Therapeutic proteins are used to successfully treat hemophilia, Crohn’s Disease, diabetes, and cancer. Recent product recalls have occurred because of sub-visible particle formation resulting from the inherent instability of proteins. It has been suggested that particle formation is associated with late stage processing steps of filling, shipping, and delivery. Previous works demonstrated that cavitation might occur in therapeutic vials subjected to agitation or accidentally dropped, but that mitigation can be achieved with fluid property manipulation. The goal of this research was to (1) assess the risk of cavitation under common pharmaceutical manufacturing conditions (i.e., pipe contraction and pumps), (2) establish a simple threshold criterion for when particulate will form, and (3) suggest a series of mitigation techniques based on these thresholds. To accomplish these tasks, computational fluid dynamic simulations for a variety of pipe contraction and fluid properties were performed. The results of this research show that reducing the turbulence in a fluid system will reduce the likelihood of cavitation. Additionally, threshold bounds were created that establish a definitive transition at which cavitation will occur.

An experiment was carried out at Nabogram Khamarbari, near the Manannogor, Sadar Upazila, Noakhali District, Noakhali-3814, Bangladesh during the period from 12th January 2018 to 17th April 2018, with two varieties of tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa Brot.) SAU tomatillo-1 and SAU tomatillo-2. It was laid out in RCBD method having three replications and was conducted to observe the influence of staking and non-staking on tomatillo cultivation in coastal areas. For the study, growth indicating characters like no. of leaves plant^-1, size of leaf plant^-1, height of each plant, no. of branches plant^-1 and yield attributing parameters such as days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering, no. of fruits branch^-1, fruit weight and yield were obtained from the plants with the treatments of staking and non-staking. A wide variation was observed between two varieties of tomatillo with the effect of these treatments. According to the results highest no. of leaves branch^-1, maximum size of leaves branch^-1, tallest height of each plant, uppermost no. of branches plant^-1, highest no. of fruits branch^-1, maximum weight of each fruit and yield were obtained in the staking treatment over the non-staking treatment of SAU tomatillo-1 and in case of SAU tomatillo-2, with the same parameters the result indicated significantly upper in the staking treatment over non-staking treatment. Considering the two varieties of tomatillo, the outcome were significantly superior with staking treatment for the similar parameters. The findings of the experiment indicated that the best yield (21 tha¹) and highest financial benefit could be obtained by SAU tomatillo-1 and the best tomatillo production in saline soil of coastal areas is possible by cultivating SAU tomatillo-1.

There is limited evidence for the association between malnutrition and hospital mortality as well as Intensive Care Unit length-of-stay (ICU-LOS) in critically ill patients. We aimed to examine the aforementioned associations by conducting a prospective cohort study in an ICU of a Singapore tertiary hospital. Between August 2015 and October 2016, all adult patients with ≥24 h of ICU-LOS were included. The 7-point Subjective Global Assessment (7-point SGA) was used to determine patients’ nutritional status within 48 hours of ICU admission. Multivariate analyses were conducted in two ways: 1) presence versus absence of malnutrition, and 2) dose-dependent association for each 1-point decrease in the 7-point SGA. There were 439 patients of which 28.0% were malnourished, and 29.6% died before hospital discharge. Malnutrition was associated with an increased risk of hospital mortality [adjusted-RR 1.39 (95%CI: 1.10–1.76)], and this risk increased with a greater degree of malnutrition [adjusted-RR 1.09 (95%CI: 1.01–1.18) for each 1-point decrease in the 7-point SGA]. No significant association was found between malnutrition and ICU-LOS. Conclusion: There was a clear association between malnutrition and higher hospital mortality in critically ill patients. The association between malnutrition and ICU-LOS could not be replicated and hence requires further evaluation.

Background: Gender differences characterize the prevalence and attitudes toward weight management. Despite limited evidence suggesting greater weight loss in women with anti-obesity pharmacotherapy, gender-specific analysis remains underexplored. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the gender-specific response to liraglutide 3.0 mg treatment in people with obesity without type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: Data were collected from 47 patients (31 women, 16 men), with age > 18 years, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m^2, absence of T2D, and with exclusion of prior anti-obesity treatment, comorbidities, or bariatric surgery. Only patients who maintained the liraglutide 3.0 mg dose for at least 6 months were included. Results: Both sexes showed significant reductions in weight and BMI at 3 and 6 months. Men achieved greater weight loss (WL), BMI reduction, % WL, WL >5% and >10% than women, and they also showed more significant improvements in metabolic parameters (total and LDL cholesterol, Fibrosis-4 Index FIB-4). No significant gender differences were observed in glucose metabolism or renal function. Conclusion: This study showed a greater therapeutic effect of liraglutide 3.0 mg in men. Given men's higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and underrepresentation in clinical weight loss programs, these findings may increase male engagement and improve their CVD risk.

Myelolipoma is a benign, typically inert neoplasm of uncertain aetiology that is rarely reported in cats. Although commonly asymptomatic, in some cases, myelolipomas can cause abdominal discomfort or present with rupture and haemorrhage. Here, we describe a rare case of a splenic myelolipoma in a Domestic Long Hair cat in which, after extensive diagnostic investigations, clinical signs of hyporexia and weight loss were attributable to the presence of an intra-abdominal mass. The patient was treated by splenectomy and unexpectedly died during the post-operative period. Although splenectomy appears to be a sensible intervention in symptomatic patients, the optimal management of splenic myelolipomas in cats remains unknown. The risk-benefit ratio of surgical management needs to be carefully considered, and therapeutic intervention should be tailored individually to each patient.

The increasing use of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) has brought about a significant transformation in numerous fields, such as image categorization and identification. In the development of a CNN model for classifying images of sericea lespedeza (SL; Lespedeza cuneata) from weed images, four architectures were explored: CNN-Model Variant 1, CNN-Model Variant 2, VGG16, and ResNet50. The CNN-Model Variant 1 demonstrated 100 % validation accuracy, while Variant 2 achieved 90.78% validation accuracy. Pre-trained models, like VGG16 and ResNet50, were also analyzed. In contrast, ResNet50's steady learning pattern indicated potential for better generalization. A detailed evaluation of these models revealed that Variant 1 achieved a perfect score in precision, recall, and F1-score, indicating superior optimization and feature utilization. Variant 2 presented a balanced performance, with metrics between 86% and 93%. The VGG16 mirrored the behavior of Variant 2, both maintaining around 90% accuracy, but ResNet50's results revealed a conservative approach for class 0 predictions. Overall, Variant 1 stood out in performance, while both Variant 2 and VGG16 showed balanced results. The reliability of CNN model Variant 1 is highlighted by the significant accuracy percentages, which demonstrate its potential for practical implementation in agriculture. Smartphone application for the identification of SL in a field-based trial has shown promising results with an accuracy of 98%-99%. Using a CNN model with batch normalization has the potential to play a crucial role in redefining and optimizing the management of undesirable vegetation in the future.

In order to foster a more sustainable and eco-friendly trajectory for the construction industry, while concurrently mitigating environmental pollution and energy inefficiency, it is imperative to cultivate an environmentally conscious building and urban environment. Under the background of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, green building evaluation system (GBRS) has become a research hotspot in the field of green building. This paper systematically summarizes the current research progress based on GBRS, focuses on the current weight and indicators setting, analyzes it with Cite Space software, and puts forward its future development direction. The results show that the weight setting method of green building evaluation system is determined by multidimensional and multi-method. From the perspective of environment, society and economy, the scope of indicators setting is expanding. The green building evaluation system will play a guiding role in green building design, and the evaluation process will continue to be optimized and developed in the direction of intelligence and automation.

Background: Ankle fractures, comprising about 10% of musculoskeletal injuries, pose a significant healthcare burden with an increasing incidence, particularly among an aging population. This study focuses on isolated Danis-Weber type B fractures. Recent trends lean towards surgical intervention for anatomical restoration, quicker recovery, albeit with associated complications. This report aims to assess the safety and efficacy of NewClip narrow locking plate system with early weight bearing in treating isolated fibular fractures. Methods: The study includes patients with Danis-Weber type B fractures surgically treated with NewClip narrow locking plate system. Exclusions involved nondisplaced fractures, open fractures, or those requiring additional fixation.Results: Fifteen patients were enrolled in this study. Minor complications, including wound swelling, were observed in two cases. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain exhibited a steady decline postoperatively, with almost complete resolution by the third month. At three months, the FAOS demonstrated excellent results, and final follow-up at twelve months revealed complete osseous healing without complications.Conclusions: The use of this type of plates in treating isolated fibular fractures with early weight bearing shows promising results in terms of fracture healing, pain resolution, and functional outcomes warranting further investigation with larger cohorts.

Abstract: Rural digital governance is an inevitable requirement to improve the efficiency of rural governance, and is also an important means to realize the modernization of rural governance. In the context of the digital rural development strategy, the index measurement system of rural digital governance level is built around five key governance areas of "digital economy, digital ecology, digital culture, digital people's livelihood, and digital government affairs". The entropy weight Topsis model is used to measure and evaluate the level of rural digital governance in 31 provinces in China in 2021. The results show that there is a large gap in the level of digital governance in China's counties and villages, and the level of each region presents a decreasing spatial distribution from "east - middle - west". In terms of digital economy, the eastern region has a high score and good development, while the central and western regions have poor development. In terms of digital ecology, only the eastern region is higher than the national average; In terms of digital culture, only the central region is higher than the national average; In terms of digital livelihood and digital government, the central and eastern regions are slightly higher than the national average; The top three provinces in overall scores are Zhejiang, Guangdong and Jiangsu.

Accurate weight measurement is pivotal for monitoring the growth and well-being of cattle. However, the conventional weighing process, which involves physically placing cattle on scales, is labor-intensive and distressing for the animals. Hence, the development of automated cattle weight prediction techniques assumes critical significance. This study proposes a weight prediction approach for Korean cattle using 3D segmentation-based feature extraction and regression machine learning techniques from incomplete 3D shapes acquired from real farm environments. In the initial phase, we generated mesh data of 3D Korean cattle shapes using a multiple-camera system. Subsequently, deep learning-based 3D segmentation with the PointNet network model was employed to segment two dominant parts of the cattle. From these segmented parts, three crucial dimensions of Korean cattle were extracted. Finally, we implemented five regression machine learning models (CatBoost regression, LightGBM, Polynomial regression, Random Forest regression, and XGBoost regression) for weight prediction. To validate our approach, we captured 270 Korean cattle in various poses, totaling 1190 poses of 270 cattle. The best result was achieved with mean absolute error (MAE) of 25.2 kg and mean absolute percent error (MAPE) of 5.81% using the random forest regression model.

A pilot study regarding the transplantation of 100 specimens of the critically endangered Pinna nobilis took place in summer of 2019 in Maliakos Gulf (Central Aegean, Greece). In this study we present the relationships between total height (HT, in cm), unburied length (UL, in cm), and shell width (SW, in cm) for P. nobilis and the relationship between HT and net weight (W, in g). Length-length relationships were all linear for all cases: r2 > 0.900), whereas the relationship between HT and W was exponential with the value of the exponent b being allometric. "Ecology, Conservation and Restoration of Threatened Animal"

(1) Background: This study aimed to evaluate whether the implementation of a modified blood sampling protocol, which focused on need-based laboratory testing and minimized venous sampling by replacing it with point-of-care testing (POCT) via capillary puncture, successfully reduced iatrogenic blood loss, incidence of anemia, and frequency of blood transfusion in extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWIs) without negatively affecting neonatal outcomes. (2) Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 313 ELBWIs of gestational age (GA) between 23 and 28 weeks, born between 2013 and 2019. The infants were divided into two groups: before (period I) and after (period II) the implementation of the modified blood sampling protocol in January 2016. Propensity score matching was conducted to minimize selection bias. Clinical data, including the frequency and amount of blood sampling, frequency and volume of blood transfusion, and clinical characteristics, such as gestational age, birth weight, and neonatal outcome data, were collected and compared between the two groups. (3) Results: No significant differences in the GA or birth weight between the two periods were observed. The total sampling volume during a month after birth (16.7 ± 4.1 mL vs. 15.6 ± 4.4 mL, P=0.03) and total sampling volume during hospital days (51.4 ± 29.7 mL vs. 44.3 ± 27.5 mL, P=0.04) in period II were significantly lower than that in period I. There were no differences in the mortality or morbidity between the two periods. Although the transfusion frequency and amount did not have significant differences between the periods, we observed a positive correlation between the transfusion frequency and sampling volume (coefficient: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.08–0.11). (4) Conclusions: The modified blood sampling protocol effectively reduced the iatrogenic blood loss without negatively affecting the neonatal outcomes.

Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is the most effective long-term treatment for Class III obesity. Reduced dietary intake is considered a behavioral driver of post-surgical weight loss, but limited data have examined this association. Therefore, this study examined prospective, longitudinal relationships between dietary intake and weight loss over 24 months following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy. Relationships between weight loss and dietary intake were examined using a validated 24-hour dietary recall method. Associations between total energy/macronutrient intake and weight loss outcomes were assessed at 12-, 18-, and 24-months following MBS, defining patients as “responders” and “suboptimal responders” according to the Reinhold criteria of 50% excess weight loss. Consistent with previous literature, 12-month responders and suboptimal responders showed significant associations between weight loss and dietary intake. Unlike previous work, this study revealed that many of these associations are no longer significant 24 months post-MBS, despite consistent weight loss trends. This study suggests a short-term signal between these dietary factors and weight loss outcomes 12 months post-MBS, consistent with previous observations. However, this signal does not persist beyond 12 months. These results are essential for interpreting and designing clinical studies measuring long-term post-surgical weight loss outcomes.

