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Assessing and comparing global river ecosystem health in an objective and quantitative way remains a major challenge. In this study the widely-used semi-quantitative methods Rapid Biological assessment Protocols (RBPs) was used to determine the health of rivers. The findings were then compared to the results derived from our new UAV (Unmanned aerial vehicles) orthophotographic imagery method. This method quantitatively and objectively assesses river ecosystem health. As a comparison, our method was used to quantitatively measure distance and areas of a range of hydrological and biological attributes thus improving the accuracy of distance- and area-related indices, consequently avoiding subjective errors in these estimations that is fraught in methods like the RBPs. To strengthen the objectivity of the assessment the weights of these indices were objectively determined using the entropy weighting method. This new method was then tested using 9551 UAV orthophotographs taken over six field campaigns. It performed satisfactorily, showing that in our study area the health status of mountain rivers was the best with the highest score of 0.94 out of 1.0. Temporally, the health of the river was better in summer (0.65) compared with that in autumn (0.40). Changes in river ecosystem health were driven by variations in biology and water quality. In contrast the outputs of RBPs, especially in relation to distance and area indices, had ~ 20% uncertainty due to visual errors and subjectivity in estimations by observers. The UAV orthophotographic imaging method proposed in this study can improve the ability to compare the health of rivers across different periods and regions throughout the globe.

High hopes are held for cardiac regenerative therapy, driving a vast research effort towards the development of various cardiac scaffolds using diverse technologies and materials. Nevertheless, the role of factors such as fabrication process and structure in determining scaffold’s characteristics is yet to be discovered. In the present study, the effects of 3D structure and processing method on cardiac scaffolds are addressed using three distinct scaffolds made through different production technologies from the same biomaterial: decellularized porcine cardiac extracellular matrix (pcECM). pcECM patch, injectable pcECM hydrogel, and electrospun pcECM scaffolds were all proven as viable prospective therapies for MI, thus generally preserving pcECM beneficial properties. Yet, as we demonstrate, minor differences in scaffolds composition and micro-morphology as well as substantial differences in their mechanical properties, which arise from their production process, highly affect the interactions of the scaffold with both proliferating cells and functional cells. Hence, the rates of cell attachment, survival, and proliferation significantly vary between the different scaffolds. Moreover, major differences in cell morphology and alignment as well as in matrix remodeling are obtained. Overall, the effects revealed herein can guide a more rational scaffold design for the improved cellular or acellular treatment of different cardiac disease scenarios.

Aims: In the Brazilian Amazon, the practices and use of agroforestry systems (SAF) are increasingly used, the proper management of them helps to improve soil properties and also to prevent their degradation. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the biological attributes of the soil in the oil palm cultivation systems with intercropping. Study Design: The experimental design used was completely randomized with four repetitions and six treatments: Oil palm (Elaeis guineense Jacq.) interspersed with pineapple (OPi), bean (OBe), banana (OBa), yucca (OYu) and Brachiaria humidicola (OPa), as well as adjacent area only with Brachiaria humidicola as a witness (Pa). The Tukey test was used at a level of 5% probability in samples analyzed at a depth of 0-0.0 m, to compare the means of the variables evaluated. Place and Duration of Study: The experimental area is located of São João da Baliza, vicinal 26, km 12, with geographic coordinates of reference 00º.51'13.3''N and 60º00'19.8''W, the altitude of 100 msnm and, distant to 352 km from the capital Boa Vista, state of Roraima realized in 2016. Results: The TOC presented values between 4.70 and 9.45 g kg-1, being the highest values found in the interim systems OYu, Pa, OBa, highlighting the intermediate system OPi that presented the lowest levels. The highest basal respiration values ​​of the soil (RBS) (23.50 mg C-CO2 kg-1 soil h-1) and carbon from microbial biomass (C-BMS) (116.0 mg C microbiano kg-1 soil) were verified in the pasture system. Likewise, for the urease and acid phosphatase activity, the grass system stands out as a control with values of (148.42 g NH4+ g-1 soil 2 h-1) y (230 μg de p-nitrofenol g-1 soil h-1) followed by palm with grass and yucca systems. However, the β-glucosidase activity (51.22 μg p-nitrofenol g-1 h-1) it was positively influenced by the oil palm system with yucca. On the other hand, the system interspersed with pineapple showed a higher metabolic coefficient (qCO2) (0.36 mg C-CO2 g-1 C-BMS h-1). It can be concluded that the pasture system (Pa) is presented as a more stable environment, followed by interspersed systems of oil palm with grass (OPa) and yucca (OYu).

