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Energy and water systems are deeply interdependent yet organized and managed into separate sectors. Although technological innovations emerge at the intersection of energy and water, these sectors largely operate independently, despite their mutual importance. This persistent challenge is structural, as the sectors are organized and managed as separate systems. More can be done to integrate these sectors for mutual benefit and resilience. This paper provides an overview and a useful categorization of six research areas that bridge the water and energy sectors: integrated planning, integrated operations, data and analytics, policy and economics, hydropower and marine energy, and resilience. The authors lead the IEEE Power & Energy Society Task Force on Water-Power Systems (WPS), which represents an international and rapidly growing collaboration across both energy and water sectors to find common areas of cooperation and innovation. Through the collective efforts of this Task Force, a comprehensive roadmap on water power systems integration was issued in 2023. The paper presents evidence that coordinated efforts in data analytics, policy, and economic interventions can significantly advance hydropower, marine energy, and energy storage technologies, ultimately enhancing the resilience and efficiency of both water and power infrastructures.

In late 2020, a private volunteer group operating through a Facebook group approached Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) with an interest in participating in the Citizen Science Nest Protection and Monitoring Volunteer Program. During the 2021 season, TRCA staff virtually trained volunteers in turtle nest detection, protection, and monitoring due to COVID-19 social constraints, and provided necessary supplies and equipment. In 2021 volunteers and staff detected 181 turtle nests and were able to protect 75 nests with simple predator-exclusion devices, while in 2022, 165 nests were detected, and 155 were protected. The volunteers also collected data, including nesting location, date, and species in addition to the number of successful hatchlings (2021 only). In 2021, the 75 protected nests yielded 81 Midland Painted Turtle and 665 Snapping Turtle hatchlings. Five Midland Painted Turtle’s eggs were also recovered from an injured turtle, and 44 Snapping Turtle eggs were recovered from a partially predated nest, transported to the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, incubated, hatched, and overwintered, and then released back into the local wetlands. The partnership with a local community group proved effective, and we would recommend this practice to other conservation organizations interested in turtle nest protection.

Background and Study Aim. Dehydration is a condition where there is a lack of fluid in the body, accompanied by disturbances in the body's metabolic processes. This study aims to prove the effect of dehydration on 5 lap running by comparing the pulse rate before and after dehydration. Materials and Methods. This study used an experimental method. The population in this research is Tanjungpura University sports students. Purposive sampling technique so that a sample of 19 students was obtained. The sample consists of 4 women and 15 men. In the research, the implementation procedure will be to measure 2000 meter running performance before and after losing fluid, weighing body weight to precision ounces. Analysis was assisted using SPSS 26. Results. The results of the analysis showed a significance value of 0.000

Adapting agriculture to climate change is essential for sustainable food production. However, the development of suitable adaptation mechanisms requires a clear understanding of the plant-climate interaction. The number of growing degree days (GDD) is a good proxy for understanding plant-climate interrelationship and farm productivity. Here, using a 2-year experiment of barley-sweet corn double cropping (DC) system and 20-year climate and yield data, we found that barley and sweet corn GDD and productivity were strongly related to changes in climate patterns. Furthermore, we found a positive effect of the barley-sweet corn DC system on farm productivity (18.5 and 5.6 tonnes. ha−1 for DC and single cropping respectively) and return on investment (1.8; 1.4 as benefit:cost ratios for DC and single cropping system respectively). Altogether the results of this study suggest that the winter barley-sweet corn double cropping system is a potential strategy to boost farm productivity as well as an adaptation mechanism to be considered for the changing climate in the study region.

This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0.

Abstract Centrifugal spinning is a fiber spinning method capable of producing fibers in the nanoscale diameter range from a multitude of polymers, including polyacrylonitrile (PAN). With a traditional centrifugal spinner, fiber can be rapidly spun and collected on static collection posts. However, the use of posts inevitably forms a dense fiber “ring” that is incompatible with roll-to-roll manufacturing processes. In this work, factors that influence throughput and scalability of highly aligned centrifugally spun PAN fibers are explored. A custom centrifugal setup is used to vertically translate collected fibers during the spinning process to distribute them over a large surface area. In addition, factors that affect PAN fiber diameter during the spinning process are investigated, including spinneret to collector distance, rotational speed, and humidity. Resulting data demonstrates that these factors can be independently optimized to reliably produce quality PAN fiber in the nanoscale diameter range. Furthermore, the fiber mass collection rate can be increased without affecting sample quality when the vertical translation speed is increased. This work demonstrates the potential scalability of centrifugal spinning to quickly produce large amounts of highly aligned nanofiber in a cheap, efficient, and reliable manner, and also lends the ability to be collected in a roll-to-roll fashion.

Abstract It is challenging to characterize single or a few biomolecules in physiological milieus without excluding the influences of surrounding environment. Here we utilize optical plasmonic trapping to construct a dynamic nanocavity, which reduces the diffraction-limited detection volume and provides reproducible electromagnetic field enhancements to achieve high-throughput single-molecule surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) characterizations in aqueous environments. Specifically, we study human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide (amylin, hIAPP) under different physiological pH conditions by combining spectroscopic experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Based on a statistically significant amount of time-dependent SERS spectra, two types of low-populated transient species of hIAPP containing either turn or β-sheet structure among its predominant helix-coil monomers are characterized during the early-stage incubation at neutral condition, which play a crucial role in driving irreversible amyloid fibril developments even after a subsequent adjustment of pH to continue the prolonged incubation at acidic condition. Our results might provide profound mechanistic insight into the pH-regulated amyloidogenesis and introduce an alternative approach for investigating complex biological processes at the single-molecule level.