Background: Blood flow restriction training (BFRT) uses occlusion during low-intensity resistance training (<50% of repetition maximum, 1RM) to reduce arterial blood flow and venous return, imposing greater metabolic stress but similar muscular hypertrophy and strength gains as high-intensity resistance training (HIRT). However, no study, to date, has incorporated BFRT in a collegiate strength and conditioning setting to assess ecological validity. We aimed to investigate the effects of adding 6-weeks of accessory BFRT or HIRT to NCAA Division III soccer players prescribed resistance training regimen on muscle strength and hypertrophy. Methods: Male and female (n=17) athletes were randomly assigned to complete biceps curls 2x/week under BFRT or control (HIRT), following the regularly scheduled strength training. Bicep strength (1RM) and circumference (BC) were assessed at weeks 0, 3, and 6. Results: In men, no significant interaction between time and condition was observed for BC (p=0.861), though condition (BFRT vs Control, p=0.025) and time (p=0.024) were significant. For 1RM, there was no significant interaction between time and condition (BFRT vs HIRT, p=0.067) or of condition (p=0.598), but there was a significant effect of time (p=0.004). In women, there was no significant interaction between time and condition (p=0.765) or of condition (p=0.971) on BC, but time was significant (p=0.045). For 1RM, there was no significant interaction between time and condition (p=0.227) or of condition (p=0.741), but time was (p=0.018). Conclusion: BFRT induced similar increases in muscle strength and hypertrophy as HIRT in soccer players, suggesting that BFRT could be incorporated into collegiate athlete training.

Currently, algae arouse a growing interest in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic area due to the fact that they have a great diversity of bioactive compounds with the potential for pharmacological, cosmetic, and nutraceutical applications. Many of these bioactive compounds are secondary metabolites whose amounts in the algae vary with varying environmental conditions. Free radicals and other active oxygen derivatives are recognized as a natural by-product of aerobic metabolism. However, reactive oxygen species directly participate in mechanisms related to various pathological states such as cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's, among others. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease resulting from changes in glucose metabolism and/or deficient production/action of insulin. This review has as its main objective to reveal the potential antioxidant and antidiabetic capacity of algae extracts.

(1) Background: Loss of weight is one of the practices which have been identified as key in reducing the risk of various forms of cancer. Therefore, this study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies related to the topic of loss of weight and risk of cancer and addresses the question, ‘does losing weight reduce the risk of cancer?’ Its purpose is to identify current high-quality evidence on such a question and synthesize such evidence before summarizing it given specific data attributes to improve decision-making processes on cancer management. (2) Methods: Research studies were identified from four main databases: PubMed, Science Direct, Google scholar, and Medline. A systematic review and meta-analysis of such studies were then conducted to reveal the most current evidence on the research topic. (3) Results: The studies showed that losing weight reduces cancer risk. Nonetheless, such intervention is not necessarily effective, especially in cases where patients may be at risk of developing cancer due to other risk factors. (4) Conclusions: The current study concludes that there is a need to implement effective interventions such as physical exercise, dietary restrictions, or both that can be effective in reducing weight to reduce the risk of cancer.

A significant number of research studies have focused on determining whether BMI influences various types of cancer. The findings of these studies showed that people have to manage their BMIs to decrease their risk of developing various types of cancer, one of which is ovarian cancer. A PRISMA guideline for systematic review and meta-analysis was used to identify 20 research studies related to the topic to establish the truth or falsity of the findings. Later, their findings were synthesized. The synthesis of the findings of such research articles suggests that overweight and obesity increase an individual’s risk of developing ovarian cancer and experiencing severe symptoms of the disease. In such a manner, the current research study can conclude that effective management of BMI is necessary for decreasing the prevalence and mortality rates associated with ovarian cancer.

According to known laws of physics, chronic positive mass balance is the actual etiology of obesity, not positive energy balance. The relevant physical law in terms of body mass regulation is the Law of Conservation of Mass, not the Law of Conservation of Energy. A recently proposed mass balance model (MBM) describes the temporal evolution of body weight and body composition under a wide variety of feeding experiments, and it seems to provide a highly accurate description of the very best experimental human feeding data. By shifting to a mass balance paradigm of obesity, a deeper understanding of this disease may follow in the near future. The purpose of this living review is to present the core issues of the upcoming paradigm shift as well as some practical applications related to the topic.

In order to solve the labor-intensive and time-consuming problem in the process of measuring yak body ruler and weight in yak breeding industry in Qinghai Province, a non-contact method for measuring yak body ruler and weight was proposed in this experiment, and key technologies based on semantic segmentation, binocular ranging and neural network algorithm were studied to boost the development of yak breeding industry in Qinghai Province. Main conclusions: (1) Study yak foreground image extraction, and implement yak foreground image extraction model based on U-net algorithm; select 2263 yak images for experiment, and verify that the accuracy of the model in yak image extraction is over 97%. (2) Develop an algorithm for estimating yak body ruler based on binocular vision, and use the extraction algorithm of yak body ruler related measurement points combined with depth image to estimate yak body ruler. The final test shows that the average estimation error of body height and body oblique length is 2.6%, and the average estimation error of chest depth is 5.94%. (3) Study the yak weight prediction model; select the body height, body oblique length and chest depth obtained by binocular vision to estimate the yak weight; use two algorithms to establish the yak weight prediction model, and verify that the average estimation error of the model for yak weight is 10.7% and 13.01% respectively.

Introduction: Leptin is a polypeptide hormone and in pregnancy it is secreted by the placenta and maternal and fetal adipose tissues. The expression of leptin and its specific receptors is observed in the uterine endometrium which indicates leptin involvement in the implantation process and embryonic/fetal development. Normal leptin production is a factor responsible for uncomplicated gestation, embryo development and fetal growth. Objective: To compare at delivery maternal serum and cord blood leptin concentrations in normal pregnancies and in pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Material and methods: The study was performed in 25 pregnant women with isolated IUGR diagnosed by ultrasonography (study subjects) and in 194 pregnant women without any comorbid health conditions (controls). Leptin concentrations in maternal serum and in cord blood samples collected at delivery were measured by ELISA and subsequently analyzed by maternal Body Mass Index (BMI), mode of delivery, and infant gender and birth weight. For comparative analyses of normally distributed variables, parametric tests were used, i.e. the Student-t to test the assumption of homogeneity or non-homogeneity of variance and a One-Way ANOVA when more than two groups were compared. The non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was used when the distribution was not normal. The Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the correlation between normally distributed variables (p<0.05). Results: In pregnancies complicated by IUGR, the mean maternal serum leptin concentration at delivery was significantly higher (52.73 ± 30.49 ng/mL) than in normal pregnancies (37.17 ± 28.07 ng/mL) (p=0.01). The mean cord blood leptin concentration in pregnancies complicated by IUGR was 7.97 ± 4.46 ng/mL and significantly lower than in normal pregnancies (14.78 ± 15.97 ng/mL) (p=0.04). In normal pregnancies, but not in pregnancies complicated by IUGR, a statistically significant correlation was established between maternal serum leptin concentrations and maternal BMI at delivery (r=0,22; p=0.00). No statistically significant correlation was found between cord blood leptin concentrations and maternal BMI in either study subjects or controls. In normal pregnancies, but not in pregnancies complicated by IUGR, a strong correlation was observed between cord blood leptin concentrations and birth weight (r=0,23; p=0.00). In both study subjects and controls, there were no correlations between leptin concentrations in maternal serum and cord blood and infant gender and mode of delivery. Conclusions: Elevated maternal blood leptin concentrations in pregnancies complicated by IUGR may indicate a significant adverse effect of elevated leptin on fetal growth. Enhanced leptin production by the placenta suggests leptin as a candidate marker of placental insufficiency. The differences in leptin concentrations, measured in maternal serum and in cord blood, between the study subjects and controls suggest that deregulated leptin levels may increase the risk of obstetric complications associated with placental insufficiency.

The inhibition impacts of 1,10-Phenanthroline-5,6-diamine (PTDA) on mild steel in 1 M HCl solution were investigated through weight loss method. The inhibition efficiencies of PTDA increase with increase in PTDA concentration at the temperature 303. Weight loss method indicate that PTDA is an excellent inhibitor the inhibition efficiency of 81.5% at the maximum PTDA concentration of 0.5 g/L at the temperature 303K.

This randomized control trial aims to test the hypothesis that twice-daily nurse-administered saline enema(SE) is comparable to physician-administrated SE in very low birth weight infants (VLBW) with meconium obstruction of prematurity (MOP). MOP is defined as no bowel opening for 48 h, and treatment failure is defined as the need for additional intervention and safety. Twice-daily SE was administered by accredited nurses, surgeons/neonatologists using standardized protocols. The outcomes were comparability of nurse to physician-administered SE in terms of frequency of administration, catheter insertion length and volume of enema, daily maximum meconium output, and treatment failure, defined as the need for additional intervention. Safety outcomes were evaluated. Twenty-eight infants were managed with SE. 389 SE were administered, 96 and 293 in 750-999g and 1000-1500g birth weight groups, respectively. Nurses administered 72.9% and 81.5% of SE in 750-999g and 1000-1500g birth weight groups, respectively. Physicians performed the rest of the SE. Daily meconium output was comparable in nurse and physician-administered SE in both groups. There were no treatment failures or adverse events in both SE group. SE administered by nurses was found to be comparable in terms of safety, efficacy, and frequency of administration to that of physician-administered SE.

Sleep quality is known to affect automatic and executive brain functions such as gait control and cognitive processing. This study aimed to assess the effect of dual tasks on gait spatiotemporal parameters among young adults with good and poor sleep quality in the United Arab Emirates. In total, 65 young adults with a mean age of 21.1±2.5 were assessed for gait analysis during single-task and dual-task conditions. The participants’ sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and gait was assessed using the BTS Gaitlab System. The participants were asked to walk at natural speed as a single-task condition, followed by walking while performing a cognitive task as a dual-task condition. The parameters assessed included the gait velocity (m/s), cadence (steps/min), step width (m), and stride length (m). The DTC on each gait parameter was calculated. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare the differences in the DTC on gait variables between the good and poor sleep quality groups, and the Spearman correlation test was used to assess the correlation between total PSQI scores and the DTC. At a significance level of p&lt;0.05, a significant difference in cadence between the two sleep quality groups was observed, in addition to a positive correlation between sleep quality and the DTC effect on gait mean velocity, cadence, and stride length. Our findings also revealed a greater DTC on participants with poorer sleep quality. These findings contribute to our understanding of the significance of sleep quality in gait performance while multitasking in younger populations.

The aim of the research was to determine the most productive tree cutting methods and the factors influencing them in flat and sloping terrain in tree plantations in Brazil. The study utilized drone-captured video material from eucalyptus and pine plantations harvesting operations. In both terrains, two cutting methods were compared, differing in the felling to the side method used: either at the edge of the harvesting front or inside. In addition, on flat terrain, the efficiency of forward felling was studied in relation to the aforementioned methods. In slope terrain, the machines were also equipped with a winch assistance system. Statistical tests were used to determine the most productive cutting methods by analyzing differences in productivity. With an average tree size of 0.3 m3, cutting productivity was 45 m3/E0h in pine cuttings and 55 m3/E0h in eucalyptus cuttings. The average cutting productivity on flat terrain was about 11 m3/E0h higher than on sloping terrain, mainly due to the time spent attaching the winch assistance system, which was a necessary phase of the work in sloping terrain. The research results suggest that it would be the most productive to use sideways felling inside the harvesting front method. However, the need for further research is evident if we want to precisely identify the harvesting conditions and work phases in the tree cutting cycle affecting the differences in the productivity of the harvesting chain in tree plantations.

Abstract: Important variables that affect the quality and functionality of sperm and may affect male reproductive health and fertility include telomere length, mitochondrial content, and the ratio of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to nuclear DNA (nDNA). The purpose of this study was to look at the connections between these three sperm characteristics and how they might affect a woman's ability to conceive. Methods: Data were collected from 82 men who underwent IVF/ICSI at the University Hospital of Ioannina's IVF Unit in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Evaluations included sperm morphology, sperm count, sperm motility, and participant history. To address this, males of reproductive age who were categorized into three body mass index (ΒΜΙ) groups—normal, overweight, and obese—had their sperm samples tested. Results: Our findings indicate a negative correlation between relative telomere length and ΒΜΙ for both the normal and overweight groups. Conversely, a positive correlation was observed for the obese group, indicating a possible relationship between mitochondrial health and telomere maintenance. The results were statistically significant only for the obese group. Furthermore, a negative correlation was observed between telomere length and mitochondrial content in both the normal and overweight groups, indicating that a lower mitochondrial content may be linked to longer telomeres. Nonetheless, there was a positive correlation for the group that was obese. For all three groups, the data did not reach statistical significance. Given that mitochondrial con-centration and telomere length are both markers of cellular integrity and health, these correla-tions may have an impact on the quality of sperm. Furthermore, the relative telomere length of the normal and overweight groups had a negative correlation with the ratio of mtDNA to nDNA, though the obese group showed a positive correlation. The findings were not statistical-ly significant in any of the groups under investigation. According to this, male fertility may be negatively impacted by an imbalance in the copy number of the mitochondrial genome com-pared to the nuclear DNA in sperm. Conclusions: Our research, in essence, emphasizes the interaction among human sperm telo-mere length, mitochondrial concentration, and the mtDNA to nDNA ratio. Gaining knowledge of these correlations could help explain the reasons behind male infertility and open up new treatment options for reproductive health problems. The functional importance of these correla-tions and possible uses in therapeutic contexts require more investigation.

