposing for the emergence and reemergence of M. ulcerans infection. Taken together, the selected studies in this systematic review and discussed so far, it is clear that exotic wildlife, aquatic animals and native mammals play a significant role as reservoirs for M. ulcerans.

Sub-micro dislocation cellular structures formed during rapid solidification break the strength-ductility trade-off in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF)-processed 316L stainless steel through high-density dislocations and segregated elements or precipitates at the cellular boundaries. The high-density dislocation entangled at the cellular boundary accommodates solidification strains among the cellular structures and cooling stresses through elastoplastic deformation. Columnar grains with cellular structures typically form along the direction of thermal flux. However, the ultra-low misorientations between the adjacent cellular structures and their interactions with the cellular boundary formation remain unclear. In this study, we revealed the ultra-low misorientations between the cellular structures in LPBF-processed 316L stainless steel using conventional electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The conventional EBSD and TKD analysis results could provide the misorientation angles smaller than 2° while the resolution mainly depends on the specimen quality and scanning step size, and so on. TEM technique with higher spatial resolution provides accurate information between adjacent dislocation cells with misorientation angles smaller than 1°. This study presents that TEM method is the better and more precise analysis method of the misorientation measurement of the cellular structures and provides insights into measuring the small misorientation angles between adjacent dislocation cells and nanograins in nanostructured-metals and alloys with ultrafine-grained microstructures.

To gain new insights into the potential of mother-to-child transmission of Zika virus (ZIKV) through breast milk or breastfeeding practices, we systematically searched regional and international databases and screened 1,658 non-duplicate records describing women with suspected or confirmed ZIKV infection, intending to breastfeed or give breast milk to an infant. Fourteen studies met our inclusion criteria and inform this analysis. These studies reported on 97 mother-children pairs who provided breast milk for ZIKV assessment. Seventeen breast milk samples from different women were found positive for ZIKV via RT-PCR, and ZIKV replication was found in cell cultures from five out of seven breast milk samples from different women. Only three out of six infants who had ZIKV infection were breastfed, no evidence of clinical complications were found to be associated with ZIKV RNA in breast milk. This review updates our previous report by synthesizing the evidence from 12 new articles and we find no evidence of mother-to-child transmission through breast milk intake or breastfeeding. As the certainty of the present evidence is low, additional studies are still warranted to completely understand any potential of transmission of ZIKV through breastfeeding.

Social network analysis is an essential means to uncover and examine infectious contact relations between individuals. This paper aims to investigate the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from international to the national level and find a few super spreaders which played a central role in the transmission of disease in India. Our network metrics calculated from 30 January to 6 April 2020 revealed that the maximum numbers of connections were established from Dubai (degree-144) and UK (degree-64). These two countries played a crucial role in diffusing the disease in Indian states. The eigenvector centrality of Dubai is found to be the highest, and this marked it the most influential node. However, based on the modularity class, we found that the different clusters were formed across Indian states which demonstrated the forming of a multi-layered social network structure.A significant increase in the confirmed cases was reported during the first lockdown 1.0 (22 March 2020) primarily attributed to a gathering in Delhi Religious Conference (DRC) known as Tabliqui Jamaat. As of 6 April 2020, the overall structure of the network has encompassed local transmission, and it was significantly seen in the states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Karnataka. An important conclusion drawn from the presented social network reveals that the COVID-19 spread till 6 April was mainly due to the local transmission across Indian states. The timely quarantine of infected cases in DRC has not led it to spread at the level of community transmission.

Abstract: The article proposes to consider the possibility of connecting the problems of engineering synthesis of frequency control systems for asynchronous electric drives with the basic provisions of the theory of identification of asynchronous electric motors based on the equations of a generalized AC electric machine.The article presents the results of experimental studies of load parrying processes in asynchronous electric drives with vector and scalar controls. These results indicate the absence of fundamental advantages as processes in a drive with vector control. This advantage should have manifested itself in a more efficient formation of the moment and fast transients. It is suggested that the reason for this is in too significant errors, assumptions and simplifications of the equations adopted in the derivation of vector control and which are its theoretical basis. A method is proposed for describing asynchronous electric motors by nonlinear transfer functions, which made it possible to formulate the principle of correction of electric drives and a method for assessing their efficiency.The article shows. that the correction based on the proposed nonlinear transfer functions of the induction motor is much more efficient than the traditional vector control, which was confirmed by detailed experiments and modeling. The results of the most important of which are given in the article. An assumption was made. that the advantage in efficiency is due to a more accurate identification of the dynamics of an asynchronous electric motor with a gear function instead of vector equations.

Rapid spread of African swine fever virus (ASFV), causing severe disease with often high fatality rates in Eurasian suids, prevails as a threat for pig populations and dependent industries world-wide. Although advancing scientific progress continually enhances our understanding of ASFV pathogenesis, alternative transmission routes for ASFV have yet to be assessed. Here, we demonstrate that ASFV can efficiently be transferred from infected boars to naïve recipient gilts through artificial insemination (AI). In modern pig production, semen from boar studs often supplies many sow herds. Thus, the infection of a boar stud presents the risk of rapidly and widely distributing ASFV within or between countries. Daily blood and semen collection from four boars after intramuscular inoculation with ASFV strain ‘Estonia 2014’ resulted in detection of ASFV genomes in the semen as early as 2 dpi, in blood at 1 dpi while semen quality remained largely unaffected. Ultimately, after insemination with extended semen, 7 of 14 gilts were ASFV positive by 7 days post insemination, and all gilts were ASFV positive by 35 days post insemi-nation. Twelve out of 13 gilts aborted at the onset of fever. A proportion of fetuses originating from the remaining gilt showed both abnormalities and replication of ASFV in fetal tissues. Thus, we present evidence for the efficient transmission of ASFV to gilts via AI and also to im-planted embryos. These results underline the critical role that boar semen could play in ASFV transmission.

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

Arboviruses represents a real public health problem globally and in the Central African subregion in particular that represents a high risk zone for the emergence and re-emergence of arboviruses outbreaks. Furthermore, an updated review on the current arboviruses burden and associated mosquito vectors is lacking for this region. To contribute in filling this knowledge gap, the current study was designed with following objectives: (i) to systematically review data on the occurrence and distribution of arboviruses and mosquito fauna and (ii) to identify potential spillover mosquito species in Central African region in the last 30 years. Web search enabled the documentation of 2454 articles from different online databases. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and The Quality of Reporting of Meta-analyses (QUORUM) steps for a systematic review enabled the selection of 164 articles that fulfilled our selection criteria. Of the six arboviruses (Dengue Virus (DENV), Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV), Yellow Fever Virus (YFV), Zika Virus (ZIKV), Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV), and West Nile Virus (WNV)) of public health concern studied, the most frequently reported were Chikungunya and Dengue. The entomological records showed >248 species of mosquitoes and regrouped under 15 genera with Anopheles (n= 100 species), Culex (n= 56 species) and Aedes (n=52 species) having high species diversity. Three genera were rarely represented with only one species and included: Orthopodomyia, Lutzia, and Verrallina, but individuals of the genera Toxorhinchites and Finlayas were not identified upto the species level. We found that two Aedes species (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus) colonised the same microhabitat and were involved in major epidemics of the six medically important arboviruses and other less frequently identified mosquito-genera consisted of competent species and were associated with outbreaks of medical and zoonotic arboviruses. The present study reveals high species richness of competent mosquito-vectors that could lead to the spillover of medically important arboviruses in the region. Although epidemiological studies were found, they were not regularly documented and this also applies to vector competence and transmission studies. Future studies will consider unpublished information in dissertations, technical reports from different countries to enable it more consistent. A regional project entitled: Ecology of Arboviruses (EcoVir) is underway in three countries (Gabon, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire) to generate a more comprehensive epidemiological and entomological data on this topic.

With the rising frequency of pathogen spillover worldwide, wildlife disease dynamics have received increased attention. There are many possible pathway a pathogen can invade and spread through a host population, and the assumed transmission model used to capture disease propagation can influence predictions of pathogen net reproductive success (R0), determining the outbreak dynamics. We synthesize a comprehensive overview of these models and overarching implications, using bovine Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) as a case study. We unify sub-models from the disease ecology literature and clarify the biological motivation behind these models and resulting ecological dynamics. We warn readers of pitfalls regarding the relative orders of the transmission parameters and reiterate that the contact rate determines the transmission model and thus defines key dynamical properties of an outbreak. Transmission in wildlife is linked to ecosystem and human health, and host community structure can mediate pathogen spread. We link these models with disease-biodiversity theories, by considering the role of host diversity in disease transmission, contributing to the debate on the effect of biodiversity and on disease outbreak potential. We decompose the various mechanisms of transmission in a stepwise process, and provide the reader a guide for modelling pathogens in both single-host and multi-host systems.

