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We present a new, accurate, low complexity channel modelling methodology for LiFi in realistic indoor scenarios. A LIDAR scanner is used to capture the 3D environment in which the LiFi system is to be deployed. Next, the generated 3D point cloud data is pre-processed to determine the reflectance parameters of the walls and objects in the room. This is easier and more realistic than the manual definition of the environment, which is the current state of the art. As an additional innovation, the complexity of the channel modelling is reduced by: 1) modelling the line-of-sight and initial reflections precisely in the frequency-domain; 2) using a well-established analytical model based on the integrating sphere for all higher-order diffuse reflections. All steps together yield a substantially simplified channel modelling approach and model the links between multiple optical frontends and multiple mobile devices realistically. As a validation of our new approach, we compare measurements and simulations in two indoor scenarios: an empty room and a conference room with furniture. Simulations and measurements show excellent agreement with a mean square error below 3 percent. Moreover, we evaluate the performance of a distributed multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) link and found excellent agreement between the model and measurements. Finally, we discuss the fundamental trade-off between complexity and model error, which depends on the scenario.

LiFi or networked optical wireless communication is likely to play an important role in offloading mobile data traffic from radio into the optical spectrum. As the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices is growing, the RF spectrum becomes a rare resource. Imaging IoT sensors like cameras, ultrasonic devices, and Lidars have real-time requirements, need a high-capacity uplink, and operate in environments that cause or are sensitive against electromagnetic interference. In this paper, for the first time, we present realtime communication over an all-optical fixed-wireless LiFi link based on the distributed multiple-input multiple-output concept. For distributing the wireless signals, plastic optical fibers are used as an analog front-haul. We study the operation of the distributed multiple-input multiple-output link in two modes, i.e., spatial diversity and spatial multiplexing. For the diversity mode, a new combiner is presented, which can support equal gain as well as selection combining. We demonstrate that selection combining is highly effective and enables a similar LiFi performance in up- and downlink, as it is desirable for industrial applications. For the spatial multiplexing mode, we observe that the channel rank and the achievable throughput depend strongly on the user location. As effective solutions, we study the benefits of angular diversity and multiple-input multiple-output mode switching together with multi-user multiplexing and conclude that a dynamic switching between spatial diversity and spatial multiplexing is a practical approach.

Mobile applications have been shown to be an effective and feasible intervention medium for improving healthy food intake in different target groups. As part of the PeRsOnalized nutriTion for hEalthy livINg (PROTEIN) European Union H2020 project, the PROTEIN mobile application was developed as an end-user environment, aiming to facilitate healthier lifestyles through artificial intelligence (AI)-based personalised dietary and physical activity recommendations. Recommendations were generated by an AI advisor for different user groups, combining users’ personal information and preferences with a custom knowledge-based system developed by experts to create personalised, evidence-based nutrition and activity plans. The PROTEIN app was piloted across different user groups in five European countries (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Portugal, and the United Kingdom). Data from the PROTEIN app’s user database (n = 579) and the PROTEIN end-user questionnaire (n = 446) were analysed using the chi-square test of independence to identify associations between personal goals, meal recommendations, and meal adherence among different gender, age, and user groups. The results indicate that weight loss-related goals are more prevalent, as well as more engaging, across all users. Health- and physical activity-related goals are key for increased meal adherence, with further differentiation evident between age and user groups. Congruency between user groups and their respective goals is also important for increased meal adherence. Our study outcomes, and the overall research framework created by the PROTEIN project, can be used to inform the future development of nutrition mobile applications and enable researchers and application designers/developers to better address personalisation for specific user groups, with a focus on user intent, as well as in-app features.