When describing the tribological behaviour of technical surfaces, the need for full length scale microtopographic characterization often arises. The self-affine of surfaces and the characterization of self-affine by a fractal dimension and its implantation into tribological models are commonly used. The goal of our present work was to determine the frequency range of fractal behaviour of surfaces by analysing the microtopographic measurements of a brake plunger. We also wanted to know if the bifractal and multifractal behaviour can be detected in real machine parts. As a result, we developed a new methodology for determining the fractal range boundaries to separate the nano- and micro-roughness. In order to reach our goals, we used atomic force microscope (AFM) and stylus instrument to provide measurements in wide frequency range (19 nm - 3 mm). As a result of the power spectral density (PSD) based fractal evaluation, it was found that the examined surface could not be characterized by a single fractal dimension and that we developed a methodology for stopping the margin of validity of each fractal dimension, and we also developed a methodology for determining the limits of validity of certain fractal dimensions.

Preterm birth (PB) is a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. PB prediction is per-formed by measuring cervical length, with a detection rate of around 70%. Although it is known that a cytokine-mediated inflammatory process is involved in the pathophysiology of PB, no screening method implemented in clinical practice includes cytokine levels as a predictor varia-ble. Here, we quantified cytokines in cervical-vaginal mucus of pregnant women (18-23.6 weeks of gestation) with high- or low-risk for PB determined by cervical length, collecting relevant obstetric information. IL-2, IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-10 were significantly higher in the high-risk group, while IL-1ra was lower. Two different models for PB prediction were created using the Random Forest machine-learning algorithm: the full model with 12 clinical variables and cyto-kine values, and the adjusted model, including the most significant variables -maternal age, IL-2, and cervical length- (detection rate 66 vs 87%, false positive rate 12 vs 3.33%, false negative rate 28 vs 6.66%, and area under the curve 0.722 vs 0.875, respectively). The adjusted model integrat-ing cytokines showed a detection rate 8 points higher than the gold standard calculator, which may allow us to identify PB risk more accurately and implement strategies for preventive in-terventions

We present a theoretical modeling of a cylindrical tunable liquid crystal lens based on the modulation of the anchoring energy. This latter can be easily obtained by means of photoaligning techniques. The liquid crystal cell we propose exhibits strong anchoring at the top substrate and an anchoring energy with parabolic profile at the bottom substrate. The model describes the dependence of the focal length on the applied voltage and presents a theoretical study of lens aberrations. The results obtained are of general relevance and can be used to optimize the performances of every kind of liquid crystal lens with parabolic profile.

Noise model selection criteria has a significant impact on identifying the stochastic noise proper-ties of any GNSS daily coordinate time series. The low-frequency random walk noise existing in these time series could lead to overestimation of the tectonic rate, so it is of great significance to accurately detect the random walk component. This study focuses on noise model estimation cri-terion (BIC_tp) derived from the AIC and the BIC by introducing 2π factors. It is more sensitive to abnormal steps (random jumps). Using observation data from 72 GNSS stations from 1992 to 2022 and simulated data, four combined noise models are used to explore the impacts of time se-ries lengths (ranging from2 to 24 years) and data loss (between 2% and 30%) on noise models and velocity estimation. The results show that as the time length increased, the selected optimal noise model, and the estimated uncertainty of the tectonic trend with different data gap, gradually con-verge. When the time length is short (less than 8 years), it could lead to the FNRWWN, FNWN, and PLWN models being mistakenly estimated as GGMWN models, thereby affecting the accura-cy of determining the station velocity parameters. When the time length is 12 years, the RW noise component is more probably detected, As the time length increases, the impact of RW on velocity uncertainty is weakened. Finally, we conclude that for a time series with a minimum time length of 12 years, both the selection of the optimal stochastic noise model and the estimation of the ve-locity parameters are reliable.

The length of stay (LOS) in the hospital emergency department (ED) is a crucial key performance indicator that is used to track and manage the performance of the ED as a whole. Our study had two objectives. Firstly, we aimed to evaluate the association between LOS and the most common primary ICD-10 diagnoses. To achieve this, we examined LOS in groups with specific (internal, surgical, neurological, and traumatic diseases) and non-specific diagnoses in adult ED visits at a tertiary referral hospital between 2017 and 2019 (134,675 visits in total). Our secondary objective was to measure LOS by age, day of the week, time of day, and season. The mean LOS was 254 minutes and was the shortest in the traumatic group (160 minutes), while in other groups it was significantly longer: neurological by 185 minutes, internal medicine by 158 minutes, surgical by 36 minutes, and non-specific by 24 minutes. In conclusion, non-specific diagnoses accounted for 21% of all ICD-10 primary diagnoses. In this group of patients, the percentage of hospitalizations was the highest. Other significant determinants of LOS were the patients’ age, the day of the week, the time of arrival, and repeated visits.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease that affects the nervous system. Peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) are potential biomarkers of disability and neurological damage. The present work evaluated LTL and mtDNA-CN in 75 relapsing-remittent MS (RRMS) patients 50 of whom had an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 0 to 3 (mild-moderate disability), and 25 had an EDSS of 3.5 to 7 (severe disability). Absolute LTL and absolute mtDNA-CN were measured via real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The LTL and mtDNA-CN were significantly lower in RRMS severe disability than in RRMS mild-moderate disability (3.924 ± 0.124 vs 2.854 ± 0.092, p<00001; 75.14 ± 1.77 vs 68.06 ± 1.608, p<0.00001, respectively). The LTL and mtDNA-CN showed a linear correlation in RRMS with mild-moderate disability (r=0.2986, p=0.0351). In addition, in a binary logistic regression model the LTL can predict severe disability (AUC=0.697, p=0.0031, cutoff ≤ 3.0875 Kb, sensitivity= 73.1%, specificity=62.5%), the prediction is improved by including age to the model (AUC=0.765, <0.0001, sensitivity=78.26%, specificity=81.25%). Aging is closely linked to the development of disability in RRMS and can be evaluated through LTL and mtDNA-CN absolute quantification.

Background: Methamphetamine (MA) is one of the most common drugs of abuse in Thailand. MA use may cause neurotoxicity, immune-inflammatory and oxidative stress responses and, consequently, MA-induced psychosis (MIP).Aims: This study aims to examine the effects of MA use and dependence and MA withdrawal symptoms on the telomere to single copy gene (T/S) ratio and whether shortening of the latter is associated with MIP.Methods: This study included 185 MA-abuse, 118 MA-dependent, and 67 MIP patients, diagnosed using DSM-IV-TR criteria. The Semi-structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism (SSADDA) questionnaire was employed to collect clinical and MA-related data. MIP was confirmed using the Methamphetamine Experience Questionnaire (MEQ). The leukocyte telomere length was measured in all participants using real-time polymerase chain reaction measuring the Telomere/Single gene ratio (T/S ratio). Results: There were no significant associations between the T/S ratio and severity of MA-use, MIP, MA withdrawal symptoms including depression and psychomotor retardation. MIP was significantly predicted by alcohol dependence, antisocial personality disorder, and MA-use severity. There were significant and positive associations between the T/S ratio and previous traumatic events and life-threatening accidents. The T/S ratio was not affected by comorbid alcohol and nicotine dependence. Alcohol and nicotine dependence, antisocial personality, and severity of MA use increased risk of MA withdrawal symptoms. Conclusion: MIP and MA-use severity do not affect leukocyte telomere length, but telomere length may be affected by previous traumatic events and life-threatening accidents.

This paper seeks to investigate the questions of: How does the constancy of the speed of light come about? Why does time dilation and length contraction occur? Are they physical effects with a mechanism? Does mass have a role is in these effects? Is Relativity an emergent phenomenon? The enquiry is along a different tact than the standard Lorentzian invariance canon but in the realm of readily known experimental facts or analogies and theory in the domain of wave propagation and solid state physics. These analogies, to almost prosaic physics, have a small following and are called Ether Theories, which modern physics has implicitly reinstated by General Relativity and Quantum Field Theories. In the category of Ether Theories based on analogies to solid state physics, this presentation is unique in not being Lorentz invariant; it is based on earlier papers by the author enquiring into the speed of coincidence counting of the Bell Inequality and a communication protocol. It is believed that Lorentz invariance emerges from the Ether and all Relativistic Mechanics can be built from the bottom up. The conclusion is that space-time is not really curved but the effects are all ascribable to mass gain.

In modern physics, it is assumed that the Planck length is a derived constant from Newton's gravitational constant, the Planck constant and the speed of light, $l_p=\sqrt{\frac{G\hbar}{c^3}}$. This was first discovered by Max Planck in 1899. We suggest a way to find the Planck length independent of any knowledge of Newton's gravitational constant or the Planck constant, but still dependent on the speed of light (directly or indirectly).

Count data are used in many fields of practice, especially Poisson distribution as a popular choice for the marginal process distribution. If these counts exhibit serial dependence, a popular approach is to use a Poisson INAR(1) model to describe the autocorrelation structure of process. In this paper, the explicit formulas are proposed to evaluate performance characteristics of Double Moving Average control chart (DMA) for Integer valued autoregressive of serial dependence Poisson process. The characteristics of the control chart are frequently measured as Average Run Length (ARL) which means that the average of observations are taken before a system is signaled to be out-of-control. These proposed explicit formulas of ARL are simple and easy to implement for practitioner. The numerical results show that the DMA chart performs better than others when the magnitudes of shift are moderate and large.

Weight loss solutions are on the rise, and there is growing interest in natural alternatives to the pharmaceuticals in the market, which are not devoid of relevant side effects. To this end, the objective of the current study is to assess the effects of a botanical-based blend comprised of lemon verbena and hibiscus extracts in weight management, body fat, appetite, lipid, and glucose profiles, in an overweight population, for 90 days. As a result, the volunteers presented significant weight loss in absence of diet, which coincided with decreased body fat. Body fat was assessed by anthropometry, electrical bioimpedance and DEXA scan. Cholesterol levels were also significantly decreased. Satiety assessment revealed that the product contributed to increased feeling of fullness and satisfaction after a meal, compared to the placebo group, which could contribute to the weight loss observed. Blood glucose and blood pressure levels remained unchanged, which was expected as the volunteers were normoglycemic and their blood pressure was in the healthy range. In conclusion, daily supplementation of a botanical-based blend contributes to weight loss in overweight individuals, in absence of diet, while not affecting other parameters that are in the healthy range. This product could be a candidate alternative or add-on to other weight loss products, as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Background: This study explored maternal gut, breast milk and infant gut microbiomes as possi-ble mediators of the observed effects of a relaxation intervention which reduced maternal stress and promoted infant weight gain. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in healthy Chinese primiparous mother-infant pairs. Mothers were randomly assigned to interven-tion group (IG, listening to relaxation meditation) or control group (CG). Outcomes were differ-ences in microbiome composition and diversity in maternal gut, breast milk and infant gut at 1- and 8-weeks between IG and CG, assessed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of fecal and breastmilk samples. Results: 38 mother-infant pairs were included in this analysis (IG=19, CG=19). Overall microbiome community structure in the maternal gut was significantly different between IG and CG at 1-week and the difference was more significant at 8 weeks (Bray-Curtis distance R2=0.04 vs. R2=0.13). Post-intervention, the α-diversity was significantly lower in IG breast milk (observed features: CG=295 vs. IG=255, p=0.032); the Bifidobacterium genera presented higher relative abundance. In parallel, significantly higher α-diversity was observed in IG infant gut (observed features: CG=73 vs. IG=113, p

In this paper, a new full-Newton step feasible interior point method for convex quadratic programming is presented and analyzed. The idea behind this method is to replace the complementarity condition with a non-negative variable weight vector and use the algebraic equivalent transformation for the obtained equation. Under the selection of appropriate parameters, the quadratic rate of convergence of the new algorithm is established. In addition, the iteration complexity of the algorithm is obtained. Finally, some numerical results are presented to demonstrate the practical performance of the proposed algorithm.

Diabetes is one of the fatal diseases that play a vital role in the growth of other diseases in the human body. Controlling and curing diabetes in its early stages is the most significant technique to avoid its effects of diabetes. However, lack of awareness and expensive clinical tests are the primary reasons to skip clinical diagnosis and take preventive methods in lower-income countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. From this perspective, the study aims to build an automated machine learning (ML) model, which will predict diabetes at an early stage using socio-demographic characteristics rather than clinical attributes. Because clinical features are not always known to all people from lower-income countries. To find the best fit supervised ML classifier of the model, we applied six classification algorithms and found that RF outperformed with an accuracy of 99.36%. In addition, the most significant risk factors were found based on the SHAP value by all the applied classifiers. The study reveals that polyuria, polydipsia, and delayed healing are the most significant risk factors for growing diabetes. The findings indicate that the proposed model is highly capable of predicting diabetes in the early stages.

The gut microbiota plays an important role in the physiological activities of the host and affects the formation of important economic traits in agricultural animals. We investigated the effects of cecal microbiota on chicken weights using the Guizhou yellow chicken as a model. We collected experimental cohorts from chickens with high (HC, n=16) and low body weights (LC, n=16) and integrated microbial 16S rRNA gene sequencing and non-targeted serum metabolome data to explore the effect and its metabolic mechanism of cecal microbiota on market weight. The genera Lachnoclostridium, Alistipes, Negativibacillus, Sellimonas and Ruminococcus torques group were enriched in the HC group while Phascolarctobacterium was enriched in the LC group (P<0.05). Metabolomic analysis determined that pantothenic acid, luvangetin (2H-1-benzopyran-6-acrylic acid) and menadione (vitamin K) were significantly higher in HC serum while beclomethasone dipropionate (a glucocorticoid) and chlorophene (2-benzyl-4-chlorophenol) were present at higher levels in the LC group. The microbes enriched in HC that were significantly positively correlated with metabolites including pantothenic acid and menadione and negatively correlated with beclomethasone dipropionate and chlorophene. These results indicated that specific cecal bacteria in Guizhou yellow chickens alter the host metabolism and growth performance. This study provides a reference for revealing the mechanism of cecal microbe actions that affect chicken body weight.