Monkeypox is a rare disease which is rising nowadays in different countries since the first case in the UK was diagnosed on May 6, 2022, by the United Kingdom (UK) Health Security Agency. Then more than 12,500 cases were identified in over 68 countries up to July 18, 2022. In endemic areas, the monkeypox virus (MPXV) is commonly transmitted through zoonosis, while in non-endemic regions, it is spread through human-to-human transmission. Symptoms can include flu-like symptoms, rash, or sores in hands, feet, genitalia, or anus. In addition, people who did not take the smallpox vaccine were more liable to be affected than others. The exact pathogenesis and mechanisms are still unclear; however, most identified cases are reported in men who have sex with other men (MSM). According to the CDC, transmission can happen with any sexual or non-sexual contact with the infected person. However, a recent pooled meta-analysis reported that sexual contact is involved in more than 91% of the cases. Also, it is the first time that semen analysis for many patients has shown positive monkeypox virus DNA. Therefore, in this review, we will describe transmission methods for MPXV while focusing mainly on potential sexual transmission and associated sexually transmitted infections. We will also highlight the preventive measures that can limit the spread of the diseases in this regard.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), also known globally as COVID-19, originated in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province in China and has rapidly spread across the globe ever since. The first recorded case in sub-Saharan Africa was in Nigeria, on the 25th February, 2020. The virus continues to spread, and new variants of the disease have emerged, the number of deaths and new infections in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa has been relatively low compared to predictive models. This could be due to several factors, such as slower transmission dynamics of the virus, a lower-case fatality rate, or a lack of testing or reliable data. Whilst this may also, in part, be due to the robustness of the nations' public health responses, there is scarce reporting on the specifics of this. However, emerging research has demonstrated that various environmental factors could influence virus transmission. The study adopted collected meteorological data that was critically analysed and discussed. The impact of three factors in the context of sub-Saharan African nations: temperature, ultraviolet (UV) exposure and pre-existing infection with Plasmodium (malaria) were discussed. These factors were discussed critically in light of the reduced rates of transmission and mortality observed.

Pneumonic plague outbreaks are relatively infrequent in modern times but in the early part of the 20th century, they were commonplace including several well-documented epidemics responsible for the deaths of thousands. The transmissibility of this disease seems to be discontinuous since in some outbreaks few transmissions occur, while in others, the progression of the epidemic is explosive. Modern epidemiological studies explain that transmissibility within populations is heterogenous with relatively few subjects likely to be responsible for most transmissions and that ‘super spreading events’, particularly at the start of an outbreak, can lead to a rapid expansion of cases. These findings concur with outbreaks observed in real-world situations. It is often reported that pneumonic plague is rare and not easily transmitted but this view could lead to unnecessary complacency since future risks such as the spontaneous incidence of anti-microbial strains, climate change leading to a disruption of natural cycles within plague foci and use of plague as a bioweapon cannot be discounted. Carers and first responders are vulnerable, particularly in poorer countries where access to medicines may be limited, out-breaks occur in inaccessible areas or where there is a lack of surveillance due to a paucity of funds.

In regions lacking genomic data, analysis of sequences from the early stages of an outbreak can provide important insights into the diversity of pathogens present. Following the detection of the first imported case of COVID-19 in the Northern sector of Ghana on 13^th March 2020, we have now molecularly characterized and phylogenetically analysed sequences including three (3) complete genomes of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) isolated from nine (9) patients observed in Ghana. Eight (8) of these patients reported with a recent history of foreign travel and one (1) with no history of foreign travel. We performed high throughput sequencing for 9 samples following the determination of high concentration of viral RNA. In addition, we estimated the potential impact that long distance transportation of samples to testing centres may have on sequencing outcomes. Here, two samples that were closest in terms of viral RNA concentration but transported from sites which are over 400km apart were assessed. All sequences were compared to previous sequences from Ghana and representative sequences from regions where our patients had previously travelled. Complete genomes were obtained for three (3) sequences and with another near complete genome with a coverage of 95.6%. Sequences with coverage in excess of 80% were found to belong to three lineages namely A, B.1 and B.2. Our sequences clustered in two different clades with the majority falling within a clade composed of sequences from sub-Saharan Africa. Less RNA fragmentation was seen in sample KATH23 which was collected 9km compared with sample TTH6 which was collected and transported over a distance of 400km to the testing site. The clustering of several sequences from sub-Saharan Africa suggests regional circulation of the viruses in the subregion. Importantly, there may be the need to decentralize testing sites and build more capacity across Africa to boost the sequencing output of the subregion.

We investigate the tunneling of quasiparticles through a potential barrier of finite height and width, in a system with a band structure consisting of a quadratic band crossing point (QBCP). We compute the results of the transmission coefficient at various incident angles, and also the conductivity and the Fano factor. We discuss the distinguishing signatures of these transport properties in comparison with other semimetals, as well as electrons in normal metals.

We report the first case of COVID 19 pneumonia in a preterm neonate in Mayotte, an overseas department of France. The respiratory distress with typical thoracic imaging lesions appears at 14 days of life. This case-report emphasizes the need for a cautious and close up follow-up for asymptomatic neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 infection. Vertical transmission cannot be excluded in this case.

Background: Since March 2020, Spain is severely hit by the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Understanding and disrupting the early transmission dynamics of the infection is crucial for impeding sustained transmission. Methods: We recorded all COVID-19 cases and traced their contacts in an isolated rural community. We also sampled 10 households, 6 public service sites and the wastewater from the village sewage for environmental SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Results: The first village patient diagnosed with COVID-19-compatible symptoms occurred on March 3, 2020, twelve days before lockdown. A peak of 39 cases occurred on March 30. By May 15, the accumulated number of symptomatic cases was 53 (6% of the population), of which only 22 (41%) had been tested and confirmed by RT-PCR as SARS-CoV-2 infected, including 16 hospitalized patients. Contacts (n=144) were six times more likely to develop symptoms. Environmental sampling detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in two households with known active cases and in two public service sites: the petrol station and the pharmacy. Samples from other sites and the wastewater tested negative. Conclusions: The low proportion of patients tested by RT-PCR calls for urgent changes in disease management. We propose that early testing of all cases and their close contacts would reduce infection spread, reducing the disease burden and fatalities. In a context of restricted testing, environmental RNA surveillance might prove useful for early warning and to identify high-risk settings enabling a targeted resource deployment.

This article explores the knowledge about preventions, perceptions of infections, and the responsive actions to the Covid-19 situation of the young age groups residing in Bangladesh. Quantitative data were collected online using an MCQ questionnaire from around 932 participants. Results show the population is generally aware of the symptoms, keeping social distance by staying home and are concerned about re-spreading after the lock-down period. However, they are quite unsure about the possible medicines frequently talked about in the media and the necessity of avoiding animal protein.

Overhead power transmission line icing (PTLI) disasters are one of the most severe dangers to power grid safety. Automatic iced transmission line identification is critical in various fields. However, existing methods primarily focus on the linear characteristics of transmission lines, employing a two-step process involving edge and line detection for PTLI identification. Nonetheless, these traditional methods are often difficult when confronted with challenges such as background noise or variations in illumination, leading to incomplete identification of the target area, missed target regions, or misclassification of background pixels as foreground. We propose a new iced transmission line identification scheme to overcome this limitation. In the initial stage, we integrate the image restoration method with image filter enhancement to restore the image's color information. This combined approach effectively retains valuable information and preserves the original image quality, thereby mitigating noise presented during the image acquisition. Subsequently, in the second stage, we introduce an enhanced multi-threshold algorithm to separate background and target pixels. After image segmentation, we enhance the image and obtain the region of interest (ROI) through connected component labeling modification and mathematical morphology operations, eliminating background regions. Our proposed scheme achieves an accuracy value of 97.72%, a precision value of 96.24%, a recall value of 86.22%, and the specificity value of 99.48% based on the average value of test images. Through object segmentation and location, the proposed method can avoid background interference, effectively solve the problem of transmission line icing identification, and achieve 90% measurement accuracy compared to manual measurement on the collected PTLI dataset.

In this paper, the problem of autonomous optimal absolute orbit keeping for a satellite mission in Low Earth Orbit using electric propulsion is considered. The main peculiarity of the approach is to support small satellite missions in which the platform is equipped with a single thruster nozzle which provides acceleration on a single direction at a time. This constraint implies that an attitude maneuver is necessary before or during each thrusting arc to direct the nozzle into the desired direction. In this context, an attitude guidance algorithm specific for the orbit maneuver has been developed. A Model Predictive Control scheme is proposed, where the attitude kinematics are coupled with the orbital dynamics in order to obtain the optimal guidance profiles in terms of satellite state, reference attitude, and thrust magnitude. The proposed control scheme is developed exploiting Formation Flying techniques where the reference orbit is that of a virtual spacecraft that the main satellite is required to rendezvous with. In addition to the controller design, the closed loop configuration is presented supported by numerical simulations. The efficacy of the proposed autonomous orbit keeping approach is shown in several application scenarios.