In this study, the influence of genotype (G), environment (E), and their interaction (G × E) on the content of total free phenolic compounds (TPC) and the antioxidant capacity (AC) was investigated, using sixteen durum wheat genotypes cultivated under seven crop management systems in Mediterranean environments. Possible correlations between TPC and AC with protein content (PC) and vitreous kernel percentage (VKP) were examined. Gs that exhibited stability across diverse conditions were studied through a comprehensive exploration of G × E interaction using a GGE biplot, Pi, and 𝘒R. The results indicated significant impacts of E, G, and G × E on both TPC and AC. Across E, the mean values of G for TPC, ABTS (2’-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) values were 48.8 mg Trolox equivalents (TE)/100 g, 121.3 mg TE/100 g, 23.0 mg TE/100 g, and 88.4 mg TE/100 g, respectively. E, subjected to splitting top-dressing N fertilization, consistently showed low values, while the late-sowing ones possessed high values. Organic crop management maintained a stable position in the middle across all measurements. The predominant influence was attributed to G × E, as indicated by the order G × E > E > G for ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP, while for TPC, it was E > G × E > G. For TPC, the superior Gs included G5, G7 and G10, for ABTS included G3, G5 and G7, and for protein included G1, G9, and G16. G7 and G5 had a high presence of frequency, with G7 being the closest genotype to the ideal for both TPC and ABTS. These results suggest that the sowing time, nitrogen fertilization, and application method significantly impact the various antioxidant properties of durum wheat. This study holds significant importance as it represents one of the few comprehensive explorations of the impact of various Es, Gs, and their interactions on the TPC and AC in durum wheat, with a special emphasis on crop management and superior Gs possessing stable and high TPC and AC among them, explored by GGE biplot, Pi and 𝘒R. Further experimentation, considering the effect of the cultivation year, is necessary, to establish more robust and stable conclusions.

As the food and pharmaceutical industry is continuously seeking new probiotic strains with unique health properties, the aim of the present study was to determine the impact of short-term dietary intervention with novel wild-type strains, isolated from various sources, on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance. Initially, the strains were evaluated in vitro for their ability to survive in simulated gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, for adhesion to Caco-2 cells, for bile salt hydrolase secretion, for cholesterol-lowering and cellular cholesterol-binding ability, and for growth inhibition of food-borne pathogens. In addition, safety criteria were assessed, including hemolytic activity and susceptibility to antibiotics. The in vivo test on insulin resistance showed that mice receiving the HFD supplemented with Pediococcus acidilactici SK (isolated from human feces) or P. acidilactici OLS3-1 strain (isolated from olive fruit) exhibited significantly improved insulin resistance compared to HFD-fed mice or to the normal diet (ND)-fed group.

Background: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) carries a high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). As the population ages, the age-related influence on clinical characteristics and outcomes becomes increasingly pertinent. This cross-sectional analysis from the HELLAS-FH registry aims to explore potential differences in clinical characteristics, treatment, ASCVD, and goal achievement between those younger and older than 65 years with FH. Results: A total of 2273 adults with heterozygous FH (51.4% males) were studied. Elderly FH patients (n = 349) had a higher prevalence of ASCVD risk factors, such as hypertension (52.1% vs. 20.9%, p < 0.05) and type 2 diabetes (16.9% vs. 6.0%, p < 0.05), compared to younger patients (n = 1924). They also had a higher prevalence of established ASCVD (38.4% vs. 23.1%, p < 0.001), particularly CAD (33.0% vs. 20.2%, p < 0.001), even after adjusting for major ASCVD risk factors. Elderly patients were more frequently and intensively receiving lipid-lowering treatment than younger ones. Although post-treatment LDL-C levels were lower in elderly than younger patients (125 vs. 146 mg/dL, p < 0.05), both groups had similar attainment of the LDL-C target (3.7% vs. 3.0%). Conclusions: Elderly FH patients have a higher prevalence of ASCVD, particularly CAD. Despite more aggressive treatment, the achievement of LDL-C targets remains very poor. These results emphasize the importance of early FH diagnosis and treatment in reducing ASCVD.