The traditional low-alcoholic beverages, such as grape wine, sake, and rice wine, have been consumed all over the world for thousands of years, each with their unique methods of production that have been practiced for centuries. Moderate consumption of wine is generally touted as beneficial for health, although there is ongoing debate for the responsible components in wine. In this review, the structural and functional characteristics, the formation mechanisms, and their health-promoting activities of peptides in three brewed wines, grape wine, Chinese rice wine (also called Chinese Huangjiu or Chinese yellow wine), and Japanese sake, are discussed. The formation of peptides in wine imparts sensorial, technological, and biological attributes. Prospects on future research, with an emphasis on the peptide characterization, formation mechanism, physiological activity, and molecular mechanisms of action, are presented.

Nitrogen-containing heterocycles attract the attention of chemists due to their multifarious activities. Amongst all, pyrimidine plays a central role and exhibits a broad spectrum of biological activities. Literature is replete with various aspects of synthetic development in the chemistry of pyrimidine for a wide array of applications. It aroused our interest to compile various novel and efficient synthetic approaches towards the synthesis of pyrimidine and its derivatives. Pyrimidine derivatives are broadly useful as therapeutic agents, owing to their high degree of structural diversity. They have been recorded to possess a diverse range of therapeutic activities viz. anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV etc.

This chapter provides an overview of extraction technologies for high-value compounds. This chapter summarizes conventional processes and innovative extraction protocols such as ultrasounds, microwaves, high pressure, and enzymes to extract high-value compounds from pulses. The use of these technologies to improve the functional properties of the extracted compounds, inactivate antinutritional factors, and modify the biological attributes of pulse ingredients will also be discussed together with the main challenges and future trends of the application of these technologies in the pulse industry.

Honey is a sweet gift of nature to mankind. It is a miraculous liquid produced from the nectar of flower by the action of honeybees. Honey provides multiple nutritional and curative benefits owing to its chemical composition and physical properties which in turn depend on floral source, geographical origin, processing, and storage. Chemically, honey is a concentrated carbohydrate solution. In addition to sugars, small amounts of minerals, proteins, vitamins, acids, and antioxidants are also present that impart biological attributes to honey, i.e., antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. These biological properties are responsible for its health-promoting effects. History of honey is as old as human civilization on this earth. Several Stone Age evidence show that the practice of beekeeping and honey harvesting was performed since ever. During ancient civilization, honey was used as a sweetener in various foods, sacred products for religious offerings, eye cosmetics, ointment to treat wounds and burns as well as medicine to cure disease and disorders of the digestive system and eye ailments. In the modern era, clinical and laboratory studies have scientifically proved the traditionally claimed nutritional and medicinal attributes of honey. Recently, honey is used in various commercially available products as sweetener, wound healing ointment, food preservative, prebiotic, in skincare products, and as medicine to treat cough and eye ailments. The present chapter is intended to provide information on multiple health benefits of honey as well as its utilization in traditional and modern culture.

The present study was designed to characterize oat bran for their biological attributes. The results showed that bran of Avon variety contained high TDF, SDF, β-glucan and extractability of β-glucan than bran of oat variety Sargodha-81. The extrusion process exhibited the highest extractability of β-glucan (45.37%) followed by cooking (37.28%) and baking methods (32.45%). Moreover, the glucose level reduction was found significantly different when raw and processed oat bran diets fed to normal, hypercholesterolemic and diabetic rats. The highest reduction was recorded when fed on diet containing 30% processed oat bran. The processed oat bran exhibited more reduction as compared to raw oat bran. Furthermore, addition of 20% oat bran in wheat grits porridge was found to have significant effect (p < 0.05) on appearance, mouth feel and overall acceptability. Convincingly, it is recommended that processed oat bran may be introduced in diet-based remedy to rheostat lifestyle-related disorders.