In this paper, we prove that the sub convexlikeness introduced by V. Jeyakumar [1], and the subconvexlikeness defined in V. Jeyakumar [2] are equivalent in loccallly convex topological spaces. And then, we work with set-valued vector optimization problems and obtain some vector saddle-point theorems and vector Lagrangian theorems.

In this paper, our goal is to establish the relationship between solutions of local sharp vector variational type inequality and sharp efficient solutions of vector optimization problems, also Minty local sharp vector variational type inequality and sharp efficient solutions of vector optimization problems, under generalized approximate $\eta$-convexity conditions for locally Lipschitzian functions

Virus diseases of strawberry present several complex problems. More than 25 viruses have been described in the genus Fragaria thus far. Here, we describe a novel rhabdovirus, tentatively named strawberry virus 1 (StrV-1), that infects F. ananassa and F. vesca plants. Genomic sequences of three distinct StrV-1 genotypes co-infecting a single F. ananassa host were obtained using combined Illumina and Ion Proton high-throughput sequencing. StrV-1 was transmitted to herbaceous plants via Aphis fabae and A. ruborum, further mechanically transmitted to Nicotiana occidentalis 37B and sub-transferred to N. benthamiana, N. benthamiana DCL2/4i, N. occidentalis 37B and Physalis floridana plants. Irregular chlorotic sectors on leaf blades and the multiplication of calyx leaves seem to be the diagnostic symptoms for StrV-1 on indexed F. vesca clones. StrV-1 was detected in asymptomatic grafted plants and in 49 out of 159 field strawberry samples via RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. The bacilliform shape of the virions, which have a cytoplasm-limited distribution, their size, and phylogenetic relationships support the assignment of StrV-1 to a distinct species of the genus Cytorhabdovirus. Acyrthosiphon malvae, A. fabae and A. ruborum were shown to transmit StrV-1 under experimental conditions.

Neuroscience has overwhelmingly and understandably focused on the synaptic modality of signal transmission. There is evidence, however, that from an evolutionary perspective, non-synaptic transmission (NST) preceded synaptic signaling. Moreover, in modern nervous systems, NST coexists and extensively interacts with synaptic transmission modifying neuronal dynamics. In fact, NST remains widespread in complex animals, especially within the interoceptive system where the dearth of insulating barriers such as myelin sheaths and the blood-brain barrier enhances the communication between neural and non-neural tissues mediated by NST. We suggest that this physiological arrangement makes a fundamental contribution to interoception¾the process of sensing visceral states¾which is an essential underpinning of the capacity to feel and the foundation of affective processing.

An odd-dimensional sphere admits a killing vector field, induced by the transform of the unit normal by the complex structure of the ambiant Euclidean space. In this paper, we study orientable hypersurfaces in a Euclidean space those admit a unit Killing vector field and find two characterizations of odd-dimensional spheres. In first result, we show that a complete and simply connected hypersurface of Euclidean space Rn+1, n>1 admits a unit Killing vector field ξ that leaves the shape operator S invariant and has sectional curvatures of plane sections containing ξ positive satisfies S(ξ)=αξ, α mean curvature if and only if n=2m−1, α is constant and the hypersurfaces is isometric to the sphere S2m−1(α2). Similarly, we find another characterization of unit sphere S2(α2) using the smooth function σ=g(S(ξ),ξ) on the hypersurface.

We classify all the topologically non-equivalent phase portraits of the quadratic polynomial differential system dx/dt = (1-2x)(y-x), dy/dt =y (2-g y-(5g-4)x/(g-1)), in the Poincaré disc for all the values of the parameter g in R\{1}. The differential system dx/dt = y-x, dy/dt =y (2-g y-(5g-4)x/(g-1))/(1-2x), when the parameter g in (1,2] models the structure equations of a static star in general relativity in the case of the existence of a homologous family of solutions, being x = m(r)/r where m(r)>= 0 is the mass inside the sphere of radius r of the star, y = 4pi r^2 rho where rho is the density of the star, and t = ln (r/R) where R is the radius of the star. We classify the possible values of m(r)/r and 4pi r^2 rho when r-->0.

Therapeutic efficacy of retroviral replicating vector (RRV)-mediated prodrug activator gene therapy has been demonstrated in a variety of tumor models, but clinical investigation of this approach has so far been restricted to glioma and gastrointestinal malignancies. In the present study, we evaluated replication kinetics, transduction efficiency, and therapeutic efficacy of RRV in experimental models of lung cancer. RRV delivering GFP as a reporter gene showed rapid viral replication in a panel of lung cancer cells in vitro, as well as robust intratumoral replication and high levels of tumor transduction in subcutaneous and orthotopic pleural dissemination models of lung cancer in vivo. Toca 511 (vocimagene amiretrorepvec), a clinical-stage RRV encoding optimized yeast cytosine deaminase (yCD) which converts the prodrug 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) to the active drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), showed potent cytotoxicity in lung cancer cells upon exposure to 5-FC prodrug. In vivo, Toca 511 achieved significant tumor growth inhibition following 5-FC treatment in subcutaneous and orthotopic pleural dissemination models of lung cancer in both immunodeficient and immunocompetent hosts, resulting in significantly increased overall survival. This study demonstrates that RRV can serve as highly efficient vehicles for gene delivery to lung cancer, and indicates the translational potential of RRV-mediated prodrug activator gene therapy with Toca 511/5-FC as a novel therapeutic strategy for pulmonary malignancies.

The human adenovirus phylogenetic tree is split across seven species (A-G). Species D adenoviruses offer potential advantages for gene therapy applications, with low rates of preexisting immunity detected across screened populations. However, many aspects of the basic virology of species D, such as their cellular tropism, receptor usage and in vivo biodistribution profile, remain unknown. Here, we have characterized human adenovirus type 49 (HAdV-D49), a relatively understudied species D member. We report that HAdV-D49 does not appear to use a single pathway to gain cell entry but appears able to interact with various surface molecules for entry. As such, HAdV-D49 can transduce a broad range of cell types in vitro, with variable engagement of blood coagulation FX. Interestingly, when comparing in vivo biodistribution to adenovirus type 5, HAdV-D49 vectors show reduced liver targeting whilst maintaining transduction of lung and spleen. Overall, this presents HAdV-D49 as a robust viral vector platform for ex vivo manipulation of human cells and for in vivo applications where the therapeutic goal is to target the lung or gain access to immune cells in the spleen whilst avoiding liver interactions, such as intravascular vaccine applications.

Predicting copper price is essential for making decisions that can affect companies and governments dependent on the copper mining industry. Copper prices follow a time series that is non-linear, non-stationary, and which have periods that change as a result of potential growth, cyclical fluctuation and errors. Sometimes the trend and cyclical components together are referred to as a trend-cycle. In order to make predictions, it is necessary to consider the different characteristics of trend-cycle. In this paper, we study a copper price prediction method using Support Vector Regression. This work explores the potential of the Support Vector Regression with external recurrences to make predictions at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 days into the future in the copper closing price at the London Metal Exchanges. The best model for each forecast interval is performed using a grid search and balanced cross-validation. In experiments on real data-sets, our results obtained indicate that the parameters (C, ε, γ) of the model Support Vector Regression do not differ between the different prediction intervals. Additionally, the amount of preceding values used to make the estimates does not vary according to the predicted interval. Results show that the support vector regression model has a lower prediction error and is more robust. Our results show that the presented model is able to predict copper price volatilities near reality, being the RMSE equal or less than the 2.2% for prediction periods of 5 and 10 days.

This paper presents an Edge-based color image segmentation derived from the method of Particle Motion in a Vector Image Fields (PMVIF) that could previously be applied only to monochrome images. Instead of using an edge vector field derived from a gradient vector field and a normal compressive vector field derived from a Laplacian-gradient vector field, two novel orthogonal vector fields, directly computed from a color image, one parallel and another orthogonal to the edges, were used in the model to force a particle to move along the object edges. The normal compressive vector field is derived from the center-to-centroid vectors of local color distance images. Next, the edge vector field is derived by taking the normal compressive vector field, multiplied by differences of auxiliary image pixels to obtain a vector field analogous to a Hamiltonian gradient vector field. Using the PASCAL Visual Object Classes Challenge 2012 (VOC2012) and the Berkeley Segmentation Data Set and Benchmarks 500 (BSDS500), the benchmark score of the proposed method is provided in comparison with those of the traditional PMVIF, Watershed, SLIC, K-means, Mean shift, and JSEG. The proposed method yields better RI, GCE, NVI, BDE, Dice coefficients, faster computation time, and noise resistance.

Interval-valued functions have been widely used to accommodate data inexactness in optimization and decision theory. In this paper, we study interval-valued vector optimization problems, and derive their relationships to interval variational inequality problems, of both Stampacchia and Minty types. Using the concept of interval approximate convexity, we establish necessary and sufficient optimality conditions for local strong quasi and approximate $LU$-efficient solutions to nonsmooth optimization problems with interval-valued multiobjective functions.