Body weight support (BWS) and incline running (IR) are commonly used either during rehabilitation or during training separately, with many positive effects on athletes’ performance and rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of BWS and IR. In eighteen healthy men (age: 20.3 ± 1.2 yr, body weight: 70.2 ± 4.8 kg, body height: 179.6 ± 5.4 cm), the changes in electromyographic activity (EMGA) during a 10-min run with BWS (15% or 30% of body weight; in different occasions) and IR at 7%, as well as jumping performance and gait spatiotemporal parameters were evaluated. Lower Rating of Perceived Exertion and a significant decrease in VL (33,4%), SOL (17%), and GL EMGA (28.5%, p &lt; 0.05) but not in GM (10.5%, p &gt; 0.05), were observed during BWS30% at 7% slope compared to flat running. Also, low-frequency fatigue of the quadriceps was induced only after running without BWS at 7% slope (P = 0.011). No changes were found in jumping performance (p = 0.246) and gait spatiotemporal parameters (p &gt; 0.05) except for flight time (p &lt; 0.006). In conclusion, compared to normal flat running, BWS reduces electromyographic activity and fatigue during slope running.

In the context of economic development and international economic integration, the logistics industry in Vietnam is developing to meet the market demand for the transportation of goods; thus, many logistics enterprises have been formulated and grown up in recent years. This research aims to measure the efficiency of logistics enterprises and recommend a feasible solution to improve their future performance by integrating the Super Slacked-based Measure model (Super-SBM) in Data Envelopment Analysis and Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Processes (Fuzzy AHP) in multi-criteria decision-making. The super-SBM model was utilized to conduct the efficiency scores of logistics enterprises from 2016 to 2022 based on calculating the ratio between input and output variables; the empirical result determined each enterprise's effectiveness and ineffectiveness. Next, the Fuzzy AHP method evaluated and ranked criteria that directly impacted the operational process of logistics enterprises based on experts' opinions; the examined result suggested a feasible direction to improve their business efficiency in the future. The proposed hybrid models are a helpful solution for efficiency determination and development direction for logistics enterprises. An overall picture of the logistics enterprises was also drawn to describe their operational business process.

Background: Changes in body weight are associated with the regulation of DNA methylation (DNAm). In this study, we investigated the associations between maternal gestational weight gain-related DNAm and foetal and neonatal body composition. Methods: Brazilian pregnant women from the Araraquara Cohort Study were followed up during pregnancy, delivery, and after hospital discharge. Women with normal pre-pregnancy BMI were allocated to two groups: adequate gestational weight gain (AGWG, n=45) and excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG, n=30). Foetal and neonatal body composition was evaluated by ultrasound and plethysmography, respectively. DNAm was assessed in maternal blood using Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip arrays. Linear regression models were used to explore the associations between DNAm and foetal and neonatal body composition. Results: Maternal weight, GWG, neonatal weight, and fat mass were higher in the EGWG group. Analysis of DNAm identified 46 differentially methyl-ated positions and 11 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between the EGWG and AGWG groups. Nine human phenotypes were enriched for these 11 DMRs located in 13 genes (EMILIN1, HOXA5, CPT1B, CLDN9, ZFP57, BRCA1, POU5F1, ANKRD33, HLA-B, RANBP17, ZMYND11, DIP2C, TMEM232), highlighting the terms insulin resistance, and hyperglycaemia. Maternal DNAm was associated with foetal total thigh and arm tissues and subcutaneous thigh and arm fat, as well as with neonatal fat mass percentage and fat mass. Conclusion: The methylation pat-tern in the EGWG group indicated a risk for developing chronic diseases and involvement of ma-ternal DNAm in foetal lean and fat mass and in neonatal fat mass.

The pre-pregnancy BMI and the gestational weight gain are two important determinants of pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine obstetric outcomes associated with insufficient gestational weight gain in women with a pre-pregnancy BMI &lt; 18.5 kg/m2. This study was based on observational routinely-collected data from a University Hospital Maternity. The participants were allocated to the group sufficient or insufficient gestational weight gain: ≥ 12.5 kg and &lt; 12.5 kg respectively. Primary outcomes were the adjusted birth weight in percentiles (%) and the proportion of SGA newborns. Secondary outcomes were obstetric and perinatal outcomes. A total of 135 participants with a median age of 28±8 years were included. The adjusted birth weight in percentiles was significantly lower in the insufficient gestational weight gain group (27.2±45.4 vs 42.6±48.8 %; P&lt;0.001). Moreover, the insufficient gestational weight gain is associated with a higher risk of SGA (28.1% vs 11.3%; P=0.017). Our study also showed increased risks of premature rupture of membranes, anaemia and intrauterine growth restriction in women with an insufficient weight gain. Future studies should explore the risk factors associated with insufficient weight gain, in order to develop specific care for underweight pregnant women.

Objective To Identify risk factors of perinatal complications amongst macrosomic babies in a reference hospital structure. Method We conducted a case-control institutional based study. Cases and controls of singleton livebirths were extracted from the maternity registry from January 2017 to December 2019 The case population consisted of mother and child macrosomic couples with perinatal complications. The control group consisted of couples without perinatal complications. Matching was done on age and sex. The main primary end point was the risk factors for complications. Data were analyzed using R, software version3.0 in adjusted and unadjusted analysis with p<0.05 threshold considered statistically significant. Results Out of 362 couples, we had 186 cases and 176 controls. Maternal age ≥30 years (p=0.024); non-screening for gestational diabetes (p=0.027); history of caesarean section (p=0.041); weight gain ≥16 kg (p<0.001); maternal HIV (p=0.047); birth weight ≥4500g (p=0.015) and birth height ≥ 52.7 ±1.7cm (p=0.026) were risk factors. Conclusion The delivery of a macrosomic baby remains problematic in this setting. The improvement of the maternal-fetal prognosis requires quality prenatal surveillance and management by a multidisciplinary perinatal team involving obstetricians, endocrinologist, and neonatal pediatricians.

To Identify risk factors of perinatal complications amongst macrosomic babies in a reference hospital structure.We conducted a case-control institutional based study. Cases and controls of singleton livebirths were extracted from the maternity registry from January 2017 to December 2019 The case population consisted of mother and child macrosomic couples with perinatal complications. The control group consisted of couples without perinatal complications. Matching was done on age and sex. The main primary end point was the risk factors for complications. Data were analyzed using R, software version3.0 in adjusted and unadjusted analysis with p<0.05 threshold considered statistically significant.Out of 362 couples, we had 186 cases and 176 controls. Maternal age ≥30 years (p=0.024); non-screening for gestational diabetes (p=0.027); history of caesarean section (p=0.041); weight gain ≥16 kg (p<0.001); maternal HIV (p=0.047); birth weight ≥4500g (p=0.015) and birth height ≥ 52.7 ±1.7cm (p=0.026) were risk factors. The delivery of a macrosomic baby remains problematic in this setting. The improvement of the maternal-fetal prognosis requires quality prenatal surveillance and management by a multidisciplinary perinatal team involving obstetricians, endocrinologists and neonatal pediatricians.

Abstract: A lower bed single row for pineapple cultivation could protect pineapple from soil erosion in rainy season and during drought, however, disease problem could arise due to water logging. Two experiments using a lower bed single row was done to understand the ability of gypsum providing soil calcium (Ca) available to pineapple plant, resistance to heart rot disease, and give better effect on crop growth and fruit quality of the pineapple in Ultisol soil. In the first trial, four level dosis of gypsum (0, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 Mg ha-1) and dolomite 2 Mg ha-1 were applied by spreading and incorporated into the soil which have saturated with inoculums of Phytophthora nicotianae. In the second trial, gypsum treatments (0, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 Mg ha-1) were applied in the row between the single row beds as a basic fertilizer. The result showed that P. nicotianae attacked the pineapple plants in all treatments at 6 weeks after planting (WAP), and at 10 WAP, the mortality of dolomite treatment reached 63.8%, significantly different than that for gypsum treatments (3.3-14.3%). In the second experiment, gypsum increased plant weight significantly at 3 until 9 months after planting especially when it was applied 1.5-2.5 Mg ha-1. Fruit texture, total soluble solid (TSS), titratable acidity (TA) were not significant different among the treatment but all meet the standards for grades of canned pineapple. Result showed that soil applied gypsum before planting provides soil calcium and met the plant Ca requirement during a period of early and fast growth step and safe for heart rot disease.

TThe passion of bodybuilding athletes for a symmetric, lean, heavily muscled body leads them to carry out exhausting exercise programs and restrictive eating regimens, sometimes resulting in disordered eating behaviors. This study investigates potential exacerbators on the development of disordered eating in bodybuilding and strength athletes. The study involved 103 Cypriot bodybuilding athletes of both sexes, performing at three levels: professional, recreational and strength athletes. The Eating Attitude Test 26 (EAT-26) and The Three Factor Eating Question-naire (TFEQ-R21) were used to evaluate disordered eating and eating behaviors respectively. The current study was performed under the auspices of the Hellenic Center of Education & Treatment of Eating Disorders (KEADD). The degree of deviation between the perceived ideal body weight and the actual body weight was associated with increased risk of eating disorder. Athletes who desired a lower body weight recorded higher scores on EAT-26 overall, (p=0.001), and the subscales of dieting (p=0.01) and bulimia. (p=0.001). Cognitive restraint and emotional eating scales of TFEQ-R21 were more pronounced in the non-professional athletes. (p=0.01). The emotional eating score was higher in women. There is a need for appropriate sport-specific, gender-specific preventive intervention to deescalate the risk of eating disorder, in both profes-sional and non-professional bodybuilding athletes.

Introduction: In general, everyone believes that the smallest preterm infants should achieve normal intrauterine growth rates, but many thinks that this is not possible with current nutrition guidelines. There is resistance to giving enough nutrition for fear of "toxicity". The difference in weight Z-score between birth and a corrected gestational age (CGA) at discharge is assess in postnatal growth in our unit. Material and methods: An observational study was done between January 2018 and December 2020 where all cases that had ≤ 29 weeks of GA at birth and survived to 36 weeks corrected GA or that were discharged home. An aggressive nutrition protocol including parenteral as well as enteral nutrition was followed. Patients and their weight trajectory was plotted on the Fenton 2013 growth curve. The patients who had had a smaller WZP difference were also plotted. Results: A total of 32 cases were found. The median change in Z-score between birth and discharge of the whole group was -0.52 (IQR 0.53). Six of 32 (19%) had a more than one WZP, all of whom had severe pathologies. The median decline in Z score for this group with poor growth was 1.24 (IQR 0.22). There were 26 cases with a < 1 WZP (81%) and a median Z score fall of 0.39 (IQR 0.55). No important complications secondary to the ingested volumes or parenteral nutrition were reported. Conclusion: The group of cases with a > 1 WZP drop had severe pathologies. All the other cases had adequate growth parallel to normal weight growth charts and a few cases had some catch-up growth. The study showed that it is possible for many preterm infants to achieve normal intrauterine growth rates if they are given enough nutrition, but bigger multicenter studies are needed to confirm these findings.

The passion of bodybuilding athletes for a symmetric, lean, heavily muscled body leads them to carry out exhausting exercise programs and restrictive eating regimens, sometimes resulting in disordered eating behaviors. This study investigates potential exacerbators on the development of disordered eating in bodybuilding and strength athletes. The study involved 103 Cypriot bodybuilding athletes of both sexes, performing at three levels: professional, recreational and strength athletes. The Eating Attitude Test 26 (EAT-26) and The Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21) were used to evaluate disordered eating and eating behaviors respectively. The current study was performed under the auspices of the Hellenic Center of Education & Treatment of Eating Disorders (KEADD). The degree of deviation between the perceived ideal body weight and the actual body weight was associated with increased risk of eating disorder. Athletes who desired a lower body weight recorded higher scores on EAT-26 overall, and the subscales of dieting and bulimia. Cognitive restraint and emotional eating scales of TFEQ-R21 were more pronounced in the non-professional athletes. The emotional eating score was higher in women. There is a need for appropriate sport-specific, gender-specific preventive intervention to deescalate the risk of eating disorder, in both professional and non-professional bodybuilding athletes.

Recent evidence suggests that among behavioral-lifestyle factors, adherence to a healthy dietary pattern such as the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is linked not only to better psychological health and mental positive status but also to increased subjective well-being (SWB). Nevertheless, this association has been unexplored among individuals with excessive weight. This study explored whether adherence to the MedDiet and the intake of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables (FV) are associated with increased happiness and life satisfaction among Spanish adults with overweight or obesity when weight, body image, and body satisfaction are also considered. A convenience sample of adult individuals with excessive weight completed self-reports on the study variables, and weight and BMI were measured by bioimpedance. No evidence of a relationship with SWB indicators was obtained for MedDiet global indicators, probably due to the low adherence to a healthy diet by these individuals. In contrast, FV intake, as a powerful indicator of healthy eating, was associated with life satisfaction when BMI and body image dimensions were considered, among which body satisfaction also had a key role. Moreover, life satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between FV consumption and happiness. Our findings are expected to make a relevant contribution to knowledge on the positive correlates or protective factors for overall well-being in obesity, including dietary habits and body appreciation. Our results may inform obesity management actions focused on inclusive, positive aesthetic models and promoting a healthy lifestyle for happiness in obesity.