Rapidly accumulating literature has proven feasibility of the zebrafish xenograft models in cancer research. Nevertheless, online databases for searching the current zebrafish xenograft literature are in great demand. Herein, we have developed a manually curated database, called ZenoFishDb v1.1 (https://konulab.shinyapps.io/zenofishdb), based on R Shiny platform aiming to provide searchable information on ever increasing collection of zebrafish studies for cancer cell line transplantation and patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). ZenoFishDb v1.1 user interface contains four modules: DataTable, Visualization, PDX Details, and PDX Charts. The DataTable and Visualization pages represent xenograft study details, including injected cell lines, PDX injections, molecular modifications of cell lines, zebrafish strains, as well as technical aspects of the xenotransplantation procedures in table, bar, and/or pie chart formats. The PDX Details module provides comprehensive information on the patient details in table format and can be searched and visualized. Overall, ZenoFishDb v1.1 enables researchers to effectively search, list, and visualize different technical and biological attributes of zebrafish xenotransplantation studies particularly focusing on the new trends that make use of reporters, RNA interference, overexpression, or mutant gene constructs of transplanted cancer cells, stem cells, and PDXs, as well as distinguished host modifications.

The mangrove is a coastal ecosystem that is present in different parts of the world. It provides various ecosystem services from food supply to the influence of climate change. Due to the development of society, this ecosystem has been subjected to significant impacts from anthropogenic activities. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the environmental impacts caused in mangrove areas that have undergone modifications as a result of anthropic activities (agricultural cultivation, deforestation, civil construction) compared with those of conserved mangrove areas. This research took place through the analysis of the temporal sequence of aerial images (Google Earth) and soil quality analysis through field collections to evaluate the chemical and biological indicators in the different land use systems. As these are permanent changes that affect the type of soil and its coverage, significant differences were obtained between the chemical and biological characteristics of the four environments, with different usage systems. The mangrove has been negatively impacted by inadequate management and land occupation. Continuity of anthropic intervention in the mangrove will promote the disappearance of this ecosystem in the long term. Among the chemical and biological attributes used for the analyses that were performed, aluminum and edaphic organisms were the ones that allowed the greatest contribution of distinction from the degree of disturbance in areas of agricultural cultivation, deforestation and civil construction/mangrove transition. RESUMO: O manguezal é um ecossistema costeiro, presente em diversas partes do mundo, provedor de diversos serviços ecossistêmicos desde a provisão de alimentos a influência das mudanças climáticas. Devido ao desenvolvimento da sociedade, este ecossistema tem sido submetido a significativos impactos proveniente das atividades antropogênicas. Diante disso, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os impactos ambientais ocasionados em áreas de mangue que sofreram modificações resultantes de atividades antrópicas (cultivo agrícola, desmatamento, construção civil) comparando com área de mangue conservado. Esta pesquisa se deu através da análise da sequência temporal de imagens aéreas (Google Earth), e análise da qualidade do solo mediante coletas em campo para avaliação dos indicadores químicos e biológicos nos diferentes sistemas de uso do solo. Por se tratarem de alterações permanentes e que afetaram o tipo do solo e a cobertura do mesmo, foram obtidas diferenças significativas entre as características químicas e biológicas dos quatro ambientes, com os diferentes sistemas de uso. O manguezal tem sofrido impactos negativos pelo manejo inadequado e ocupação do solo. A continuidade da intervenção antrópica no mangue dará prosseguimento ao desaparecimento deste ecossistema a longo prazo. Dentre os atributos químicos e biológicos utilizados para as análises realizadas, o alumínio e os organismos edáficos foram os que permitiram maior contribuição para descriminação do grau de perturbação das áreas de cultivo agrícola, desmatada e transição construção civil/manguezal.

The Trivers–Willard hypothesis (TWH) posits that maternal care will be biased in favor of the sex that provides the greatest fitness returns per unit of investment, depending on maternal physical condition. Our aim was to examine the TWH in mantled howler monkeys living at Los Tuxtlas (Veracruz, Mexico). The biological attributes of mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) meet the assumptions of TWH better than those of other explanations, so we expected that females in better physical condition should bias maternal care toward sons, whereas mothers in worse physical condition should bias care toward daughters. Between December 2017 and March 2019, we studied mother–infant interactions in 20 dyads with focal-animal sampling and continuous recording (N = 204 h). We performed genetic analysis to determine offspring sex (N = 7 daughters and 13 sons) and measured C-peptide in urine samples of mothers to assess their physical condition (N = 46 samples). Mothers in better physical condition spent less time in contact with their sons but more time in contact with their daughters. For proximity behavior, mothers in better physical condition spent more time near their sons and less time near their daughters. These results suggest a bias in maternal care towards daughters, contrary to our predictions. In light of current models of maternal investment, our results support that mothers obtain higher fitness returns through daughters.