Cacipacoré virus (CPCV) was discovered in 1977 deep in the Amazon rainforest, from the blood of a black-faced ant thrush (Formicarius analis). As a member of the family Flaviviridae, genus orthoflavivirus, CPCV's intricate ecological association with vectors and hosts raises profound questions. CPCV’s transmission cycle may involve birds, rodents, equids, bovines, marsupials, non-human primates and bats as potential vertebrate hosts, whereas Culex and Aedes spp mosquitoes, have been implicated as potential vectors of transmission. The virus' isolation across diverse biomes, including urban settings suggests its adaptability as well as presents challenges for its accurate diagnosis and thus its impact on veterinary and human health. With no specific treatment or vaccine, prevention hinges on traditional arbovirus control measures. Here we provide an overview of the ecology, transmission cycles, epidemiology, pathogenesis and prevention, aiming in improving our ability to better understand this neglected arbovirus.

Abstract: Malaria transmission intensity affects the development of naturally acquired immunity to malaria. An absolute correlate of protection against malaria is lacking. However, anti-body-mediated functions against P. falciparum correlate with protection against malaria. In children, antibody-mediated functions against P. falciparum generally decline with a reduction in exposure; however, it is unclear whether adults maintain antibody-mediated functions in the context of re-duced exposure. This study assessed antibody-dependent respiratory burst (ADRB) in individuals from an area with declining malaria transmission. In an age-matched analysis, we compare ADRB activity during high versus low malaria transmission periods. Age significantly predicted higher ADRB activity in both the high and low malaria transmission periods. Within all age categories, ADRB activity was higher during the high compared to the low malaria transmission period, with only the adults during the high malaria transmission period having their mean ADRB activity above the ADRB cut-off. Interestingly, ongoing P. falciparum infection influenced ADRB activity during the low but not the high malaria transmission period. These findings propose that naturally acquired immunity to P. falciparum is affected in children and adults as malaria transmission declines, im-plying that vaccines will be necessary to induce and maintain protection against malaria.

The dogs with canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) play a key role in the transmission cycle of Leishmania infantum to humans in the urban environment. There is a consensus regarding the importance of developing a vaccine to control this disease. Despite many efforts to develop a protective vaccine against CVL, the ones currently available, CaniLeish®, Leish-tec® and LetiFend® have limited effectiveness. This is due, in part, to the complexity of the immune response of the naturally infected dogs against the parasite and the complexity of the parasite transmission cycle. Thus, strategies such as the development of a transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs), already being applied to other vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue, would be an attractive alternative to control leishmaniasis. TBVs induce the production of antibodies in the vertebrate host, which can inhibit parasite development in the vector and/or interfere with aspects of vector biology, leading to an interruption of parasite transmission. To date, there are few TBVs studies for CVL and other leishmaniasis forms. However, the few studies that exist show promising results justifying further development of this approach.

Viral Encephalitis is a significant public health concern globally, especially west Africa. There are more than 500 known arboviruses with over 100 of them identified to cause encephalitic diseases in humans and animals, giving rise to a tremendous burden of the diseases, and socioeconomic strains in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Despite their importance, few effective preventive and control measures in form of vaccines and therapeutics are available and where they are, usage is limited. These limitations are largely hinged on the paucity of information about the molecular epidemiology and transmission patterns of VE in west Africa. Here, we reviewed the transmission dynamics, ecological drivers, and molecular epidemiology of VE in the region. Collectively, timely and accurate interventions are essential for encephalitic viral disease control. Moreover, the integrated health system approach, combining surveillance, vaccination, vector control, and community engagement could be effective in preventing viral encephalitis globally.

We report world record high data transmission over standard optical fiber from a single optical source. We achieve a line rate of 44.2 Terabits per second (Tb/s) employing only the C-band at 1550nm, resulting in a spectral efficiency of 10.4 bits/s/Hz. We use a new and powerful class of micro-comb called soliton crystals that exhibit robust operation and stable generation as well as a high intrinsic efficiency that, together with an extremely low spacing of 48.9 GHz enables a very high coherent data modulation format of 64 QAM. We achieve error free transmission across 75 km of standard optical fiber in the lab and over a field trial with a metropolitan optical fiber network. This work demonstrates the ability of optical micro-combs to exceed other approaches in performance for the most demanding practical optical communications applications.

Microcombs provide a potential compact and efficient light source for multi-Terabit-per-second optical superchannels. However, as the bandwidth of these multi-wavelength light sources is increased, this can result in low per-line power. Optical amplifiers can be used to overcome power limitations, but the accompanying spontaneous optical noise can degrade performance in optical systems. To overcome this issue, we propose wideband noise reduction for comb lines using a high-Q microring resonator, whose resonances align with comb lines. When applying the proposed distillation to a superchannel system with 18 Gbaud, 64-QAM sub-channels in a > 10 Tb/s optical superchannel, we find that noise-corrupted comb lines can reduce the optical signal-to-noise ratio required for the comb by ~ 9 dB when used as optical carriers at the transmitter side, and by ~ 12 dB when used as a local oscillator at the receiver side.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) since its declaration as a pandemic by world health organization (WHO) has spread across the various continent with little known about the most effective public health response for containing and mitigating the transmission of the epidemic. It is important to state that some authors have published on the lessons learned from transmission and management of COVID-19 infection but only a few considered it from the Africa perspective. Despite the late arrival of the pandemic in Africa and the notion that the virus may not thrive because of the high temperature in the continent; today the narrative has changed with the number of infected patients increasing daily. Herein, the authors have shared their perspectives and opinions on the dynamics and response to COVID-19 from Africa context to create more awareness and approach in mitigating the spread of the virus should the continent becomes the epicenter of COVID-19.

The outbreak of recently identified 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCOV) infection has become a world-wide health threat. Currently, more information is needed for further understanding the transmission, clinical characteristics, and infection control procedures of 2019-nCOV. Recently, the role of the eye in transmitting 2019-nCOV has been intensively discussed. Previous investigations about other high infectious human COVs, that is, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), may provide helpful information. In this review, we describe the genomics and morphology of human CoVs, the epidemiology, systemic and ophthalmic manifestations, mechanisms of human CoVs infection, and infection control procedures. The role of the eye in the transmission of SARS-CoV and 2019-nCOV is discussed. Although the conjunctiva is directly exposed to extraocular pathogens, and the mucosa of ocular surface and upper respiratory tract is connected by nasolacrimal duct and share same entry receptors for some respiratory viruses. The eye is rarely involved in human CoVs infection, conjunctivitis is quite rare in patients with SARS-CoV and 2019-nCoV infection, and COV RNA positive rate by RT-PCR test in tears and conjunctival secretions from patients with SARS-CoV and 2019-nCoV infection is also very low, which imply that the eye is neither a preferred organ of human COVs infection, nor is a preferred gateway of entry for human COVs to infect respiratory tract. However, pathogens exposed to the ocular surface might be transported to nasal and nasopharyngeal mucosa by constant tear rinsing through lacrimal duct, and then cause respiratory tract infection. Considering close doctor-patient contact is quite common in ophthalmic practice which are apt to transmit human COVs by droplets and fomites, hand hygiene and personal protection are still highly recommended for health care workers to avoid hospital-related viral transmission during ophthalmic practice.

We propose a novel plasmon nano-optical antenna that consists of three vertically superimposed discs with different materials. Two symmetrical nanometer-scale Yagi antenna elements with gold-material are embedded into the surface of the middle disc with silicon dioxide. Based on plasmon theory and Yagi antenna principle, we explore the properties of the far-field radiation and near-field transmission of the antenna in near infrared band. It is found that the pattern of the xoy plane in the antenna can be adjusted in arbitrary direction. The far-field pattern and near-field transmission spectrum can be reconfigured by changing the angle a of the Yagi antenna elements in the middle disc. Moreover, we also discuss the influences of the widths and lengths of the elements on the near-field transmission spectrum when a is fixed at 0 degree.

Vector-borne disease (VBD) accounts for more than 17% of the global infectious disease burden, disproportionately affecting developing nations within tropical and subtropical areas. As Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the principal vector for the transmission of many Public Health pathogens, our study examined their population dynamics within the seasonal context of tropical dry biomes in El Salvador as incidence of VBD in this region has increased in recent years. Species that rely on sexual reproduction must maintain a balanced sex ratio (1:1) to support their population dynamics, however, our phenological analysis of field-collected A. aegypti specimens revealed significant sex ratio variations during dry and wet seasons. Interestingly, we detected a seasonal shift that favored female mosquitoes during the dry season, highlighting the dynamic nature of mosquito populations in highly urbanized environments like El Salvador. By linking sex ratio distortions to anthropogenic factors, our study underscores the importance of comprehensively characterizing the urban ecology of vectors for the development of effective biocontrol strategies. As such, we advocate for more nuanced vector control approaches that consider ecological factors as well as the human behaviors that influence mosquito breeding habitats to effectively combat the rise of VBDs amid global climate changes.