Aside from plant breeding and agricultural inputs, understanding and interpreting the Genotype × Environment (G × E) interaction has contributed significantly to the increase in wheat yield. In Central Macedonia, Greece, fifteen commercially important durum wheat cultivars and one landrace were tested in six cultivation environments classified into high- and low- productivity environments. This study aimed to identify the most productive and stable durum wheat genotypes across Mediterranean farming systems through a comparative examination of genotype plus genotype by environment (GGE) biplot alongside fifteen parametric and non-parametric stability models. In the organic (low productivity) environment, cultivar Zoi and the landrace Lemnos showed remarkable results, indicating a potential solution for biological agriculture. For the late-sowing (low productivity) environment, some widespread varieties such as Mexicali-81, Meridiano, and Maestrale had excellent performance, showing potential to overcome more adverse conditions during critical grain filling periods such as higher air temperature and deficient soil moisture, i.e., conditions that correlate with climate change. Evaluation of genotypes in all environments for a combination of high yield and stable production, showed that the best genotypes were G8 (Simeto), G2 (Canavaro), and G12 (Elpida). In the subgroup with the three high-productivity environments, G12 (Elpida), G8 (Simeto), and G6 (Mexicali-81) were the best genotypes, followed by G2 (Canavaro), while in the low-productivity subgroup, the G2 (Canavaro), G13 (Zoi) and G8 (Simeto) genotypes were the best.

Vertical Farms (VFs) are controlled indoor growing systems that maximize crop production and land-use efficiency. The major disadvantage of VFs is the high energy demand for lighting, making it necessary to adopt light conditions that offer desirable traits to the plants under minimum energy consumption. The aim of this study was to evaluate nutritional factors of corn salad plants under different lighting conditions. Two different light qualities were tested, white and blue-red-near-infrared parts of the spectrum under three different daily light integrals, DLI, each. The optimal biochemical characteristics of the plants were observed under the most energy efficient lighting.

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented global crisis necessitating novel approaches for, amongst others, early detection of emerging variants relating to the evolution and spread of the virus. Recently, the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater has emerged as a useful tool to monitor the prevalence of the virus in the community. Here, we propose a novel methodology, called lineagespot, for the monitoring of mutations and the detection of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in wastewater samples using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Our proposed method was tested and evaluated using NGS data produced by the sequencing of 14 wastewater samples from the municipality of Thessaloniki, Greece, covering a 6-month period. The results showed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater data. lineagespot was able to record the evolution and rapid domination of the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) in the community, and allowed the correlation between the mutations evident through our approach and the mutations observed in patients from the same area and time periods. lineagespot is an open-source tool, implemented in R, and is freely available on GitHub and registered on bio.tools.

The genetic material of Vitis varieties is crucial for the wine sector. In addition, genomic technologies applied in vitis germplasm characterization are important for the conservation of indigenous genetic reservoirs. Until recently the most common method to genetically identify vitis varieties was the use of Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) along with SNP chips. Yet, with the progress in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies and the reduced sequencing cost per base, a twist in plant species genetic identification methods has occurred. Among them, the low coverage Whole-Genome Sequencing (lcWGS) method with downstream bioinformatic analysis for variant discovery and phylogenetic characterization is gaining scientific attention. In this dataset, shotgun sequencing data of two different Greek Vitis varieties, ‘Razaki’ and ‘Vlachiko’ are presented. Vitis cultivars were collected from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki's (AUTH) ampelographic collection and have been previously phenotypically and genetically characterized. WGS libraries were sequenced on an IlluminaⓇ NovaSeq 6000 platform with the IlluminaⓇ NovaSeq 6000 S2 Reagent Kit (300 cycles). Raw sequence data used for analysis are available in NCBI under the Sequence Read Archive (SRA), with BioProject ID PRJNA805368. Reads were aligned to the reference genome of Vitis vinifera available from the EnsemblPlants database and formal analysis was conducted with the Genome Analysis Toolkit 4 (GATK4) pipeline. Data can be used to enrich our knowledge related to the genetic background of vitis cultivars and can also serve as a threshold in the scientific community towards the construction of a genomic database of vitis cultivars.