Cell therapies hold great promise as primary and adjuvant treatments for a range of musculoskeletal conditions. Bone marrow harvested from the iliac crest represents the gold-standard source of progenitor cells with a recognized ability to release trophic factors, modulate local immune environments, and differentiate into multiple musculoskeletal cell types in vitro. Identifying accessible locations that limit donor-site morbidity while increasing efficiency during aspiration of bone marrow is essential. There is increasing evidence to suggest that the number of progenitor cells present in bone marrow aspirated from multiple sites, including the proximal humerus and ilium, is at least equivalent to that from the iliac crest. Because many of these sources lie within the surgical field, the requirement for iliac crest harvest and the risks associated with secondary harvest sites can be mitigated. Although there is a clear need for further studies evaluating the biological attributes and clinical benefit of bone marrow aspirate concentrate in a range of clinical settings, the use of local harvesting sites is likely to reduce morbidity and improve the experience for patients.

Dendrimers and dendrimer-based delivery systems are potential biomedicines in the rapidly growing field of nanomedicine. At present, dendrimers are drawing attention in the scientific domain due to their unique structural features, physiological properties and biological attributes. These multifunctional nanomaterials provide unique platforms for targeting, imaging, diagnostics and theranostics. The rationale of this article is to offer insight into the pulmonary delivery of these multifunctional nanomaterials. This review examines reports on inhaled dendrimers which have been published in the last few years. The article begins by describing the relevant background knowledge of dendrimers, dendrimer synthesis schemes and their potential advantages as nanomaterials. It progresses to the pulmonary applications of dendrimers, with special emphasis on pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs), soft mist inhalers (SMI), nebulizers and dry powder inhalers (DPI). Additionally, this review article contains a dedicated section discussing the biocompatibility challenges and clinical outcomes of dendrimer-based nanotherapeutics. In summary, this review is the first comprehensive account of inhaled dendrimers to appear in recent years.

In New Zealand, there is substantial potential for microbial contaminants from agricultural fecal sources to be transported into waterways. The flow and transport pathways for fecal contaminants vary at a range of scales and is dependent on chemical, physical and biological attributes of pathways, soils, microorganisms and landscape characteristics. Understanding contaminant transport pathways from catchment to stream can aid water management strategies. It is not practical, however to conduct direct field measurement for all catchments on the fate and transport of fecal pathogens due to constraints on time, personnel, and material resources. To overcome this problem, fecal source tracking can be utilised to link catchment characteristics to fecal signatures identifying critical sources. In this article, we have reviewed approaches to identifying critical sources and pathways for fecal microorganisms from agricultural sources, and make recommendations for the appropriate use of these fecal source tracking (FST) tools.

Dithiolethiones are five-membered sulfur-containing cyclic scaffolds that exhibit antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antithrombic and chemotherapeutic activities. Dithiolethiones display the chemopreventive and cytoprotective effects by activating the antioxidant response element and mounting the transcription of cytoprotective phase II enzymatic machinery. In addition, several classes of dithiolethiones efficiently modulate the activities of proteins that play crucial roles in normal and cancer cells, including glutathione S-transferase, cyclooxygenases and master regulator NF-κB. The present paper summarizes synthetic aspects, pharmacological potentials and biological attributes of dithiolethiones and its derivatives. Additionally, this review concludes with a discussion on how the current state-of-the-art technologies may help in defining a structure–activity relationship of dithiolethiones, thereby facilitating the design and synthesis of potent drug candidates.

Unusual biological events and outbreaks require rapid epidemiologic investigation and contact tracing procedures, allowing optimal handling of resources. Currently, these are resource intensive, time consuming, and extremely complex, requiring large teams of trained and prepared personnel. The goal of this study was to determine whether a technological alternative to the classic systems, based on the use of mobile phones and a unique algorithm, could perform a complete epidemiologic investigation in a setting of a bioterrorism scenario. The system was tested with 32 volunteers during a bioterrorism simulation drill, with quantitative assessment of key outcome measures: perform a complete analysis of the scenario, determine the fundamental biological attributes of the scenario, distinguish between related and unrelated cases, and identify possible exposed people among a known group of participants. The system fully achieved the objectives in just under 5 hours from the beginning of the simulation with only 3 false-positive "exposed" participants, while identifying all 11 true-positive "exposed" participants (overall accuracy of 85%). We find the system advantageous over currently used tools in a way that could be integrated in conjunction with current outbreak epidemiologic investigation tools and syndromic surveillance efforts to shorten the response time of national authorities in handling adverse biological events.