Abstract The Shelterin complex protein TPP1 interacts with human telomerase (TERT) by means of the TEL-patch region, controlling telomere homeostasis. Aberrations in the TPP1-TERT heterodimer formation might lead to short telomeres and severe diseases like dyskeratosis congenita and Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson syndrome. In the present study, we provide a thorough characterization of the structural properties of the TPP1’s OB-domain by combining data coming from microsecond-long molecular dynamics calculations, time-series analyses, and graph-based networks. Our results show that the TEL-patch conformational freedom is influenced by a network of long-range amino acid communications that together determine the proper TPP1-TERT binding. Furthermore, we reveal that in TPP1 pathological variants Glu169Δ, Lys170Δ and Leu95Gln, the TEL-patch plasticity is reduced, affecting the correct binding to TERT and, in turn, telomere processivity, which eventually leads to accelerated aging of affected cells. Our study provides a structural basis for the design of TPP1-targeting ligands with therapeutic potential against cancer and telomeropathies.

Introduction: Biological effects after a single prenatal exposure to ionizing radiation, reflecting significant heterogeneities in the responses in different species with respect to radiation type, dose, dose rate and time of exposure. Moreover, current knowledge and obtained results for poultry exposed to low dose ionizing radiation are inconsistent and almost lacking at present. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of low dose gamma radiation on protein profile in blood of chickens irradiated in ovo. Material and Methods: Fertilized chicken eggs in the experimental group were exposed to 0.3 Gy gamma radiation one hour before incubation, and control group was sham irradiated. Blood samples were taken on 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 10th days of life. The plasma proteins fractions were separated by electrophoresis, while total protein and albumin levels were determined using the spectrophotometric method. Results: The obtained differences between control and experimental groups for total protein and albumin concentrations were statistically nonsignificant during our research. Total globulins were increased 10th day of chick’s life due to an increase in alpha globulins (P < 0.05). In contrast, gamma globulins were decreased in one-day-old chickens exposed to ionizing radiation (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Our study indicates a significant effect of low-dose ionizing radiation on protein synthesis after in ovo exposure, although more research is needed to determine underlying molecular mechanisms triggered by low-dose gamma radiation.

Background: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is an effective treatment for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Two common rTMS protocols, 10 Hz and intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), have comparable rates of efficacy in groups of patients. Recent evidence suggests that some individuals may be more likely to benefit from one form of stimulation than the other. The pretreatment pupillary light reflex (PLR) is significantly associated with response to a full course of rTMS using heterogeneous stimulation protocols. Objective: To test whether the relationship between pretreatment PLR and early symptom improvement differed between subjects treated with iTBS or 10 Hz stimulation. Methods: PLR was measured in 52 subjects who received solely 10 Hz (n = 35) or iTBS (n = 17) to left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) for the first ten sessions of their treatment course. Primary outcome measure was the percent change of Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology – Self Report (IDS-SR) from session 1 to session 10. Results: There was a positive association between normalized maximum constriction velocity (nMCV) and early improvement in subjects receiving 10 Hz stimulation (R = 0.48, p = 0.004) and a negative association in subjects receiving iTBS (R = −0.52, p = 0.03). ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between nMCV and the type of initial stimulation (p = 0.001). Among subjects with low nMCV, those initially treated with iTBS showed 2.6 times greater improvement after 10 sessions (p = 0.01) than subjects initially receiving 10 Hz stimulation. Conclusion: nMCV may detect physiologic differences between those likely to benefit from 10 Hz or iTBS treatment. Future studies should examine whether PLR could guide prospective treatment selection.

Hemoperfusion is a novel adjunct therapy that targets the dysregulated inflammatory events in severe sepsis. Previous studies have reported conflicting results on its efficacy and safety. This study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of hemoperfusion among leptospirosis patients in septic shock and renal failure in terms of improvement in 28-day mortality, SOFA score, level of inflammatory markers, hemodynamics, and renal and pulmonary function. A total of 37 severe leptospirosis patients were enrolled and randomized into either standard medical therapy (SMT) alone, n = 20, or with hemoperfusion (HP), n = 17. Vital signs, urine output, vasopressor dose, PaO2/FiO2 (P/F) ratio, and biochemical parameters of patients from each treatment arm were compared. The hemoperfusion group showed a 36.84% (p = 0.017) risk reduction in 28-day mortality. Levels of procalcitonin, IL6, and lactate significantly decreased from baseline to day 7 in both groups. Statistically significant improvements in serum creatinine (p = 0.04) and PF ratio (p = 0.045) were observed in the hemoperfusion cohort. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol approaches showed that hemoperfusion increased the survival rate and decreased the mortality risk. This benefit for survival persisted even when patients were also receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), showing that hemoperfusion’s benefits are independent of ECMO use. Hemoperfusion is a safe and effective adjunct therapy for managing severe sepsis. It promotes earlier renal and pulmonary function recovery and improves the survival of septic shock patients.