: This paper presents a couple of meal monitoring systems for senile dementia patients by using electronic weight and temperature sensors. These monitoring systems enable to convey the information of the amount of meal taken by the patients in real-time via wireless communication networks onto the mobile phones of their families or nurses in charge. Thereby, the nurses can easily spot the most desperate patient to take care of while the families can have relief to see the crucial information for survival of their parents at least three times a day. Meanwhile, the senile dementia patients tend to suffer the burn of their tongues because they can hardly recognize the temperature of hot meals served and therefore avoid the burn of tongues. This phenomenon can be discarded by utilizing the meal temperature monitoring system which displays alarm to the patients when the meal temperature is above the reference. These meal monitoring systems can be easily implemented by utilizing low-cost sensor chips and Arduino UNO boards so that elder-care hospitals and nursing homes can afford to exploit them with no additional cost. Hence, we believe that the proposed monitoring systems would be a potential solution to provide a great help and relief not only for the professional nursing nurses working in elder-care hospitals and nursing homes, but also for the families of the dementia patients.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of condensed tannin (CTs) with differing molecular weight on their capacity to modify the fatty acid profile in milk. Twenty multiparous crossbred lactating dairy goats were assigned in a randomized complete block design (RCBD), and were subjected to receive the dietary treatments as followings; T1: control (with no CTs supplementation), T2: supplemented with mangosteen peel in a concentrate as a source of low molecular weight CTs at level of 3.0 %DM of CTs equivalent, T3: supplemented with the same diet with T2 but added with polyethylene glycol (PEG, as tannin inactivator) as the control of T2, and T4: supplemented with quebracho CT extract (UNITAN ATO, Buenos Aires, Argentina; 75-77 % tannins) in a concentrate as a source of high molecular weight CTs at level of 3.0 %DM of CTs equivalent, and T5) supplemented with the same diet with T4 but added with PEG as the control of T4. No significant change was detected for feed intake and nutrient digestibility indicate that CTs at level of 3.0 %DM of diet did not showed the detrimental effect to feed intake and nutrient digestibility, however, ruminal fermentation parameters and milk yield and milk compositions did not affected by different source of CT inclusion.

With the rapid spread of carbon trading in the global economy, the interactions of prices between carbon (or clean/renewable energy) and traditional fossil energies such as coal and oil have raised growing attention, but little research have discussed their dynamic volatility spillover and time-varying correlation. The purpose of this study is to investigate these issues, for the weekly data of EUA futures, Biofuel and Brent oil prices from 25 October 2009 to 5 July 2020. We employ the VAR-GARCH model with the BEKK specification. Our results are summarized as follows. At first, we identified the sudden changes and the volatility persistence in the three markets, and also confirmed that the volatility of the markets has changed significantly over time. Secondly, we find that there are a weak volatility spillover effect among the three markets, while a strong spillover effect between the EUA and Brent oil markets. Lastly, in financial markets, the EUA can be used as a hedging portfolio for the Biofuel and Brent oil markets. These results can help investors to well compose their portfolios and manage their investment risks, and help potential pollutant emission sources to join in carbon market in a cost-effective way.

Dietary approach is essential to obesity control, but the effectiveness of changes in meal frequency (MF) as strategies for loss and maintenance of body mass remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of MF on a hypocaloric diet on weight loss, active ghrelin levels and metabolic indicators of women with obesity. This is a randomized, parallel clinical trial, including forty women, randomized in two groups, both following a hypocaloric diet, according to MF (G1 – six meals/day; G2 – three meals/day). Dietary, laboratory, anthropometric and body composition indicators were assessed, as well as energy expenditure (EE), before and after the 90 days of intervention. After intervention, both groups decreased body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, fat mass (FM), insulin and HOMA-IR. G1 increased insulin sensitivity and G2 reduced triglyceride and FM and increased fat-free mass (FFM). MF increased ghrelin levels. There were no differences in EE variables. Hypocaloric diet with different MF promoted a reduction in total weight, BMI, WC and FM and an improvement in glycidic metabolism. However, the accomplishment of the three meals/day increased the FFM and active ghrelin and reduced triglyceride, while six meals/day was more beneficial in increasing insulin sensitivity.

We do fuzzification the concept of domination in crisp graph by using membership values of nodes, $\alpha$-strong arcs and arcs. In this paper, we introduce a new variation on the domination theme which we call vertex domination. We determine the vertex domination number $\gamma_v$ for several classes of fuzzy graphs, specially complete fuzzy graph and complete bipartite fuzzy graphs. The bounds is obtained for the vertex domination number of fuzzy graphs. Also the relationship between $M$-strong arcs and $\alpha$-strong is obtained. In fuzzy graphs, monotone decreasing property and monotone increasing property is introduced. We prove the vizing's conjecture is monotone decreasing fuzzy graph property for vertex domination. we prove also the Grarier-Khelladi's conjecture is monotone decreasing fuzzy graph property for it. We obtain Nordhaus-Gaddum (NG) type results for these parameters. The relationship between several classes of operations on fuzzy graphs with the vertex domination number of them is studied.

Fetal weight estimation before delivery is important in obstetrics, which assists doctors diagnose abnormal or diseased cases. Linear regression based on ultrasound measures such as bi-parietal diameter (bpd), head circumference (hc), abdominal circumference (ac), and fetal length (fl) is common statistical method for weight estimation but the regression model requires that time points of collecting such measures must not be too far from last ultrasound scans. Therefore this research proposes a method of early weight estimation based on expectation maximization (EM) algorithm so that ultrasound measures can be taken at any time points in gestational period. In other words, gestational sample can lack some or many fetus weights, which gives facilities to practitioners because practitioners need not concern fetus weights when taking ultrasound examinations. The proposed method is called dual regression expectation maximization (DREM) algorithm. Experimental results indicate that accuracy of DREM decreases insignificantly when completion of ultrasound sample decreases significantly. So it is proved that DREM withstands missing values in incomplete sample or sparse sample.

Ultra-wide field optical coherence tomography (UWF-OCT) has been recently introduced into clinical ophthalmological practice. To date, there is little data on the reference values of retinal thickness (RT) and choroidal thickness (CT) measured with this technique. This study aimed to analyze the variance of RT and CT in healthy eyes with UWF-OCT tests performed with the largest available scan size of 23 x 20 mm. The data were analyzed with reference to the patients' age, gender, and the axial length of the eyeball. The results of UWF-OCT scanning enabled us to picture the shape of the retina and choroid in a large portion of the eyeball. Both anatomical entities become significantly thinner at the periphery. The peripheral CT is greater in the upper and temporal sectors; the RT is higher in the nasal compared to the temporal sectors. Both choroid and retina lose thickness with age, however, CT and RT do not show a statistically significant correlation with the axial length after adjusting for age and gender. Age-related variations in thickness are especially prominent in the choroid. The CT in UWF-OCT testing is significantly greater in females while the RT is greater in males. UWF-OCT testing provides additional information on the anatomical structure of the retina and choroid compared to standard-field OCT

Recent advances in understanding the Planck scale have led to a new, straightforward method for quantizing the general theory of relativity. This results in a theory of gravity that predicts the same outcomes as general relativity with greater fundamental comprehension connected directly to the Planck scale.

Hospital readmission and length of stay prediction provide info to manage hospitals’ bed capacity and the number of required staff, especially during pandemics. We present a hybrid deep model called Genetic Algorithm-Optimized Convolutional Neural Network (GAOCNN) with a unique preprocessing method to predict hospital readmission and the length of stay in patients having various conditions. GAOCNN uses one-dimensional convolutional layers to predict hospital readmission and length of stay. The parameters of the layers are optimized using a genetic algorithm. To show the performance of the proposed model in patients with various conditions, we evaluate the model under three healthcare datasets; the Diabetes 130-US hospitals dataset, the COVID-19 dataset, and the MIMIC-III dataset. The diabetes 130-US hospitals dataset has information on both readmission and the length of stay, while COVID-19 and MIMIC-III datasets just include information on the length of stay. Experimental results show that the proposed model’s accuracy for hospital readmission is 97.2% for diabetic patients. Also, the accuracy of the length of stay prediction is 89%, 99.4%, and 94.1% for diabetic, COVID-19, and ICU patients, respectively. These results confirm the superiority of the proposed model compared to existing methods. Our findings offer a platform for managing healthcare funds and resources for patients with various diseases.

Drought decreases grain yield of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], and understanding the mechanism(s) related to drought tolerance is critical for sustaining sorghum production. Variation in root and shoot traits associated with drought tolerance were analyzed to provide an integrated view of factors that underlie the drought tolerance of sorghum. The plants were grown in the root column up to the five-leaf stage, then exposed to either 0.9 fraction of transpirable soil water (FTSW) or 0.4 FTSW for five days. In another experiment, at the five-leaf stage, stress was imposed for 14 days. Various root and shoot traits associated with drought tolerance were recorded. The seminal root angle of IS13540 was lower (24.4) than IS23143 (42.6). Drought stress increased the maximum root length (40%) and total root length (58%) of IS13540 than its irrigated control. In contrast, the maximum root length and total root length were decreased in IS23143. Similarly, across the lines, drought stress decreased stomatal conductance (37%), transpiration rate (42%), photosynthetic rate (40%), photosystem II quantum yield (20%), photochemical quenching (44%), and total dry matter production (34%) than irrigated control. An increased transpiration rate was observed in IS23143 than IS13540 under irrigated and drought stress. In IS23143, the reduction in photosynthetic rate under drought may be a combination of stomatal and non-stomatal factors. However, in IS13540, the reduction is especially by the stomatal factors. It is evident that IS13540 is a drought-tolerant line, and tolerance is related to a deep prolific root system and reduced tran-spiration rate.

Polyphosphate (polyP) accumulating organisms (PAOs) are the key agent to perform enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) activity, and intracellular polyP plays a key role in this process. Potential associations between EBPR performance and the polyP structure have been suggested, but are yet to be extensively investigated, mainly due to the lack of established methods for polyP characterization in the EBPR system. In this study, we explored and demonstrated that single-cell Raman spectroscopy (SCRS) can be employed for characterizing intracellular polyPs of PAOs in complex environmental samples such as EBPR systems. The results, for the first time, revealed distinct distribution patterns of polyP length (as Raman peak position) in PAOs in lab-scale EBPR reactors that were dominated with different PAO types, as well as among different full-scale EBPR systems with varying configurations. Furthermore, SCRS revealed distinctive polyP composition/features among PAO phenotypic sub-groups, which are likely associated with phylogenetic and/or phenotypic diversity in EBPR communities, highlighting the possible resolving power of SCRS at the microdiversity level. To validate the observed polyP length variations via SCRS, we also performed and compared bulk polyP length characteristics in EBPR biomass using conventional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and solution ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (³¹P-NMR) methods. The results are consistent with the SCRS findings and confirmed the variations in the polyP lengths among different EBPR systems. Compared to conventional methods, SCRS exhibited advantages as compared to conventional methods, including the ability to characterize in situ the intracellular polyPs at subcellular resolution in a label-free and non-destructive way, and the capability to capture subtle and detailed biochemical fingerprints of cells for phenotypic classification. SCRS also has recognized limitations in comparison with ³¹P-NMR and PAGE, such as the inability to quantitatively detect the average polyP chain length and its distribution. The results provided initial evidence for the potential of SCRS-enabled polyP characterization as an alternative and complementary microbial community phenotyping method to facilitate the phenotype-function (performance) relationship deduction in EBPR systems.

Background: Spine shape parameters, such as leg length, kyphotic or lordotic angle, are influenced by low back pain. There is also evidence that the thoracolumbar fascia plays a role in such pa-thologies. This study examined the immediate effects of a myofascial release technique (MFR) on the thoracolumbar fascia and of an osteopathic treatment (OMT) on postural parameters in pa-tients with acute low back pain (aLBP). Methods: This study was a single-blind randomized pla-cebo-controlled trial. Seventy-one subjects (43.8 ± 10.5 years) suffering from aLBP were randomly and blinded assigned to three groups to be treated with MFR, OMT or a placebo intervention. Spinal shape parameters (functional leg length discrepancy (fLLD), kyphotic angle, lordotic an-gle) were measured before and after the intervention using video raster stereography. Results: Within the MFR group, fLLD reduced by 5.2 mm, p < 0.001 and kyphotic angle by 8.2 degrees, p < 0.001. Within the OMT group, fLLD reduced by 4.5 mm, p < 0.001 and kyphotic angle by 8.4 °, p = 0.007. Conclusion: MFR and OMT have an influence on fLLD and the kyphotic angle in aLBP patients. The interventions could have a regulating effect on the impaired neuromotor control of the lumbar muscles.

Recent experimental research has shown that mass is linked to Compton periodicity. We suggest a new way to look at mass: Namely that mass at its most fundamental level can simply be seen as reduced Compton frequency over the Planck time. In this way, surprisingly, neither the Planck constant nor Newton's gravitational constant are needed to observe the Planck length, nor in any type of calculation or gravitational predictions. The Planck constant is only needed when we want to convert back to the more traditional and we would say arbitrary mass measures such as kg. The theory gives the same predictions as Einstein's special relativity theory, with one very important exception: anything with mass must have a maximum velocity that is a function of the Planck length and the reduced Compton wavelength. For all observed subatomic particles, such as the electron, this velocity is considerably above what is achieved in particle accelerators, but always below the speed of light. This removes a series of infinity challenges in physics. The theory also offers a way to look at a new type of quantum probabilities. As we will show, a long series of equations become simplied in this way. Further Newton's gravitational constant G is clearly not needed for gravity calculations or predictions; it is the Planck length and the speed of light (gravity) that are essential for gravity, and both can be measured easily with no knowledge of G.