Atividades agricolas apresentam diversos impactos ao meio ambiente, alterando as caracteristicas fisicas, quimicas e biologicas do solo. Um dos principais impactos causados pela atividade pastoril e a compactacao do solo, levando a processos de erosao e comprometimento dos atributos fisicos, quimicos e biologicos do solo. No entanto, ha diversas tecnicas que permitem o monitoramento da qualidade ambiental dessas areas com o objetivo de avaliar niveis de degradacao, bem como, os processos de recuperacao mais adequados. Devido a necessidade de se utilizar metodos sensiveis, eficientes e de baixo custo, os indicadores visuais da qualidade do solo podem ser utilizados visando o manejo dessas areas. Assim, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar a qualidade ambiental de treze areas de pastagens, sob diferentes condicoes de manejo, por meio de indicadores visuais relacionados a solo, plantas e fauna, pela metodologia de “Referencia para Avaliacao da Qualidade do Solo” (RAQS). Os resultados mostram que a avaliacao de areas de pastagem, por meio de atributos visuais relacionados a solo, plantas e fauna, possibilita, com baixo custo e eficiencia, acesso a sua qualidade ambiental. No entanto, essa qualidade e fortemente sensivel e influenciada pelos atributos relacionados a vegetacao e ao solo, exceto fauna silvestre (vertebrados), cor e odor do solo e compactacao, que nao foram considerados bons indicadores da qualidade dos solos de pastagem. A B S T R A C T Agricultural activities have several impacts on the environment, altering the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the soil. The main impacts caused by pasture activity are the soil compaction, leading to erosion processes and compromising its physical, chemical and biological attributes. However, there are several techniques that allow the monitoring of the environmental quality of these areas with the objective of evaluating levels of degradation, as well as the most adequate recovery processes. Due to the need to use sensitive, efficient and low-cost methods, visual indicators of soil quality can be used to manage these areas. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the environmental quality of thirteen pasture areas, under different management conditions, through visual indicators related to soil, plants and fauna, using the "Reference for Soil Quality Assessment" (RAQS). The results show that the evaluation of pasture areas, through visual attributes related to soil, plants and fauna, allows, with low cost and efficiency, access to its environmental quality. However, this quality is strongly sensitive and influenced by attributes related to plants and soil, except wild fauna (vertebrates), soil color and odor, and compaction, which were not considered good indicators of the soil quality under pastures. Keywords: visual analysis, environmental impacts, soil quality.

The aim of this study was to develop an equation with biological attributes and general applicability, to represent the height-diameter relationship for Pinus taeda L. stands, with and without thinning, in the Middle West region of Santa Catarina state, Brazil. The data came from 652 permanent plots, with 428 to 740 m2, located in forest stands with ages ranging from 4.6 to 35.2 years, in which the total heights of about 20% of the trees were measured, in addition to the dominant trees. The functions developed by Harrison, Michailoff, Prodan and Stoffels & Van Soest were fitted with their parameters linear function of stand variables, based on the Gauss-Newton algorithm. In general, the Harrison model, fitted with the parameter linear function of age (t), site index (S), coefficient of variation of the tree diameters in the plot (CV d ) and basal area of the plot (G), showed the best statistical performance to represent the height-diameter relationship, biological consistency and general applicability for stands of Pinus taeda. RESUMO O objetivo deste estudo foi desenvolver uma equação com atributos biológicos e aplicabilidade geral, para representar a relação hipsométrica de povoamentos de Pinus taeda L., com e sem desbaste, na região Meio Oeste do estado de Santa Catarina. Os dados são provenientes de 652 parcelas permanentes, de 428 a 740 m2, localizadas em povoamentos florestais com idades variando de 4,6 a 35,2 anos, em que foram medidas as alturas totais de cerca de 20% das árvores, além das árvores dominantes. As funções de Harrison, Michailoff, Prodan e Stoffels e Van Soest foram ajustadas com seus parâmetros função linear de variáveis do povoamento, baseado no algoritmo Gauss-Newton. De maneira geral, o modelo de Harrison, ajustado com o coeficiente função linear da idade (t), índice de sítio (S), coeficiente de variação dos diâmetros das árvores da parcela (CV d ) e área basal da parcela (G), mostrou o melhor desempenho estatístico para representar a relação hipsométrica, consistência biológica e aplicabilidade geral para povoamentos de Pinus taeda.