Besides common skin pathogens, acute focal lymphadenitis in humans can be caused by a zoonotic pathogen in rare cases. Furthermore, it can develop in absence of any direct or indirect contact with infected animal in cases when the microorganism is transmitted by vector. This clinical entity is rare, and therefore not easily recognized in most regions, yet many zoonotic illnesses are considered emerging or re-emerging nowadays. Focal zoonotic vector-borne lymphadenitis and its numerous causative agents with their variegated clinical manifestations have been described in some case reports and small case series. Therefore, we tried to summarize those data in this narrative overview, with the aim to rise clinical awareness, which could improve clinical outcomes. This overview briefly covers reported pathogens, their vectors and geographic distribution, as well as their main clinical manifestations, diagnostic possibilities and recommended therapy. Vector-borne tularemia, plague, bartonellosis, rickettsioses, borreliosis and Malayan filariasis are mentioned. According to the existing data, when acute focal bacterial vector-borne zoonotic lymphadenitis is suspected, in severe or complicated cases it seems prudent to apply combined aminoglycoside (or quinolone) plus doxycycline as an empirical therapy, pending definite diagnostic results. In this field the „one health approach” and further epidemiological and clinical studies are needed.

The way in which a person walks, known as human gait, is a significant indicator of overall health and well-being. Abnormalities in gait can indicate the presence of metabolic disorders, such as diabetes or obesity. However, detecting these disorders can be challenging using traditional methods, which often involve subjective assessments or invasive procedures. In this study, a novel methodology known as Criticality Analysis (CA) was proposed for the detection and monitoring of human gait in people with metabolic disorders taking part in an intervention to increase activity and reduce weight. The CA approach utilised inertial measurement unit gait data, alongside clinical health measures. This allows for the control of nonlinear growth in the system, resulting in lower dimensional, nonlinear, free-scale, stable, controlled, and organised trajectories. These trajectories were then analysed using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm, which is well-suited for this task due to its ability to handle nonlinear and dynamic data. The combination of the CA approach and the SVM algorithm demonstrated high accuracy and non-invasiveness in detecting metabolic disorders, yielding an average accuracy within the range of 78.2% to 90%. Additionally, the classification technique accuracy, at a group level was observed to reduce during period of the intervention (e.g., from week 2 to week 3) alongside changes in fitness and health, which indicates the potential of using the approach to measure and monitor biological systems. As such, this novel methodology has the potential to be a valuable tool for healthcare professionals in detecting and monitoring metabolic disorders, as well as other unknown diseases associated with the human biological system.

The quadratic polynomial differential systems in the plane are the easiest nonlinear differential systems. They have been studied intensively due to their nonlinearity and to their big number of applications. These systems can be classified in ten classes. Here we provide all the topologically different phase portraits in the Poincaré disc of two of these classes.

Mosquitoes transmit pathogens that cause human diseases such as malaria, Dengue fever, Chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika fever, and filariasis. Chemical pesticides are effective instruments for reducing disease transmission and managing mosquito populations. However, these chemicals have drawbacks such as high production costs and negative effects on the environment and non-target organisms. Furthermore, as mosquitoes develop resistance to chemical insecticides, they become less effective. As a result, researchers are investigating novel insecticides. Advances in microbial biotechnology have resulted in a wide range of value-added products, including biopesticides for agricultural and public health purposes. In this review, we highlight the mainly untapped biotechnological potential of microorganisms for vector mosquito control and disease transmission reduction. Also, we underline the importance of more basic research and improved translational research methodologies, encouraging efforts to bridge the gap between academic research on biopesticides and public health interventions.

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

The new emergence and re-emergence of arbovirus infections vectored by Aedes mosquitoes have been spread across Southeast Asia, Central Africa, United States, tropical Oceania and become a major of public health concerns. These arbovirus diseases found to have a similar vector, symptoms of the diseases and environments. The situation has become complicated without any specific vaccine or treatment for the diseases. As far as we concern, vector control is the best defense with many challenges, a scattered breeding site and biological behavioral sometimes, more difficult to control. Herein, we present a review of studies on current techniques proposed to combat arbovirus infections vectored by Aedes mosquitoes. A crucial gap in a vector control program is the inability to eliminate and destroy the cryptic breeding site by using conventional control methods. The idea and proper concept of using mosquitoes to bring insecticide to their oviposition site had been getting more interest in people to explore. Autodissemination is a self-delivery technique by manipulating the behavior of mosquitoes, carrying the insecticide and disseminate to cryptic breeding sites. This technique has shown a promising result in some countries and can be considered as additional tools in a vector control program

Pencil-beam Doppler scatterometers are a promising remote sensing tool for measuring ocean vector winds and currents from space. While several point designs exist in the literature, these designs have been constrained by the hardware they inherited, and the design is sub-optimal. Here, I present guidelines to optimize the design of these instruments starting from the basic sensitivity equations. Unlike conventional scatterometers or pencil-beam imagers, appropriate sampling of the Doppler spectrum and optimizing the radial velocity error lead naturally to a design that incorporates a pulse-to-pulse separation and pulse length that vary with scan angle. Including this variation can improve radial velocity performance significantly and the optimal selection of system timing and bandwidth is derived. Following this, optimization of the performance based on frequency, incidence angle, antenna length, and spatial sampling strategy are considered. It is shown that antenna length influences the performance most strongly, while the errors depend only on the square root of the transmit transmit power. Finally, a set of example designs and associated performance are presented.

Ocean surface currents and winds are tightly coupled essential climate variables, and, given their short time scales, observing them at the same time and resolution is of great interest. DopplerScatt is an airborne Ka-band scatterometer that has been developed under NASA's Instrument Incubator Program (IIP) to provide a proof of concept of the feasability of measuring these variables using pencil-beam scanning Doppler scatterometry. In the first half of this paper, we present the Doppler scatterometer measurement and processing principles, paying particular attention to deriving a complete measurement error budget. Although Doppler radars have been used for the estimation of surface currents, pencil-beam Doppler Scatterometry offers challenges and opportunities that require separate treatment. The calibration of the Doppler measurement to remove platform and instrument biases has been a traditional challenge for Doppler systems, and we introduce several new techniques to mitigate these errors when conical scanning is used. The use of Ka-band for airborne Doppler scatterometry measurements is also new, and, in the second half of the paper, we examine the phenomenology of the mapping from radar cross section and radial velocity measurements to winds and surface currents. To this end, we present new Ka-band Geophysical Model Functions (GMF's) for winds and surface currents obtained from multiple airborne campaigns. We find that the wind Ka-band GMF exhibits similar dependence to wind speed as that for Ku-band scatterometers, such as QuikSCAT, albeit with much greater upwind-crosswind modulation. The surface current GMF at Ka-band is significantly different from that at C-band, and, above 4.5 m/s has a weak dependence on wind speed, although still dependent on wind direction. We examine the effects of Bragg-wave modulation by long waves through a Modululation Transfer Function (MTF), and show that the observed surface current dependence on winds is consistent with past Ka-band MTF observations. Finally, we provide a preliminary validation of our geophysical retrievals, which will be expanded in subsequent publications. Our results indicate that Ka-band Doppler scatterometry could be a feasible method for wide-swath simultaneous measurements of winds and currents from space.

The reduction of PV prices and interest in energy independence accelerate the adoption of residential battery storage. This storage can support various functions of an energy system undergoing decarbonization. In this work, operative benefits of the storage from the system perspective, namely, generation cost reduction and congestion mitigation, are investigated. Germany is chosen as a case study due to its strong reliance on variable renewable energy. For the analysis, an economic dispatch model with a high spatial resolution is coupled with a Pan-European transmission grid model. It is shown that the system's generation costs are highest when the assets are used only to maximize the PV self-consumption, and the costs are lowest when the storage also reacts to the market dynamics. This amounts to 6% cost reduction. Both operation strategies result in an equal level of grid congestion and infrastructure loading. This is improved with a strategy that accounts regional peak reduction as a secondary objective. The high congestion level emphasizes the grid expansion need to keep pace with the generation and electrification expansion necessary to decarbonize other sectors. Lastly, policymakers should enable multipurpose utilization, e.g., via the introduction of market-oriented retail electricity prices with intervention options for grid operators.