Innovations in drug delivery systems are crucial for enhancing therapeutic efficiency. Our research presents a novel approach based on Electro-fluid dynamic atomization (EFDA) to fabricate core-shell monophasic particles (CSMp) from sodium alginate blends of varying molecular weights. This study explores the morphological characteristics of these particles in relation to material properties and process conditions, highlighting their potential in drug delivery applications. A key aspect of our work is the development of a mathematical model that simulates the release kinetics of small molecules, specifically sodium diclofenac. By assessing the diffusion properties of different molecules and gel formulations through transport and rheological models, we have created a predictive tool for evaluating the efficiency of these particles in drug delivery. Our findings underscore two critical independent parameters for optimizing drug release: the external shell thickness and the diffusivity ratios within the dual layers. This allows for precise control over the timing and intensity of the release profile. The study advances our understanding of EFDA in the fabrication of CSMp and offers promising avenues for enhancing drug delivery systems by tailoring release profiles through particle characteristic manipulation.

The study examines the return performance and resilience to market volatility of the recently introduced Environment, Social/Sustainable, and Governance (ESG) weight-tilted Hang Seng Index (HSIESG) compared to its parent, the Hang Seng Index (HSI). The ESG-infused index has a higher mean return and lower return volatility than the parent index, although the differences are statistically and economically insignificant, a result consistent with the high correlation between the two index returns. Most important, the ESG weighted-tilted index is more resilient to volatility spikes than the parent index and therefore has lower downside risks. The overall results show that stocks with high ESG ratings are less susceptible to trading pressures triggered by volatility-induced turnovers. The paper contributes to the literature by providing significant incremental information on the emerging market for ESG-related equity products in Hong Kong.

Chicken collagen is a promising raw material source to produce gelatins and hydrolysates. Gelatins and hydrolysates can be prepared biotechnologically using proteolytic enzymes produced by submerged fermentation of genetically modified microorganisms. By choosing the appropriate process conditions, such changes can be achieved at the molecular level of collagen, making it possible to prepare products with targeted properties for advanced cosmetic, pharmaceutical, medical or food applications. The research aims to investigate: i) antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS) in model samples of chicken collagen products (gelatin and hydrolysates); ii) distribution of molecular weights by the GPC-RID analysis method; iii) functional groups and configuration of polypeptide chains related to molecular level properties using FTIR; iv) the microbiological properties on SDA, PCA, TSA and VRBL microbial populations using MALDI method. Antioxidant activity towards ABTS radicals of more than 80% was found for all samples. The molecular weights of all gelatin samples showed typical α- and β-chains. FTIR analysis confirmed that the samples showed all typical vibrational regions for collagen cleavage products, Amide A and B, Amide I, II, and III at characteristic values. Microbiological analysis of the prepared samples showed no undesirable bacteria that would limit advanced applications of the prepared products. Gelatins and hydrolysates from chicken stomachs represent a promising alternative to products made from standard collagen tissues of terrestrial animals.

Effects and interactions of incubation time and chick preplacement holding time on mortality at placement, utilization of yolk sac, crop filling rate, early feeding–drinking behavior and broiler live performance were investigated. Ross 308 broiler hatching eggs from a 39-week-old flock were set in two identical setters in a commercial hatchery,with setting time 12 hours earlier in one machine. At the end of incubation, chicks were removed from the hatchers at the same time. Thus, incubation times were either 504 h (normal incubation time (NIT) treatment) or 516 h (longer incubation time (LIT) treatment). After pull time, chicks from each incubation time group were subjected to either 6, 24, 48, 60 or 72 h preplacement holding times. At placement, chicks were given access to feed and water. In total, 19,200 chicks were randomly assigned to a total of 10 subtreatment groups (2 incubation times × 5 preplacement holding times). Therefore, a total of 1,920 chicks were used in each subtreatment group for the grow-out period in a commercial broiler house. An interaction was found between incubation time and preplacement holding time for residual yolk sac (RYS) weight (g, %) (p &lt; 0.001). RYS weight was greater at pull time and at 6 and 24 h of preplacement holding time in the NIT treatment compared to the LIT treatment, while differences were no longer evident at 48–72 h. The lowest percentage of chicks with full crops and eating activity was observed in the shortest preplacement holding time (6 h) group at 3 h after placement. As expected, the initial BW at placement clearly decreased with increasing duration after the pull time (p &lt; 0.05) with the highest and lowest weights were found in the 6 and 72 h holding time treatments respectively. This BW difference was still evident at 35 d after placement and chicks held for the longest period after the pull time (72 h) showed the lowest BW (p &lt; 0.001). However, there was no significant difference between the 6 and 60 h preplacement holding times. Mortality during the first 7 d after placement increased only when the preplacement holding time was extended to 72 h (p = 0.031). Similar to the 7 d results, chicks held for 72 h exhibited higher 0-35 day mortality compared to those held for 6 or 24 h (p = 0.028). Neither BW nor mortality was affected by incubation time treatment at 35 d after placement (p &gt; 0.05). It can be concluded that there were no significant differences in average BW and mortality, up to and including a 60-h holding time under thermal comfort conditions, but a 72-h preplacement holding time resulted in final BW and mortality being negatively affected. In addition, LIT tended to have a beneficial effect on BW and mortality compared to NIT when the preplacement holding time was shorter (6–24 h) but had a negative effect for extended holding times (48–72 h).

Wheat yield plays an important role in the global economy. Changing climate conditions and increased drought negatively affect grain yield. Currently, breeding programs are aimed at improving wheat productivity. To accelerate the selection process of hybrids and parental forms for crosses, it is essential to pay attention to plants' phenotypic and genetic potential. We studied the genes of the "green revolution" group Rht and coarse-grained TaGW and TaGS to increase yields by selecting optimal parameters for wheat. We focused on short-stemmed and coarse-grained characteristics in a dry climate and conducted a correlation analysis between the genetic potential of wheat varieties and hybrids and their phenotypic manifestation in drought conditions. Rht-D1b significantly reduced the height of plants by 51.67% and reduced the coleoptile length by 30.45%. At the same time, TaGW8-B1a increased the grain width by 13.37%. However, in the presence of Rht-D1b and Rht-B1b in the genome, the 1000-kernal weight was 35.06 g (p<0.05), the Rht-B1b gene enhanced it by 9% (p<0.05), while both Rht-D1a and Rht-B1a alleles gave a 1000-kernal weight of 37.96 g (p<0.05). The Rht-D1b and Rht-B1b alleles gave 18.5 seeds per ear, while the Rht-D1a and Rht-B1a alleles gave the value of grains per ear -24.1 pcs. The data obtained indicated the relationship of phenotypic and genetic parameters in wheat between the coarse-grained and short-stemmed genes, which makes it possible to select based on the genetic parameters of varieties and hybrids, thereby speeding up the selection process.

This work presents patient radiation dose data for pediatric interventional cardiology procedures in a large hospital in Colombia. The data collection period was from April 2020 to July 2022. The local DRLs were calculated as the 3rd quartile of patient dose data distributions for kerma area-product (Pka) values. The sample of collected clinical procedures (255) was divided into diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and grouped into five weight and five age bands. The Pka differences found between diagnostic and therapeutic procedures were statistically in all weight and age bands, except the group between 1-5 years. The local DRLs were 69 Gy/cm2 (< 5 kg), 3.44 Gy/cm2 (5-<15 kg), 8.87 Gy/cm2 (15-<30 kg), 10.51 Gy/cm2 (30-<50 kg) y 22.61 Gy/cm2 (50-<80 kg), respectively. In conclusion, from comparing our results with other existing DRL values, we are similar to other centers and scope to continue optimizing the radiation dose values. This will contribute to setting national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for Colombia in the near future.

In this paper, a Markov random field model is proposed to determine a site’s light pollution risk level. The specific data of 12 indicators of five typical cities in China is first collected to establish a hierarchical indicator system using an R-type clustering algorithm. Then, the entropy weight method is used to filter, determine 10-factor indicators, three potential impact indicators, and a light pollution risk index, and establish an undirected probability map model. A light pollution measurement based on Markov random field is obtained, and a location-based light pollution risk assessment index (LBLPRAI) is proposed. LBLPRAI of different types of sites is analyzed, and three possible intervention strategies are proposed to solve the light pollution problem: road lighting system planning, increasing vegetation coverage, and building system planning. Finally, the simulated annealing algorithm is used to determine the best intervention strategy, and it is concluded that the use of strategy 1 in the urban community 2 is the most effective measure, which can reduce the risk level of light pollution by 17.2%.

The present study was conducted the status of sea bass from Kokko and Kyuntone of The Gulf of Motttama Wetland (GoMW) area in Thanatpin Township in Bago Region Myanmar from September 2019 to August 2020. Fifty specimens were monthly collected, measured and weighed. Invoices of sea bass were collected for the depot and fish sellers by monthly. In Kokko, mean value of standard length and body weight were highest in March (32.70±1.58, 660.7±112.23). The mean value of standard length was peak in January (31.39±7.16) but peak of body weight was in March (963.24±280.86) in Kyuntone villages. The lowest mean value of standard length and body weight were found in June at both study areas. According to the invoice data revealed that monthly catch weight of sea bass is most abundance in October (829.92) kg in Kokko, (339.12) kg in Kyuntone. Based on price of relations to size group, small size C &lt; 300g (41%) was mostly abundance in Kokko and in Kyuntone small size C &lt; 300g (35%) was second abundance. Specimens were not landed in April and May. In June, young specimens were very rarely seen in both study sites. The important roles of wetland fishes, the economic valuation of GOMW in Myanmar and samples of fishing gear and value chain of sea bass in Myanmar was expressed in this study.

High temperature (HT) significantly affects the crop physiological traits and reduces the 12 productivity in plants. To increase yields as well as survival of crops under HT, developing heat13 tolerant plants is one of the main targets in crop breeding programs. The present study attempted 14 to investigate the linkage of the heat tolerance between the seedling and the reproductive growth 15 stages of tomato cultivars ’Dafnis‘ and ’Minichal’. This research was undertaken to evaluate heat 16 tolerance under two experimental designs such as screening at seedling stage and screening from 17 reproductive traits in greenhouses. Survival rate and physiological responses in seedlings of 18 tomatoes with 4-5 true leaf were estimated under HT (40 °C, RH 70%, day/night, respectively) and 19 under two control and HT greenhouse conditions (day time 28 °C and 40 °C, respectively). Heat 20 stress significantly affected physiological-chemical (photosynthesis, electrolyte conductivity, 21 proline) and vegetative parameters (plant height, shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight) in all 22 tomatoes seedlings. The finding revealed that regardless of tomato cultivars the photosynthesis, 23 chlorophyll, total proline and electrical conductivity parameters were varied in seedlings during the 24 heat stress period. The heat tolerance rate of tomatoes in the seedling stage might not be associated 25 always with reproductive parameters. HT reduced the fruit parameters likeas fruit weight (31.9%), 26 fruit length (14.1%), fruit diameter (19.1%) and fruit hardness (9.1%) in compared to NT under HT 27 in heat susceptible tomato cultivar ‘Dafnis’, while in heat tolerant cultivar ‘Minichal’ fruit length 28 (7.1%) and fruit diameter (12.1%) was decreased by the affect of HT but on the contrary fruit weight 29 (3.6%) and fruit hardness (8.3%) were increased. In conclusion, screening and selection for tomatoes 30 should be evaluated at the vegetative and reproductive stages with consideration of reproductive 31 parameters.

The synthesis of additives for thinning mineral suspensions based on sodium polyacrylate was carried out. The effect of molecular weight regulators on the molecular weight characteristics of the polymer and the effect of such polymers on the rheological properties of suspensions was studied. Sodium acrylate polymers are synthesized by free radical polymerization in aqueous solution using molecular weight regulators. The molecular weight characteristics of the polymeric samples were estimated by viscometry using Mark-Houwink-Kuhn-Sakurada (MHKS) equation. Synthesized polymers were used as thinners ceramic slurries, prepared according to the recipe of the enterprises producing ceramic products. The thinning ability of polymer samples with different molecular weights was estimated using an Engler viscometer from the time of the ceramic slurry flow. The influence of the type and amount molecular weight regulator on polyacryates was revealed. It was found that molecular weight synthesized samples was in the range of 21000 - 91000. It was determined that samples with a molecular weight of 28000 - 35000 synthesized using mercaptoethanol (at a dosage of 0.5-1.5% by weight of the monomer) provide optimal fluidity to the ceramic slurry.

.With the increasing use of carbon fiber reinforced plastics in various area, carbon fiber composites based on prepregs have attracted attention in industries and academia research. However, prepreg manufacturing processes are costly, and the strength of structures varies depending on the orientation and defects (pores and delamination). For non-contact evaluation of internal defects, we proposed lock-in infrared thermography to investigate orientation angles after a compression test. We also conducted a drop-weight impact test to study the behaviour of the composites after impact according the fibers orientation for composite fabricated using unidirectional carbon fiber prepregs. Using CAI tests, we determined the residual compressive strength and confirmed the damage modes using a thermal camera. The results of the drop weight impact tests show that the specimen laminated at 0° suffered the largest damage because of susceptibility of the resin to impact. In contrast, the specimens oriented in of 0°/90° and +45°/–45° directions transferred more than 90% of the impact energy back to the impactor because of the lamination of fibers in the orthogonal directions. Furthermore, the specimens that underwent complete damage in the impact tests were subjected to the lock-in method and showed internal delamination and cut fibers. With the finite elements analysis, the damage of each ply could be observed. Moreover, the temperature differences in the residual compression tests were not significant.