Effect of direct application of five bio- and conventional insecticides Dipel2x, Radiant, Proclaim, Aphox andCoragen) at three different concentrations on the biological attributes of immature (1st, 3rd and 5th nymphal instars) andadult stages of Orius albidipennis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) were evaluated. Procalim, Aphox and Coragenhad harmful effect and caused significant reduction in the tested stages of O. albidipennisas compared to Dipel 2x andRadiant insecticides, irrespective of tested concentrations. Also, the direct impact of those insecticides on immaturestages was higher than that recorded for adult stage. Insecticide-treated immature stages of O. albidipennis had negativeimpact on developmental periods. However, the longevity, fecundity rates and hatchability percentages of obtainedadults from insecticide-treated immature and insecticide- treated adult stages were differed from those of untreated(control).

The present study aims to determine whether the rate of exploitation for grouper stocks is in accordance with their biological attributes (growth and mortality). The results showed that Plectropomus maculatus and P. oligocanthus taken from Cenderawasih Bay National Park (CBNP) were in the size category of actively productive spawning phase. P. maculatus could reach a maximum length (Lâ) of 484.05Â mm and growth rate (K) of 0.34 per year. P. oligocanthus was capable of reaching Lâ of 481.95Â mm and K of 0.66 per year. Estimation of total mortality (Z) for P. maculatus was 0.988 and P Oligocanthus was 2.056. In addition, fishing mortality (F) for P. maculatus and P. oligocanthus were 0.564 and 0.399 respectively. Based on the estimated mortality values, it was estimated that the exploitation rate (E) of P. maculatus was 0.570, and P. oligocanthus was 0.681. Management settings for P. maculatus and P. oligocanthus can be separately based on the species so that the fishing can be sustainable. The introduction of minimum size limits for fish caught can be applied as a protection from hook and hand line fishing activities in CBNP. Keywords: Reef fish, Cenderawasih Bay, Growth, Mortality, Exploitation rate

The southeastern Arabian Sea (SEAS) is a distinct ecosystem within the northern Indian Ocean, with unique physical, chemical and biological attributes. This paper provides comprehensive documentation on echinoderm diversity in the SEAS at depths of 20 to 1500 m, based on systematic surveys of over 300 sites. A total of 76 species were recorded in the surveys, which included one new species, seven new records for Indian waters and 39 species previously known from nearby areas and recorded for the first time from SEAS. With the addition of the new records from the present study to the 133 species previously reported from the SEAS, the species richness of echinoderms in the SEAS stands at 180 species. Updated checklists of echinoderms in the SEAS are provided.

Amino acids play a vital role in the field of genomics. In this paper, amino acids are designed and classified using an equivalent micro-electrical model. The main objective of this paper is to design simplified electrical models for individual amino acid by passive and active components based on their physicochemical properties. The network responses are analyzed to characterize their property and establish a correspondence between biological attributes and electrical properties.

From the immune reaction cascade explained with the nonscientist reader in mind to illustrate existing and eventually unexplored therapeutic options at multiple levels of the immune reaction, the therapeutic potential of dendritic cells will be explored in oncology via a description of their basic biological attributes and the latest advances achieved in developing novel therapies based on these cells, either minimally manipulated or engineered. A Perspectives section at the end of this chapter will summarize key learnings, hypotheses and objectives highlighted in this chapter, combining as much as possible business and scientific insights.

Indoor air quality is based on physical, chemical, and biological attributes of air in the indoor environment of any building facility. Lack of proper ventilation system employed is another main source of the indoor air pollutants (Utell 2000). The lack of ventilation system and more use of different types of products like batteries, cell phone, lights, etc., deteriorate the indoor air quality by reducing the dilution of the indoor air pollutants. Heavy metals named are mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, iron, etc. Heavy metals are highly dangerous to human, especially for children.

Automated prediction of biological attributes of protein sequences with machine learning methods depends on a well-suited protein representation. A central challenge is to represent variable-length sequences as fixed-length feature vectors. In this paper we introduce a new approach for representing the protein sequences as a fixed length vector based on statistical moments applied directly to the values of physicochemical properties of amino acids. The results show that this approach of encoding gives higher prediction accuracy on four benchmarks compared to the previous approaches that applied moments of complex descriptors extracted from the physicochemical properties, and even better than the PseAAC encoding method. The best results are achieved by removing highly correlated features with principal component analysis.