Schistosomiasis, acquired by skin-penetrating cercariae of dioecious digenean schistosomes during freshwater contact, afflicts nearly 260 and 440 million people with active infections and residual morbidity, respectively; about 10 million women at reproductive age contract schistosomiasis during gestation every year. Acute schistosomiasis is characterized by pre-patent pro-inflammatory CD4+ T-helper 1 or CD4+ Th1/T-helper 17 reactivity against immature schistosomulae. Chronic schistosomiasis is dominated by post-patent anti-inflammatory CD4+ T-helper 2 reactivity against ova epitopes; flukes co-exist in immunocompetent definitive hosts as they are capable of evading their defense mechanisms. Preventive measures should be complemented by vaccination, inducing long-term protection against transmission, infection, and disease recurrence, given the latest advancements in schistosomal vaccines. Transmission models incorporating vaccination available in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science up to December 31, 2023 are presented. Besides conceptual model differences, predictions meant to guide decision- and policymaking reveal continued worm harboring facilitating transmission besides residual infections, and increased susceptibility to re-infection and rebound morbidity, both shifted to later life stages following the intervention. Consequently, a vaccination schedule is pivotal considering the optimal age for initial immunization, i.e., pre-schoolchildren or schoolchildren, in a cohort-based or population-based manner while incorporating potential non-adherers promoting ongoing transmission; longevity over magnitude of vaccine protection to antigenic schistosomal moieties is crucial including accounting for existing pre-acquired immunity from natural exposure, in utero priming besides herd immunity, and induced by chemotherapy. Combining as one multi-component approach long-term effects of vaccination with short-term effects of chemotherapy as regular repeated vaccine-linked therapy in contrast to a single-component intervention seems most promising for achieving WHO’s endpoints of transmission elimination and morbidity control.

The rapid changes in the coronavirus genomes are creating new strains over time after the first variation found in Wuhan in 2019. SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) genotypes need periodically undergo whole genome sequencing. Genome sequencing has been extremely helpful in combating this virus because so many diagnoses, treatments, and vaccinations have been developed against it. To achieve this, we generated 17 high-quality whole-genome sequence data from 48 SARS-CoV-2 genotypes of COVID-19 patients who tested positive by PCR in the Tashkent city of Uzbekistan. We identified nucleotide polymorphisms, including nonsynonymous (missense) and synonymous mutations in the coding regions of the sequenced sample genomes. All whole genome sequences were categorized by phylogenetic analysis into the G clade (or GK sub-clade). A total of 134 mutations were identified, consisting of 65 shared and 69 unique mutations. Collectively, nucleotide changes represented one frameshift mutation, one conservative and disruptive insertion deletion, four upstream region mutations, four downstream region mutations, 39 synonymous mutations, and 84 missense mutations. Furthermore, bioinformatics web tools were used to analyze amino acid changes in virus genomes. Several amino acid mutations were found, which were not found in previously published Delta strain sequences.

Background: Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease with a global spread that affects both domestic and wild animals in addition to people. Leishmania donovani is the suspected anthroponotic cause of VL in India, where it is an endemic disease. The reservoir hosts play a crucial role in the life cycle of the Leishmania parasite. The complicated connection between the pathogen, vector, and reservoir exhibits geographical and temporal diversity. Human-to-human and, to a lesser extent, human-to-animal transmission is the principal mechanism for the maintenance of anthroponotic diseases. Scope and approach: A deliberate, systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar using keywords such as "Leishmania donovani," "zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis," and "wild animal reservoir for leishmania donovani." 530 potentially significant references were obtained from these 507 were disallowed due to copy avoidance, irrelevant titles, research publications from nations other than India, or modified compositions. The remaining 20 investigations were later rejected because they did not meet the criteria for inclusion. Finally 3 research papers with 867 goats, 161 cattles, 106 chickens, 26 sheep, 3 buffaloes, 406 dogs and 309 rats were reported. Conclusion: According to the review, goats are the epidemic's primary host and possible reservoir in several regions of India. In the endemic regions of the disease, some species of rodents along with the canines appear to be maintaining the L. donovani transmission cycle.

Melioidosis, or Whitmore's disease, is an infectious disease initiated by a bacteria known as Burkholderia pseudomallei. This bacteria is commonly found in contaminated soil and water. In Malaysia, the mortality from melioidosis infection was reported to be higher than in other infectious diseases. The research on melioidosis is still limited in Malaysia but slightly increasing. The article's objective was to seek all the melioidosis research related to mortality in Malaysia. The information from the selected papers was then abstracted into two sections; Section 1: Review of literature and Section 2: Findings on mortality from melioidosis in Malaysia. In Section 1, the information on transmission and clinical features of melioidosis, demographic, severity of melioidosis, a clinical signs of melioidosis, diagnosis of melioidosis, management of melioidosis, the economic burden of melioidosis, and incidence of mortality from melioidosis were discussed in this paper. Meanwhile, in Section 2, the findings on mortality of melioidosis in Malaysia were discussed according to eight published articles. It is important to manage patients with melioidosis with appropriate treatment and management to reduce severe complications, high fatality rate, and relapse. More published research on melioidosis will provide input to the clinicians on a more detailed understanding of how to improve the diagnosis of melioidosis and the prognosis factors of this disease.

Background: Vertical transmission of HIV infection can occur during pregnancy, during childbirth or through breastfeeding. The recommendations issued by the various international guidelines (WHO 2010, EACS 2017, DHHS 2017) on the safety of breastfeeding of HIV-infected women in effective antiretroviral treatment do not provide univocal indications referring to individual countries the choice to advise or advise against such procedure. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a small cohort of HIV-infected pregnant women who, despite the information received, decided to breastfeed their children. The observation was carried out in the period between March 2017 and June 2021. In all newborns, prophylaxis therapy was initiated at birth, according to the treatment guidelines, the scheme adopted involved the administration of zidovudine (AZT) orally for 4 weeks, started immediately after the childbirth. Breastfeeding time was, on average, 5 months. Results: No contagion was diagnosed. All infants were tested for HIV-RNA at birth, 1, 3, and 6 months after birth, and 1, 3 and 3 months after stopping breastfeeding. Conclusions: The data obtained represent, in our opinion, a solicitation to discuss and re-evaluate scientific evidence that starting from "Undetectable Equals Untransmittable" (U = U) can open a scientific and cultural review of breastfeeding.

Developing new technologies is essential for advancement in solar cell technologies due to their ability to only absorb light mainly in the visible light spectrum. Super crystals Nd³⁺- Eu³⁺ optical characteristics display higher absorption of light waves than single crystals of Eu³⁺ and Nd³⁺ due to a two-photon absorption energy transfer mechanism known as upconversion. Super crystals Nd³⁺- Eu³⁺ display higher absorption due to fewer light waves being transmitted through materials as reported in spectra data. Transmission spectra data reflects that Nd³⁺- Eu³⁺ nanoparticles are great candidates to enhance light absorption in solar cell devices.

Pretreatment with non-convulsive dose of methionine sulfoximine (MSO) attenuated lithi-um-pilocarpine-induced (Li-Pilo) seizures in young rats [1]. We hypothesized that the effect of MSO results from a) glutamine synthetase block-mediated inhibition of conversion of Glu/Gln precursors to neurotransmitter Glu, and/or from b) altered synaptic Glu release. Pilo was admin-istered 60 min prior to sacrifice, MSO at 75 mg/kg, i.p., 2.5 h earlier. [1,2-13C]acetate and [U-13C]glucose were i.p.-injected either together with Pilo (onset) or 15 min before sacrifice (final phase). Their conversion to Glu and Gln in hippocampus and entorhinal cortex was followed us-ing [13C] gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Release of in vitro loaded [3H]D-Asp from ex vi-vo brain slices was measured in continuously collected superfusates. Protein and mRNA expres-sion were measured by Western Blot and real-time PCR techniques, respectively. At no time point nor brain region did MSO modify incorporation of [13C] to Glu or Gln in Pilo-treated rats. MSO pretreatment decreased by ~37% high potassium-induced [3H]D-Asp release and reduced by ~50% the synaptic vesicular Glu transporter VGLUT1 protein, but not mRNA content in the hippo-campus. The results indicate that MSO at non-convulsive dose mitigates the initial Pilo-induced seizures by interfering with synaptic Glu-release but not with neurotransmitter Glu recycling.

The aim of the work was to update the distribution range of Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus Skuse in the Americas, review the blood feeding patterns and compare the minimum infection rate (MIR) between studies of vertical and horizontal transmission of arboviruses. The current distribution of Ae. albopictus encompasses 21 countries in the Americas. In eleven published papers on the blood feeding pattern of Ae. albopictus, DNA from 16 species of mammals and five species of avian species was found. The most common host is humans, and dogs. We found 24 published papers on the identification of arboviruses in wild populations of Ae. albopictus with the potential to infect humans and animals. Eight arboviruses have been isolated in different studies carried out in Brazil, USA, Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica. Fifty-eight percent (14/24) of the publications reported vertical transmission of arbovirus. Positive pools were higher in vertical (8.45%) compared to horizontal transmission (0.97%). This was supported by the MIR, which was 3 times greater in vertical (MIR=3.21) than horizontal transmission (MIR= 1.08). In conclusion, Ae. albopictus is an invasive mosquito with wide phenotypic plasticity to adapt to broad and new areas, high vectorial competence to transmit several arboviruses mainly by transovarial transmission, it can participate in the endemic transmission, and serve as a bridge vector for emerging arboviruses between sylvan, rural, and urban areas.