There is accumulating evidence that prenatal exposure to air pollution disturbs fetal growth and development, but little is known about these effects in cold climates or their season-specific or joint effects. Our objective was to assess independent and joint effects of prenatal exposure to specific air pollutants on the risk of low birth weight (LBW). We utilized the 2568 children of the Espoo Cohort Study, born between 1984 and 1990, and living in the City of Espoo. We conducted stratified analyses for births during warm and cold seasons separately. We analyzed the effect estimates using multi-pollutant Poisson regression models with risk ratio (RR) as the measure of effect. The risk of LBW was related to exposure to CO and (adjusted RR 1.44, 95% CI: 1.04-2.00) and exposure to O3 in the spring-summer season (1.82, 1.11-2.96). There was also evidence of synergistic effects between CO and O3 (relative risk due to interaction, RERI, all year 1.08, 95% CI: 0.27-4.94, spring-summer 3.97, 2.17-25.85) and PM2.5 and O3 (all year 0.72, -0.07-3.60, spring-summer 2.80, 1.36-19.88). We present new evidence of both independent and joint effects of prenatal exposure in a cold climate on the risk of LBW at low levels of air pollution.

By combing continuum topology optimization (TO) method and lattice structure technique, a sandwich aircraft spoiler with a high stiffness-to-weight is designed. TO method is served to produce the shell of the aircraft spoiler and the lattice structure, used as cores, is employed to support the shell. TO problem is established as maximizing the stiffness of the structure with limited material volume. Density-based method is utilized to achieve a 0/1 solution. We then empirically replace the core of the aircraft spoiler by using 3D kagome lattice structure. Two different materials, i.e., aluminum alloy and titanium alloy, are synthetically applied to further reduce the weight and simultaneously improve the strength of the aircraft spoiler. Numerical simulations are conducted to show that the designed aircraft spoiler can meet the service environment with a reduction of its weight by approximately 80% when compared with that of the initial design model. Finally, we have fabricated the designed model with photosensitive resin by using 3D printing technique.

The domestication and subsequent genetic improvement of wheat led to the development of large-seeded cultivated wheat species relative to their smaller-seeded wild progenitors. While increased grain weight (GW) continues to be an important goal of many wheat breeding programs, few genes underlying this trait have been identified despite an abundance of studies reporting quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for GW. Here we perform a QTL analysis for GW using a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the cross between wild emmer wheat accession ‘Zavitan’ and durum wheat variety ‘Svevo’. Identified QTLs in this population were anchored to the recent Zavitan reference genome, along with previously published QTLs for GW in tetraploid wheat. This genome-based, meta-QTL analysis enabled the identification of a locus on chromosome 6A whose introgression from wild wheat positively affects GW. The locus was validated using an introgression line carrying the 6A GW QTL region from Zavitan in a Svevo background, resulting in >8% increase in GW compared to Svevo. Using the reference sequence for the 6A QTL region, we identified a wheat ortholog to OsGRF4, a rice gene previously associated with GW. The coding sequence of this gene (TtGRF4-A) contains four SNPs between Zavitan and Svevo, one of which reveals the Zavitan allele to be rare in a core collection of wild emmer and completely absent from the domesticated emmer genepool. Similarly, another wild emmer accession (G18-16) was found to carry a rare allele of TtGRF4-A that also positively affects GW and is characterized by a unique SNP absent from the entire core collection. These results exemplify the rich genetic diversity of wild wheat, posit TtGRF4-A as a candidate gene underlying the 6A GW QTL, and suggest that the natural Zavitan and G18-16 alleles of TtGRF4-A have potential to increase wheat yields in breeding programs.

The present study examined and compared the effects of high- and low-molecular weight (MW) chitosan, a nutraceutical, on intestinal and liver lipid metabolism in rats fed with high-fat diet. Both high- and low-MW chitosan decreased liver weight, elongated small intestine, improved the dysregulation of blood lipids and liver fat accumulation, and increased fecal lipid excretion in high-fat diet-fed rats. Supplementation of both high- and low-MW chitosan significantly inhibited the decreased phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)α protein expressions and the increased lipogenesis/cholesterogenesis-associated protein expressions (sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)1c, SREBP2, and PPARγ) and the decreased apolipoprotein (Apo)E and microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTTP) protein expressions in the livers of high-fat diet-fed rats. Both high and low-MW chitosan supplementation could also suppress the increased MTTP protein expression and the decreased angiopoietin-like protein (Angptl)4 protein expression in the intestines of high-fat diet-fed rats. Comparison between high and low-MW chitosan, high-MW chitosan has a higher efficiency than low-MW chitosan on the inhibition of intestinal lipid absorption and the increase of hepatic fatty acid oxidation, which can improve liver lipid biosynthesis and accumulation.

The use of pain relief during castration and dehorning of calves on commercial beef operations can be limited by constraints associated with the delivery of analgesic agents. As topical anaesthetic (TA) and buccal meloxicam (MEL) are now available in Australia, offering practical analgesic treatments for concurrent castration and dehorning of beef calves, a study was conducted to determine their efficacy in providing pain relief when applied alone or in combination. Weaner calves were randomly allocated to; (1) no castration and dehorning / positive control (CONP); (2) castration and dehorning / negative control (CONN); (3) castration and dehorning with buccal meloxicam (BM); (4) castration and dehorning with topical anaesthetic (TA); and (5) castration and dehorning with buccal meloxicam and topical anaesthetic (BMTA). Weight gain, paddock utilisation, lying activity and behaviour following treatment were measured. CONP and BMTA calves had significantly greater weight gain than CONN calves (P < 0.001). CONN calves spent less time lying compared to BMTA calves on all days (P < 0.001). All dehorned and castrated calves spent more time walking (P = 0.024) and less time eating (P < 0.001) compared to CONP calves. There was a trend for CONP calves to spend the most time standing and CONN calves to spend the least time standing (P = 0.059). There were also trends for the frequency of head turns to be lowest in CONP and BMTA calves (P = 0.098) and tail flicks to be highest in CONN and BM calves (P = 0.061). The findings of this study suggest that TA and MEL can improve welfare and production of calves following surgical castration and amputation dehorning.

Agavins consumption has lead to accelerate body weight loss in mice. We investigated the changes on cecal microbiota and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) associated to body weight loss in overweight mice. Firstly, mice were fed with standard (ST5) or high fat (HF5) diet for 5 weeks. Secondly, overweight mice were shifted to standard diet alone (HF-ST10) or supplemented with agavins (HF-ST+A10) or oligofructose (HF-ST+O10), five more weeks. Cecal contents were collected before and after supplementation to determine microbiota and SCFA concentrations. At the end of first phase, HF5 mice showed a significant increase of body weight, which was associated with reduction of cecal microbiota diversity (PD whole tree; non-parametric t-test, P < 0.05), increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and reduced SCFA concentrations (t-test, P < 0.05). After diet shifted, HF-ST10 normalized its microbiota, increase its diversity and SCFA levels, whereas agavins (HF-ST+A10) or oligofructose (HF-ST+O10) led to partial microbiota restoration, with normalization of the Firmicutes/Bacteroides ratio as well as higher SCFA levels (P < 0.1). Moreover, agavins noticeably enriched Klebsiella and Citrobacter (LDA > 3.0); this enrichment has not been reported previously under a prebiotic treatment. In conclusion, agavins or oligofructose modulated cecal microbiota composition, reduced extent of diversity and increased SCFA. Furthermore, identification of bacteria enriched by agavins, opens opportunities to explore new probiotics.

Objective: To evaluate the variables influencing the length of stay (LoS) for COVID-19 ICU patients at Tygerberg Hospital (Cape Town) and to identify the covariates that significantly influenced it and any potential risk factors associated with LoS. Methods and Results: Poisson, negative binomial (NB), Hurdle–Poisson, and Hurdle–NB regression models were used to model the LoS in this prospective cohort study. The fitted models were compared using the Akaike information criterion (AIC), Vuong’s test criteria, and Rootograms. Based on the chosen performance criteria, the NB model provided the best fit outperforming other candidate models. The baseline LoS count was 8 days. On average, antibiotics reduced LoS by 0.74-fold (95% CI 0.62-0.89) compared to not taking antibiotics. The second wave had a significant effect on the average LoS, which decreased by 0.36-fold (95% CI 0.14-0.93) compared to the first wave. Average LoS increased by 1.01-fold (95% CI 1.01-1.02) for every one-year increase in the age of the patient and by 1.02-fold (95% CI 1.01-1.03) for every 1 unit increase in neutrophils. A 1 ng/L increase in log (TropT) levels decreased the average LoS by 0.87-fold (95% CI 0.81-0.93) similarly, a unit increase in the PF ratio decreased the average LoS by 0.998-fold (95% CI 0.997-0.999) respectively. Conclusion: The study identified common clinical characteristics associated with length of stay in ICU for COVID-19 patients, including age at admission, PF ratio, neutrophils, TropT, Wave, and antibiotic use. These results can aid in identifying risk factors for increased length of stay, assist in healthcare systems planning, and aid in evaluating different models for analysing this type of data.

This article objective was to identify a centenary trend in the growth and development of girls in the metropolis of Moscow. Material and methods — The physical development (body length and weight, chest circumference, right hand muscle strength, and menstrual function development) of Moscow girls was studied during the period from 1920 to 2020. The amount of own observations was 4581 girls aged 8-17 years. Results – A comparative analysis of the physical development of Moscow school girls of different decades revealed a statistically significant increase in body length by 3-5 cm and a significant increase in chest circumference in all age groups of girls of the beginning of the XXI century, compared with their peers in the 1960s and 1980s, which indicates the completion of the gracialization processes that have been observed since the 1980s. However, in all age groups, a decrease in the muscle strength of the right hand is still being noticed. Earlier terms of menarshe onset in modern Moscow school girls (12 years 9 months) and a shift in growth jumps to earlier terms were established. It is shown that the age of menstruation depends on the level of family wealth. Conclusions. In Moscow girls in the centenary dynamics, a tendency to increase the total body size and shift the terms of biological maturation to earlier terms was revealed.

Determination of the fetal gender in the first trimester is important in twin pregnancy cases of familial X-linked genetic syndromes and helps determine chorionicity. We assessed and compared the accuracy of first-trimester ultrasound scans, and circulating cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) performed by non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) in determining fetal gender in the first trimester of twin pregnancies. For this purpose, we enrolled prospectively pregnant women with twin during the first trimester, gestational week (GA) 11-13. The fetal gender was determined using both ultrasound scans and cffDNA screening. Both results were compared to the newborn gender at delivery. A total of 113 women with twin pregnancies were enrolled. There was 100% sensitivity and specificity in Y chromosome detection using cffDNA. The accuracy of gender assignment using ultrasound in any first-trimester scans was 79.7%. Accuracy level increased from 54.2% in CRL 45-54 mm to 87.7% in CRL 55-67 mm and 91.5% in CRL 67-87 mm. Male fetuses had significantly higher chances of a gender assignment error compared to female fetuses, odds ratio = 23.57 (CI 7.356 - 75.66). This is the first study that compared the accuracy of gender determination in the first trimester by cffDNA and by ultrasound scanning in twin pregnancy. It was concluded that the cffDNA is highly sensitive and specific in determining the presence of the Y chromosome in twin pregnancies in the first trimester. Between CRL 67-87 mm, ultrasound scanning offers a highly accurate determination of fetal gender in twin pregnancies. Larger cohorts of multi-center studies are warranted.

We present a mixing length based algebraic turbulence model calibrated to pipe flow; the main purpose of the model is to capture the increasing turbulence production-to-dissipation ratio observed in connection with the high Reynolds number transition region. The model includes the mixing length description by Gersten and Herwig which takes the observed variation of the von Kármán number with Reynolds number into account. Pipe wall roughness effects are included in the model. Results are presented for area-averaged (integral) quantities which can be used both as a self-contained model and as initial inlet boundary conditions for computational fluid dynamics simulations.

The correlations of seismic noise, recorded during 1997-2022 at 229 stations around the world are investigated. The property of waveforms, known as the Donoho-Johnston threshold, is analyzed, which separates the absolute values of the orthogonal wavelet coefficients into "small" and "large". Network of 50 reference points is considered. For each reference point, a time series with a time step of 1 day is calculated as the median of the values of the DJ index from the 5 nearest stations. For each reference point, the correlations between the values of the DJ index at other reference points are calculated in a sliding time window of 365 days. Average values of the DJ index decrease, which is interpreted as indicators of global seismic hazard increasing. The maximum distances between reference points with strong correlations show an explosive increase after 2011. Bursts in the mean coherences between the length of day (LOD) and the values of the DJ index at the reference points precede the release of seismic energy with a delay of about 530 days. High amplitude of the DJ index response to LOD for the times 2020-2022 was identified, which may forecast a strong earthquake in the second half of 2023.