Background Mahi‐mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) is a commercially and ecologically important fish species that is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters. Biological attributes and reproductive capacities of mahi‐mahi make it a tractable model for experimental studies. In this study, life development of cultured mahi‐mahi from the zygote stage to adult has been described. Results A comprehensive developmental table has been created reporting development as primarily detailed observations of morphology. Additionally, physiological, behavioral, and molecular landmarks have been described to significantly contribute in the understanding of mahi life development. Conclusion Remarkably, despite the vast difference in adult size, many developmental landmarks of mahi map quite closely onto the development and growth of Zebrafish and other warm‐water, active Teleost fishes., Key Findings Mahi‐mahi is a tractable model for experimental studies high‐performance pelagic predatory fish species.Biological attributes of mahi are reported in a comprehensive developmental table.Physiological, behavioral and molecular landmarks are described through the life development.Mahi has a rapid growth rate, but the developmental marks are similar to other teleost fishes.

BackgroundThe associated risk factors, co-morbid conditions and biological variations varying with gender and age might be the cause of higher COVID-19 infection and deaths among males and older persons. The objective of this study was to predict and specify the biological attributes of variation in age and gender-based on COVID-19 status (deceased/recovered).MethodsIn this retrospective study, the data was extracted from a recognised web-based portal. A total of 112,860 patients’ record was filtered out and an additional 9,131 records were separately analyzed to examine age and gender relationship with patient’s COVID-19 status (recovered/deceased). Chi-square, t-test, binary logistic regression, and longitudinal regression analysis were conducted.ResultsThe male COVID-19 cases (65.39%) were more than females (34.61%) and mean age of infected and recovered patients was 39.47±17.59 years and 36.85±18.51 years respectively. The odds for infection was significantly higher among females for lower age categories, which declines with age. The age-adjusted odds for recovery were significantly higher among females (O.R.=1.779) and odds for recovery was highest in 5-17 years age category (O.R.=88.286) independent of gender.ConclusionThe chances of being COVID-19 infected was higher for females of lower age categories (

Red swimming crab Monomia haanii is an important export fishery in southern China. M. haanii is mainly sold as lump crabmeat, generating an annual trade of tens of millions of US dollars over the last decade. For such a commercially important crab species, little attention has been paid to the sustainable use of the stocks and there remains much to learn about its biology and ecology. Monthly fishery-dependent samplings were conducted from August 2018 to April 2019 from bottom trawler catches obtained in the southern Taiwan Strait waters to characterize the biological attributes of M. haanii (N = 3222 individuals). Growth parameters, fecundity, sex ratios and maturity ogives were estimated, and spawning dynamics were characterized. The overall male: female ratio was 1: 1.07; however, significant variations monthly were detected (p p > 0.05). These results provide the first in-depth characterization of M. haanii and may pave a way towards the first M. haanii stock assessment.

Since its initial identification, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has been shown to be capable of selectively inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. However, translation of the encouraging preclinical studies of this cytokine into the clinic has been restricted by its extremely short half-life, the presence of resistant cancer cell populations, and its inefficient in vivo delivery. Recently, there has been exceptional progress in developing novel formulations to increase the circulatory half-life of TRAIL and new combinations to treat cancers that are resistant to TRAIL. In particular, TRAIL-based nanotherapies offer the potential to improve the stability of TRAIL and prolong its half-life in plasma, to specifically deliver TRAIL to a particular target site, and to overcome resistance to TRAIL. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the state-of-the art drug delivery systems that are currently being tested or developed to improve the biological attributes of TRAIL-based therapies.

The study investigated aerosolization, pulmonary inhalation, intracellular trafficking potential in macrophages and pharmacokinetics profiles of rifampicin-oleic acid first-generation nanoemulsion and its respective chitosan- and chitosan-folate conjugate-decorated second and third-generation nanoemulsions, delivered via nebulization technique. The nanoemulsions were prepared by conjugate synthesis and spontaneous emulsification techniques. They were subjected to physicochemical, drug release, aerosolization, inhalation, cell culture and pharmacokinetics analysis. The nanoemulsions had average droplet sizes of 40–60 nm, with narrow polydispersity indices. They exhibited desirable pH, surface tension, viscosity, refractive index, density and viscosity attributes for pulmonary rifampicin administration. All nanoemulsions demonstrated more than 95% aerosol output and inhalation efficiency greater than 75%. The aerosol output, aerosolized and inhaled fine particle fractions were primarily governed by the size and surface tension of nanoemulsions in an inverse relationship. The nanoemulsions were found to be safe with third-generation nanoemulsion exhibiting higher cell internalization potential, reduced plasma drug concentration, and higher lung drug content.