Influenza epidemics in temperate regions display dynamics that are characterized by pronounced seasonal peaks during the winter. The general lack of influenza cases during the off-season may result from the virus physically disappearing at the end of the season, in which case it must be imported annually. Alternatively, it may result from persistent asymptomatic carriers or unnoticed local transmission chains that develop into local epidemics as conditions become conducive. Here I attempt to understand these differing explanations by analyzing the global distribution of the four major subtypes that comprise influenza over a period of 18 years based on FluNet data, the surveillance network and database compiled by the WHO, and the NCBI influenza data resource, a repository of relevant genetic information. Examining the annual proportion of each subtype, I find considerable variations in subtype annual proportions between the regions. Moreover, I find that seasonal influenza subtypes can remain confined to specific temperate regions, without showing measurable global presence. These results indicate that although largely undetected during the off-season, influenza is likely to persist locally, and imply a ‘local-global’ model where annual influenza epidemics are a mixture of local strains undergoing reactivation together with an influx of global variants.

The present study is aimed at designing anti-reflective (AR) engraving on the Input-Output surfaces of a rectangular light-guide. We estimate AR efficiency, by the transmittance level in the angular range, determined by the light-guide. Using nano-engraving, we achieve a uniform high transmission over a wide range of wavelengths. In the past, we used smoothed conical pins or indentations on the faces of light-guide crystal as the engraved structure. Here, we widen the class of pins under consideration, following the physical model developed in the previous paper. We analyze the smoothed pyramidal pins with different base shapes. The possible effect of randomization of the pins parameters is also examined. The results obtained demonstrate optimized engraved structure with parameters depending on the required spectral range and facet format. The predicted level of transmittance is close to 99\%, and its flatness (estimated by the standard deviation) in the required wavelength range is 0.2\%. The theoretical analysis and numerical calculations indicate that the obtained results demonstrate the best transmission (reflection) we can expect for a facet with the given shape and size for the required spectral band. The approach is equally useful for any other form and of the facet. We also discuss a simple way of comparing experimental and theoretical results for a light-guide with the designed input and output features. In this study, as well as in our previous work, we restrict ourselves to rectangular facets. We also consider the limitations on maximal transmission produced by the size and shape of the light-guide facets. The theoretical analysis is performed for an infinite structure and serves as an upper bound on the transmittance for smaller-size apertures.

Achieving devices to be transparent is the task considered in the last time in many aspects and for different purposes. One issue of these problems is making anti-reflective surfaces in a wide wavelength range and keeping it flat enough. The authors of the previous publication showed that one could enhance a flat facet's transmission efficiency by suitable engraving. They used smoothed conical fingers and holes. Here, we widen the class of anti-reflective metasurfaces under consideration, following the requirements of the model developed in the previous paper. We involve also smoothed pyramidal fingers. The obtained results provide the improved engraved structure, with parameters dependent on the required spectral range, and the facet format. The predicted level of transmittance is close to 99\%, and the flatness(estimated by the standard deviation) as 0.2\%. This improvement is significant enough for high and broadband transmittance. In this work, we show that the randomization of the engraving parameters does not provide any significant effect for small facets. We also discuss a simple way of comparing experimental and theoretical results for a waveguide with the considered input and output features. In this study, as well as in our previous work, we restrict ourselves by rectangular facets. We also discuss the limitations that originated from the size and shape of the waveguide facets.

Evidence for the potential for airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-19 continues to accumulate, with important implications for healthcare workers, as well as the general public. Three lines of evidence support this conclusion.

Microbial symbioses exhibit astounding adaptations, yet all symbionts face the problem of how to reliably associate with host offspring every generation. A common strategy is vertical transmission, in which symbionts are directly transmitted from the female to her offspring. The diversity of symbionts and vertical transmission mechanisms is as expansive as the diversity of eukaryotic host taxa that house them. However, there are several common themes among these mechanisms based on the degree to which symbionts associate with the host germline during transmission. In this review, we detail three distinct vertical transmission strategies, starting with associations that are transmitted from host somatic cells to offspring somatic cells, either due to lacking a germline or avoiding it. A second strategy involves somatically-localized symbionts that migrate into the germline during host development. The third strategy we discuss is one in which the symbiont maintains continuous association with the germline throughout development. Unexpectedly, the vast majority of documented vertically inherited symbionts rely on the second strategy: soma-to-germline migration. Given that not all eukaryotes contain a sequestered germline and instead produce offspring from somatic stem cell lineages, this soma-to-germline migration is discussed in the context of multicellular evolution. Lastly, as recent genomics data have revealed an abundance of horizontal gene transfer events from symbiotic and non-symbiotic bacteria to host genomes, we discuss their impact on eukaryotic host evolution.

Keywords: Electrical power systems, Support vector machines, Random Forest, Machine learning, Wavelet transform, Transmission lines fault, Electrical power quality, Short circuit, Classification of faults, Localization of faults, Decision trees, Ensemble learning, K-nearest neighbors.

The blood counts of α thalassemia carriers (α-thal) are similar to those of β thalassemia carriers, except for Hgb A2 that is not elevated. The objective of this study was to determine whether mathematical formulas are effective for detecting suspected α-thal. The data were obtained from the database of the prevention program for detecting couples at risk for having a child with hemoglobinopathy. RBC indices were analyzed using mathematical formulas and the sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) calculated. Among 1334 blood counts suspected α-thal analyzed, only the Shine&Lal and the Support Vector Machine formulas revealed high sensitivity and NPV. Sensitivity was 85.54 and 99.33% and NPV 98.93 and 99.93%, respectively. Molecular defects were found in 291, 81 had normal α genes. Molecular analysis was not performed in 962. Based on these results, mathematical formulas incorporating one of these reliable formulas for detecting suspected α or β thalassemia carriers in the program of the automatic analyzers can flag these results and increase the awareness of the primary physicians about the carrier risk and send an alert with a recommendation for further testing.

This article theoretically derives the magnetic field and vector potential produced by a steady current I flowing in an arbitrary plane loop at an arbitrary point r. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the behavior of the magnetic field produced by loops of various shapes such as polygons, circles, ellipses, and p-norm balls. Taking the limit as the loop shrinks to a point and the current I grows to infinity so that the magnetic dipole moment m of the loop (defined as the current I times the vector area of the loop) is kept constant, the magnetic field and vector potential are theoretically shown to converge to those of an ideal point magnetic dipole m.

Information is uploaded and downloaded through the Internet day in and day out ever since we immersed ourselves in the Internet. Data security becomes an area demanding high attention and one of the efficient techniques to protect data is data hiding. Among various data hiding schemes, more applications prefer the schemes with reversibility. In recent reversible data hiding studies, the indices of a codebook can be reordered to hide secret bits. The hiding capacity of the codeword index reordering scheme increases when the size of the codebook gets larger. Since the codewords in the codebook are not modified, the visual performance of compressed images is retained. We propose a novel scheme making use of the fundamental principle of codeword index reordering technique to hide secret data in encrypted images. By observing our experimental results, the embedding capacity is significantly larger. Secret data can be extracted when a receiver owns a data hiding key and image can be recovered when a receiver owns an encryption key.

Abstract: The baculovirus expression vector (BEV) system is an efficient, cost effective and scalable method to produce recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) gene therapy vectors. Most BEV designs emulate the wild type AAV transcriptome and translate the AAV capsid proteins, VP1, VP2 and VP3 from a single mRNA transcript with three overlapping open reading frames (ORFs). Non-canonical translation initiation codons for VP1 and VP2 reduce their abundances relative to VP3. Changing capsid ratios to improve rAAV vector efficacy requires theoretical modification of translational context. We have made a Lac repressor inducible system to empirically regulate expression of VP1 and VP2 proteins relative to VP3 in the context of the BEV. We demonstrate the use of this system to tune the abundance, titer and potency of a neurospecific rAAV9 serotype derivative. VP1:VP2:VP3 ratios of 1:1:8 gave optimal potency for this rAAV. It was discovered that ratios of capsid proteins expressed were different than ratios that ultimately were in purified capsids. Over expressed VP1 did not become incorporated into capsids while over expressed VP2 did. Overabundance of VP2 correlated with reduced rAAV titers. This work demonstrates a novel technology for controlling production of rAAV in the BEV system and shows a new perspective on the biology of rAAV capsid assembly.