In recent times, there has been a growing interest in the use of control charts as a feedback process monitoring technique. Particularly, CUSUM schemes have been proven to be efficient for monitoring processes where the magnitude of the sustained mean shifts is small or moderate. However, because of the constant control limits, the detection ability of CUSUM schemes becomes slow at the initial set-up of the process. The fast initial response FIR feature has often been used to enhance it at the process startup. Meanwhile, the dynamism of real-life problems has always encouraged a more sensitive CUSUM scheme capable of detecting process shifts more rapidly. In this paper, an improved CUSUM scheme for monitoring process mean is proposed. This scheme will be substantial for monitoring processes whose observations are obtained at a distant time interval for example hourly, daily or weekly and where the sustained shifts are assumed to be small or moderate. To demonstrate the practical applications of the proposed scheme, we present its real-life application using datasets from a bottling company and petroleum refinery laboratory.

The turbulent Poiseuille flow between two parallel plates is one of the simplest possible physical situations, and it has been studied intensively. In this paper, we propose a modified Prandtl-van Driest mixing length that satisfies both boundary conditions and wall damping effects. With our new formulations, we numerically solve the problem and, moreover, propose an approximate analytical solution of mean velocity. As applications of our solution, an approximate analytical friction coefficient of turbulent Poiseuille flow is proposed.

Public transport systems are considered to be a crucial aspect of a sustainable urban development, as they allow more passengers to efficiently travel across an urban area at low environmental and economic costs. Multiple factors can influence the public transport level of service. All take roots in the network structure and the operating regime, i.e. how bus lines are arranged atop the street network and how the service frequency is adjusted to meet urban mobility patterns. This is known as the bus network design problem and has been the subject of several studies. The problem is so challenging that most studies until now resort to strong assumptions such as a static description of the peak hour demand, homogeneous user behavior, and equal trip lengths. Potential effects of different types of user behavior and trip lengths patterns on the user and/or operator cost function have not been investigated whatsoever. Moreover, the existing studies have not considered the effects of the bus network structure on private car users, the level of interactions between the two modes, and the passenger mode choice that depends on the traffic conditions. This paper aims to close this gap and provide a general framework considering multiple trip length patterns, two types of user behavior, and the effects that the bus network structure might have on the traffic performance and passenger mode choice. For modeling different trip length patterns, the proposed approach combines all origin-destination pairs with the same trip length and uses the trip length distribution as an intermediate level of abstraction. As such, it allows to solve the optimal bus network design problem in an analytical way, while considering a more realistic setting including network congestion, mixed traffic, and different mode choice decisions depending on trip lengths and walking preferences. Numerical analysis reveals that both, the user behavior and the trip length patterns, have significant effects on the operator and user cost function. Results show that the probability of choosing any given mode is not constant across the user trip lengths, but follows certain distribution. This distribution is not unique, but varies across the trip length patterns, indicating the importance of modeling the mode choice at the trip length level. Finally, the analysis demonstrates the significance of addressing simplifications made in previous studies.

Some glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), first used in the treat-ment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), have been approved for the treatment of obe-sity in patients with or without T2DM (liraglutide – LIR, semaglutide - SEM, and tir-zepatide - TIR). Social media had an important influence on the off-label use of GLP-1 RAs for obesity, especially for SEM. We analysed the Google queries related to SEM to assess people's interest in this drug. We also investigated the occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by searching the EudraVigilance database (EV) for Individual Case Safety Reports (ICSRs) that reported SEM as the suspected drug and performed a descriptive and a disproportionality analysis. Data obtained for SEM were compared to other GLP-1 RAs. SEM had the highest proportions of searches on Google associated with the term “weight loss” and presented the lowest number of severe ADRs, but it also had the highest number of ICSRs reported in EV. Even though no unexpected safety issues have been reported for it until now, SEM has a high tendency for overdose reports. The most frequent off-label use was reported for SEM and TIR. In order to lower the ADRs’ risks, the off-label use should be reduced and carefully monitored.

Healthcare visits were reduced during COVID-19 pandemic causing the disturbance of the sustainability in NAFLD monitoring. Telemedicine acts to maintain connectivity between patients and healthcare professionals. This review aimed to assess telemedicine helps to monitoring in NAFLD. The database was searched from The PubMedCentral and ScienceDirect from 2020 to 2023. We assessed the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) for randomized controlled trial (RCT) and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for non-RCTs systematic reviews. Meta-analyses with random-effects model to determine the pooled mean difference (MD) and p-value. There were three RCT and two non-RCT were included (n=239) with 56.9% males and the mean age was 51.3 years. Median intervention lasted 5.5 months. The parameter were body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, liver function (AST/ALT), lipid profile and HbA1c. Metaanalysis showed telemedicine had a significant effect on improving outcomes for BW (MD -2.81: 95% CI, -4.11, -1.51, P 0.0001) and BMI (MD -1.01: 95% CI, -1.47, -0.55, P 0.0001) compared to standard care, while the AST/ALT were not significantly reduced. Other laboratory parameter were decreased from systematic reviews. Telemedicine through mobile-based applications could be an option for monitoring body weight and BMI in NAFLD patients facing the pandemic.

This study investigated how broader parental factors including parental happiness, parental play engagement, and parenting stress are related to Korean children’s happiness and weight status across three years via indirect pathways through the children’s energy-related behaviors of healthy and unhealthy food intake, physical activity, and screen time. Data from 1551 Korean parent pairs and 7-yaer-old children in the Panel Study on Korean Children were analyzed. Path analysis and gender-based structural equation modeling were conducted. Maternal happiness was negatively related to child screen time. Maternal play engagement showed positive concurrent associations with child healthy food intake and physical activity and negative associations with screen time. Maternal parenting stress was negatively related to child healthy eating. There was one significant finding related to fathers’ role on children’s energy-related behaviors, happiness, and weight status: the positive association between parental happiness and boys’ unhealthy food intake. Child screen time was positively related to child weight status and negatively to child happiness at each age. Broader maternal parenting factors can serve as a protective factor for childhood happiness and weight status in 7-to 9-year-olds through being associated with a reduction in child screen time.

Fat has a high energy density and excessive fatness has been recognized as a problem for egg production and the welfare of chickens. The identification of a genetic polymorphism controlling fat deposition would be helpful to select against excessive fatness in the laying hen. This study aimed to estimate genomic heritability and identify the genetic architecture of abdominal fat deposition in a population of chickens from a Dongxiang blue-shelled local breed crossbred with the White Leghorn. A genome-wide association study wase conducted on abdominal fat percentage, egg production and body weights using a sample of 1534 hens genotyped with a 600K Chicken Genotyping Array. The analysis yielded a heritability estimate of 0.19 ± 0.04 for abdominal fat percentage, 0.56 ± 0.04 for body weight at 72 weeks, 0.11 ± 0.03 for egg production and 0.24 ± 0.04 for body weight gain. The genetic correlation of abdominal fat percentage with egg production between 60 and 72 weeks of age was 0.35 ± 0.18. This implies a potential trade-off between these two traits related to allocation of resource. Strong positive genetic correlations were found between fat deposition and weight traits. A promising locus close to COL12A1 on chromosome 3, associated with abdominal fat percent, was found in the present study. The other region located around HTR2A on chromosome 1, where allele substitution was predicted to be associated with body weight gain, accounted for 2.9% of phenotypic variance. Another region located on chromosome 1, but close to SOX5, was associated with egg production. These results may be used to influence the balanced genetic selection for laying hens.

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) have been shown as selective and environmentally friendly solvents for the extraction of bioactive compounds. However, studies on the solubility of low molecular weight carbohydrates (LMWC) in NADES are scarce. In this work, new solubility data of LMWC in NADES are provided and a new approach based on the use of these solvents for the efficient fractionation of bioactive carbohydrates was explored for the first time. Several mono- and disaccharides and three NADES based on choline chloride (ChCl) and different donors [2-ethylene glycol (EtG), glycerol (Gly) and ethanedioic acid dihydrate (Eth)] were considered. While degradation of carbohydrates, mainly ketoses, was detected with ChCl:Eth due to its acidic nature, ChCl:EtG and ChCl:Gly were found to be useful alternatives for selectively separating bioactive ketoses and their corresponding aldoses (e.g. lactulose/lactose and tagatose/galactose) present in equimolar binary mixtures. In addition, the usefulness of ChCl:EtG for the selective enrichment of lactulose to be used as food ingredient or nutraceutical was proven (from a 25% in the reaction mixture to a 56% in the purified sample). NADES could be used for the selective fractionation of value-added carbohydrates from interfering sugars for several applications including food science, engineering or pharmaceuticals.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) derived from organic fertilizers may increase soil phosphorus (P) availability. However, the frequently observed correlation between soil P availability and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content has led to an excessive focus on DOC content at the expense of DOM properties. The present study investigated the influence of DOM characteristics on soil P availability by using a 6-year field experiment and microcosms of P sorption in paddy soil. Our results showed that partial replacement of chemical P fertilizer with manure or crop straw increased P fertilizer-use efficiency, even when decreasing chemical P input by 34 %, compared to normal chemical fertilization. The microcosm experiment demonstrated that DOM properties, rather than total DOC content, determine soil P sorption capacity, despite the significant correlation between DOC content and P availability observed in the field experiment. Manure-DOM exerted stronger inhibitory effects on P sorption than straw-DOM, and high molecular weight (HMW)-fractionated DOM exerted stronger inhibitory effects on P sorption than low-molecular-weight-fractionated DOM by 16-20%. The mechanism was rooted in the HMW DOM with unique characteristics (e.g., strong aromaticity, hydrophobicity, abundant humic-like components, carboxyl groups, and benzene ring structures) competing for soil P sorption sites (e.g., reduction in specific surface area and micropore volume), decreasing the soil surface charge (e.g., zeta potential), and thereby suppressing P sorption in paddy soil. Our study points out a promising avenue for regulating organic matter properties with organic fertilization to improve P use efficiency in agricultural soils.

This paper introduces the spatial component in cross-section econometric estimations and specifically, the spatial dependence effect inherent in some of the variables involved in the modelling process. First, the spatial structure of the data from thematic maps is observed and Moran's spatial autocorrelation indicators are presented. Subsequently, the spatial weights matrix is built under different specifications. Finally, several modelling specification strategies are shown and the interpretation of the estimated coefficients. The theoretical concepts are illustrated with examples and their corresponding R software codes. This code and databases are available in a freely accessible repository in the BE2SHARE-EUDAT platform so that they can be easily reproduced.

Traditional end-effector robots for arm rehabilitation are usually attached a­t the hand, primarily focusing on coordinated multi-joint training. Therapy at an individual joint level of the arm for severely impaired stroke survivors is not always possible with existing end-effector robots. The Arm Rehabilitation Robot (AREBO)—an end-effector robot—was designed to provide both single and multi-joint assisted training while retaining the advantages of traditional end-effector robots, such as ease of use and cost-effectiveness (compared to exoskeletons). This work presents the design, optimization, and characterization of AREBO for training single-joint movements of the arm. The AREBO has three actuated and three unactuated degrees of freedom, allowing it to apply forces in any arbitrary direction at its endpoint and self-align to arbitrary orientations within its workspace. The AREBO’s link lengths were optimized to maximize its workspace and manipulability. The AREBO provides single-joint training in both unassisted and adaptive weight support modes using a human arm model to estimate the human arm's kinematics and dynamics without using additional sensors. The characterization of the robot’s controller and the algorithm for estimating the human arm parameters were performed using a two degrees of freedom mechatronic model of the human shoulder joint. The results demonstrate that: (a) the movements of the human arm can be estimated using a model of the human arm and robot’s kinematics, (b) the AREBO has similar transparency to that of existing arm therapy robots in the literature, and (c) the adaptive weight support mode control can adapt to different levels of impairment in the arm. This work demonstrates how an appropriately designed end-effector robot can be used for single-joint training, which can be easily extended to multi-joint training. Future work will focus on the evaluation of the system on patients with any neurological condition requiring arm training.

Deep neural network (DNN) watermarking is a potential approach for protecting the intellectual property rights of DNN models. Similar to classical watermarking techniques for multimedia content, the requirements for DNN watermarking include capacity, robustness, and transparency, and other factors. Studies have focused on robustness against retraining and fine-tuning. However, less important neurons in the DNN model may be pruned. Moreover, although the encoding approach in renders DNN watermarking robust against pruning attacks, the watermark is assumed to be embedded only into the fully connected layer in the fine-tuning model. In this study, we extended the method such that the model can be applied to any convolution layer of the DNN model and designed a watermark detector based on a statistical analysis of the extracted weight parameters to evaluate whether the model is watermarked. Using a nonfungible token mitigates the overwriting of the watermark and enables checking when the DNN model with the watermark was created.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the intensity of the annual sexual behavior (SB) of Boer bucks under tropical conditions in southern Mexico. For one year, 16 extensively grazing males were evaluated for SB individually with estrogenized goats. From the beginning of the experiment and every 30 days, body weight (BW), body condition (BC), testicular circumference (TC), odor intensity (OI) and SB (nudging, ano-genital sniffing, flehmen, mounting attempts, mounts with intromission, and self-urination) were recorded. The bucks showed a more intense SB during the months of November to May than during the months of June to October (p < 0.05). Greater frequency was found for nudging, ano-genital sniffing, mounting attempts, and self-urination in the months of November to May (p < 0.001). BW was lower during the months of January to August than in the months of September to December (p < 0.05). On the other hand, TC increased from October to December (p < 0.05). Similarly, the OI in males varied over time (time effect; p < 0.001). In fact, an increased odor was found from October to December. The conclusions were that breed male goats from the tropics of Guerrero have a more intense SB during the months of November to May, which corresponds to the time of the year when forage availability is the greatest.

Keywords: Obesity; hypothalamus; appetite; glucose homeostasis; weight-loss drugs; AGRP; POMC; NTS; incretins.