While it has been identified that gender (socially manufactured roles, behaviors, expressions, and identities) plays a central role in men's and women's health, the distinction between gender and sex (biological attributes) has largely been ignored in health science research. The purpose of this study was to look at the unique contributions of sex, age, and the Gender Index (GI) to baseline health status in a cohort of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).Questions that comprised the GI were included in the follow-up questionnaire sent to patients in the APPROACH registry. To examine the relationship between sex, gender, and health status, a sequential linear regression modeling approach was used.A total of 632 patients completed the GI between July and August 2015. The women were significantly older (68 years vs. 66 years, p = 0.02) and significantly more likely to have hypertension (50.8% vs. 38.8%, p = 0.02) compared to the men. Women reported significantly lower mean Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores compared to men. The inclusion of age into the models did not change the relationship between sex and the SAQ scales. However, the inclusion of the GI attenuated the relationship between sex and the SAQ scale scores.Our results support the concept that sex differences in health status outcomes may be better explained by patient's gender-related characteristics, than biological sex characteristics. More importantly, the GI offers a pragmatic composite score to assess the effects of psychosocial factors that researchers interested in measuring gender could use in studies of subjects with CAD.

Medico-legal practitioners are often confronted with dismembered remains from which they need to develop a biological profile to establish identity. Accurate estimation of stature is an initial, crucial component of any meaningful medico-legal evaluation. However, sometimes only cephalo-facial remains are available. The most accurate statistical estimations of biological attributes are based on population-specific standards. Therefore, this study assessed the ability to estimate stature using 15 cephalo-facial measurements in 240 Sudanese adults (120 men, 120 women) aged 18-25years. Stature and cephalo-facial measurements of men were significantly higher than those of women. Most of the measurements were significantly correlated with stature (p

The architecture of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) demonstrate phenomenal electronic, mechanical, biological and thermal attributes for highly requisite real-time applications. For instance, electronic and biological features of CNTs are surprisingly striking to engineer robust sensing and/or delivery cues for environmental, analytical diagnostics, and biomedical settings. With CNTs enforcement, several types of pristine and hybrid nanomaterials have been fabricated, though using different support carriers and synthetic or biological materials and used as sensory items or exploited as drug delivery systems (DDSs). Regardless of intensive research and applied potentialities of CNTs, several concerns, such as biodegradability, biotoxicity, and biosafety remains challenging and should be dealt with care prior to design and fabrication. This is mainly because of the lacking standardized protocols and ramification of pristine CNTs or CNTs-based hybrid nano-constructs on the ecosystem and human body are not well-established. For the futuristic use of these remarkable materials in the environmental, analytical diagnostics, and biomedical settings, their biological attributes and multifunctional characteristics must be elucidated with state-of-the-art. Herein, we reviewed CNTs-assisted analytical detection potentialities at large, and sensing/delivery potentialities of CNTs-based cues, in particular for environmental and biomedical monitoring. Several examples are given with particular emphasis to biosensors, DDSs, and implantations of CNTs-based cues to recognize viruses, cancerous cells, glucose, DNA, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and various inorganic gases. The review is wrapped-up with concluding notes and brief outlook over the futuristic developments to further insight the CNTs-based robust cues and their perspectives for commercialization.

Tissue engineering is associated with living cells, materials, and methods, as well as biochemical and physicochemical factors to improve or replace biological tissues. In this context, the recent development in bio-nanotechnology increases the likelihood of engineered nanomaterials in tissue engineering applications. Although a wide variety of nanostructural materials are available, it is a real challenge to choose the right combination. Tissue engineering always advocates the use of materials with unique physical, chemical, and biological attributes, which can enhance tissue regeneration process. In the recent years, engineered bio-nano interface comes out as an emerging prospect to accomplish the desired criteria of tissue engineering. The state-of-the-art literature affirms nanoscale materials to be ideal for effecting changes at the biomolecular level. Bio-nano interface offers manipulation of chemical, physical, and biological properties at a desired level, which can be directed to induce formation of new tissues or repairing of damage tissues. Moreover, in recent time, sustainable nanostructural materials come under substantial scrutiny for various biomedical applications. Ease of preparation, apparent biocompatibility, and inherent biodegradability compared to the synthetic nanomaterials make sustainable nanomaterials more attractive for tissue engineering. Nanomaterials, such as cellulose fibers, silk fibrins, nanoclays, nanohydroxyapatite, and carbon dots, and their polymer nanocomposites have been well recognized as sustainable tissue engineering materials. Under such perception, this chapter would like to make a general description on sustainable nanomaterials, interaction of these nanomaterials at biointerfaces, and their applicability in tissue engineering applications.