The Americas, particularly Brazil, were greatly impacted by the widespread outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) in 2015 and 2016. Efforts were made to implement genomic surveillance of ZIKV as part of the public health responses. The accuracy of spatiotemporal reconstructions of the epidemic spread relies on the unbiased sampling of the transmission process. In the early stages of the outbreak, we recruited patients exhibiting clinical symptoms of arbovirus-like infection from Salvador and Campo Formoso, Bahia, in Northeast Brazil. Between May 2015 and June 2016, we identified 21 cases of acute ZIKV infection and subsequently recovered 14 near full-length sequences using the amplicon tiling multiplex approach with nanopore sequencing. We perform a time-calibrated discrete phylogeographic analysis to trace the spread and migration history of the ZIKV. Our phylogenetic analysis supports a consistent relationship between ZIKV migration from Northeast to Southeast Brazil and its subsequent dissemination beyond Brazil. Additionally, our analysis provides insights into the migration of ZIKV from Brazil to Haiti and the role Brazil played in the spread of ZIKV to other countries, such as Singapore, the USA and Dominican Republic. The data generated by this study enhances our understanding of ZIKV dynamics and supports the existing knowledge, which can aid in future surveillance efforts against the virus.

Soil working tools, implements, and machines are inevitable in mechanized agriculture. The soil-tool/machine interaction is a multivariate, dynamic, and intricate process. The accurate interpretation, description, and modeling of a soil-machine interaction is key to providing a solution to sustainable crop production by reducing energy input, excessive soil pulverization, and compaction. The traditional method provides insight into soil-machine interaction but often provides inadequate solutions and lacks broad applicability. Computational intelligence (CI) is a comprehensive class of approaches that rely on approximate information to solve complex problems. The CI method has been extensively studied and applied in soil tillage and traction domain in recent decades. The study critically reviews the CI techniques implemented in soil-machine interactions, especially in the context of tillage, traction, and compaction. The traditional methods and their limitation are discussed. The fundamental of CI methods and a detailed overview of the most popular methods are provided. The study reviews and summarizes the 50 selected articles on soil-machine interaction studies where CI methods were employed. It discusses the strength and limitations of employed CI methods. It also suggests the emergent CI methods and future applications are discussed. The outlined study would serve as a concise reference and a quick and systematic way to understand the applicable CI methods that allow crucial farm management decision-making.

We solve the And\^{o} dilation problem for linear maps on vector space asked by Krishna and Johnson in \textit{[Oper. Matrices, 2022]}. More precisely, we show that any commuting linear maps on vector space can be dilated to commuting injective linear maps.

Targeting genes involved in sexual determinism for vector or pest control purpose, requires a better understanding of their polymorphism in natural populations in order to ensure a rapid spread of the construct. By using genomic data from An. gambiae s.l., we analyzed the genetic variation and the conservation score of the fru gene in 18 natural populations across Africa. A total of 34339 SNPs were identified including 3.11% non-synonymous segregating sites. Overall, the nucleotide diversity was low and the Tajima's D neutrality test was negative indicating an excess of low frequency SNPs in the fru gene. The allelic frequencies of the non-synonymous SNPs were low (freq < 0.26) except two SNPs identified at high frequencies (freq > 0.8) in the Zinc-finger A and B protein domains. The conservation score was variable throughout the fru gene with maximum values in the exonic compared to the intronic regions. These results showed a low genetic variation in overall the exonic regions especially the male sex-specific exon and the BTB-exon 1 of the fru gene. These findings are crucial for the development of a gene drive construct targeting the fru gene that can rapidly spread without encountering resistance in wild populations.

Background: New insecticides with novel modes of action such as neonicotinoids have recently been recommended for public health use by WHO. Resistance monitoring of such novel insecticides requires a robust protocol to monitor the development of resistance in natural populations. In this study, we comparatively used three different solvents to assess the susceptibility of malaria vectors to neonicotinoids across Africa.Methods: Mosquitoes were collected from May to July 2021 from three agricultural settings in Cameroon (Njombe-Penja, Nkolondom, and Mangoum), the Democratic Republic of Congo (Ndjili-Brasserie), Ghana (Atatam), and Uganda (Mayuge). Using the CDC bottle test, we compared the effect of three different solvents (ethanol, acetone, acetone+MERO) on the efficacy of neonicotinoids against Anopheles gambiae s.l. In addition, TaqMan assays were used to genotype key pyrethroid-resistant markers in An. gambiae and to evaluate potential cross-resistance between pyrethroids and clothianidin.Results: Lower mortalities were observed for all populations when using absolute ethanol or acetone alone as solvent (11.4- 51.9% mortality for Nkolondom, 31.7- 48.2% for Mangoum, 34.6- 56.1% for Mayuge, 39.4- 45.6% for Atatam, 83.7- 89.3% for Congo and 71.05- 95.9% for Njombe pendja) compared to acetone + MERO for which 100% mortality was observed for all the populations. Synergist assays (PBO, DEM and DEF) revealed a significant increase of mortality suggesting that metabolic resistance mechanisms are contributing to the reduced susceptibility. A negative association was observed between the L1014F-kdr mutation and clothianidin resistance with a greater frequency of homozygote resistant mosquitoes among the dead than among survivors (OR=0.5; P=0.02). However, the I114T-GSTe2 was in contrast significantly associated with a greater ability to survive clothianidin with a higher frequency of homozygote resistant among survivors than other genotypes (OR=2.10; P=0.013). Conclusions: This study revealed a contrasted susceptibility pattern depending on the solvents with ethanol/acetone resulting in lower mortality, thus possibly overestimating resistance, whereas the addition of MERO consistently increased the efficacy of neonicotinoids in terms of percentage mortalities and time to final mortality. The addition of MERO could however prevent the early detection of resistance development. We therefore recommend monitoring susceptibility using both acetone alone and acetone+MERO (8-10µg/ml for clothianidin) to capture the accurate resistance profile of the mosquito populations.

Reported for the first time in 1955 in Malaysia, Tembusu virus (TMUV) remained for a long time in the shadow of flaviviruses with human health importance such as dengue virus or Japanese encephalitis virus. However, since 2010 and the first large epidemic in duck farms in China, the threat of its emergence on a large scale in Asia or even its spillover into the human population is becoming more and more significant. This review aims to report current knowledge on TMUV from viral particle organization to the development of specific vaccine and therapeutic with a particular focus on host-virus interaction.

Aedes aegypti is inherently susceptible to arboviruses. The geographical expansion of this vector host species has led to the persistence of Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya human infections. These viruses take advantage of the mosquito’s cell to create an environment conducive for their growth. Arboviral infection triggers transcriptomic and protein dysregulation in Ae. aegypti and in effect, host antiviral mechanisms are compromised. Currently, there are no existing vaccines able to protect human hosts from these infections and thus, vector control strategies such as Wolbachia mass release program is regarded as a viable option. Considerable evidence demonstrates how the presence of Wolbachia interferes with arboviruses by decreasing cellular components vital for the pathogen and strengthening antiviral host responses. However, variation in the magnitude of Wolbachia’s viral inhibition that is neither due to strain nor density has been observed. Furthermore, the cellular mechanisms involved in the endosymbiont’s pathogen-blocking differs among hosts. This prompts the need to explore the cellular interactions between Ae. aegypti-arboviruses-Wolbachia and how these interactions overall affect the mosquito’s cell. Understanding what happens at the cellular and molecular level will provide evidence on the sustainability of Wolbachia vector control.

Three decades have now passed since the first papers linking climate change to issues in human disease and healthcare. One of the most active topics in this area has been the implication of climate change events, particularly temperature and humidity fluctuations, in the northward spread of vector-borne viruses from more tropical regions into Europe and North America. However, some detailed studies of one such emerging disease, tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEv), have called the connection into question, concentrating the debate on the investigation of precise mechanisms for the spread of viral disease. More recently, firmer statistical correlations have been made between climate variables, the presence of insect vectors and the prevalence of viral disease, particularly for West Nile Virus (WNV). These insights suggest avenues for mechanistic confirmation of the involvement of climate change in other diseases where the connection remains conjectural.

This paper updates earlier thoughts by the author on a putative electromagnetic propulsion system, to perform a more detailed energy balance. The previous paper demonstrated how momentum could be dumped to the ground state of the electromagnetic field but a claim was left somewhat hanging at the end of the previous paper, that the work done in changing the craft's velocity would effectively shift the centre of mass of the field - although that would be an infinitesimal shift in practice. The craft must always supply work to change velocity, such as by an accelerate/de-accelerate cycle and superficially this looks to violate the conservation of energy; we prove that this isn't so.

Identifying human actions in complex scenes is widely considered as a challenging research problem due to the unpredictable behaviors and variation of appearances and postures. For extracting variations in motion and postures, trajectories provide meaningful way. However, simple trajectories are normally represented by vector of spatial coordinates. In order to identify human actions, we must exploit structural relationship between different trajectories. In this paper, we propose a method that divides the video into N number of segments and then for each segment we extract trajectories. We then compute trajectory descriptor for each segment which capture the structural relationship among different trajectories in the video segment. For trajectory descriptor, we project all extracted trajectories on the canvas. This will result in texture image which can store the relative motion and structural relationship among the trajectories. We then train Convolution Neural Network (CNN) to capture and learn the representation from dense trajectories. . Experimental results shows that our proposed method out performs state of the art methods by 90.01% on benchmark data set.