IntroductionIn Europe, primary hyperparathyroidism is mainly considered an asymptomatic disorder, although there is evidence that patients’ health-related quality of life is impaired. This aspect is mostly evaluated using Pasieka’s Questionnaire: a disease-specific diagnostic tool. The purpose of this study was to translate the Pasieka’s Questionnaire into the Greek language and adapt it to the Greek population.Materials and MethodsPasieka’s Questionnaire consists of 13 questions. Two bilingual, native Greek experts were selected for step one, each of whom offered a blinded Greek version of the questionnaire. In the second step, these two versions were merged into one which was retranslated back into the English language (step three) by two bilingual translators (English native speakers). In the fourth step, a committee was formed to draft the pre-final version of the questionnaire which was then submitted to the co-authors for final approval. Finally, after the approval of the final version, 50 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were recruited for the pilot study of the questionnaire.ResultsAll 13 questions of the Pasieka’s Questionnaire were translated without any major discrepancy. A high level of internal consistency was achieved (Cronbach’s alpha was 0.904) and agreement between test-retest was excellent for every question.ConclusionThe Greek version of Pasieka’s Questionnaire was validated and can be applied to evaluate the health-related quality of life of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism in Greek-speaking populations.

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a valuable horticultural crop with nutritional benefits grown worldwide. It is almost exclusively cultivated as grafted scions onto interspecific squash rootstock (Cucurbita maxima × Cucurbita moschata) to improve the growth and yield and to address the problems of soilborne diseases and abiotic stress factors. This study aimed to examine the effect of grafting (homo- and hetero-grafting) on the transcriptome level of the seedlings. Therefore, we compared homo-grafted watermelon (WW) with non-grafted watermelon control (W), homo-grafted squash (SS) with non-grafted squash control (S), hetero-grafted watermelon onto squash (WS) with SS, and WS with WW. Different numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in each comparison. In total, 318 significant DEGs were detected between the transcriptomes of hetero-grafts and homo-grafts at 16 h after grafting. Overall, a significantly higher number of downregulated transcripts was detected among the DEGs. Only one gene showing increased expression related to the cytokinin synthesis was common in three out of four comparisons involving WS, SS, and S. The highest number of differentially expressed (DE) transcripts (433) was detected in the comparison between SS and S, followed by the 127 transcripts between WW and W. The study provides a description of the transcriptomic nature of homo- and hetero-grafted early responses, while the results provide a start point for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms and candidate genes for the functional analyses of hetero-graft and homo-graft systems in Cucurbitaceae and generally in the plants.

BackgroundThere remains uncertainty about the impact of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) on women's health. A systematic, comprehensive assessment of the effects on multiple outcomes is lacking. We conducted an umbrella review to comprehensively summarize evidence on the benefits and harms of MHT across diverse health outcomes.Methods and findingsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and 10 other databases from inception to November 26, 2017, updated on December 17, 2020, to identify systematic reviews or meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies investigating effects of MHT, including estrogen-alone therapy (ET) and estrogen plus progestin therapy (EPT), in perimenopausal or postmenopausal women in all countries and settings. All health outcomes in previous systematic reviews were included, including menopausal symptoms, surrogate endpoints, biomarkers, various morbidity outcomes, and mortality. Two investigators independently extracted data and assessed methodological quality of systematic reviews using the updated 16-item AMSTAR 2 instrument. Random-effects robust variance estimation was used to combine effect estimates, and 95% prediction intervals (PIs) were calculated whenever possible. We used the term MHT to encompass ET and EPT, and results are presented for MHT for each outcome, unless otherwise indicated. Sixty systematic reviews were included, involving 102 meta-analyses of RCTs and 38 of observational studies, with 102 unique outcomes. The overall quality of included systematic reviews was moderate to poor. In meta-analyses of RCTs, MHT was beneficial for vasomotor symptoms (frequency: 9 trials, 1,104 women, risk ratio [RR] 0.43, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.57, p < 0.001; severity: 7 trials, 503 women, RR 0.29, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.50, p = 0.002) and all fracture (30 trials, 43,188 women, RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.84, p = 0.002, 95% PI 0.58 to 0.87), as well as vaginal atrophy (intravaginal ET), sexual function, vertebral and nonvertebral fracture, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular mortality (ET), and colorectal cancer (EPT), but harmful for stroke (17 trials, 37,272 women, RR 1.17, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.29, p = 0.027) and venous thromboembolism (23 trials, 42,292 women, RR 1.60, 95% CI 0.99 to 2.58, p = 0.052, 95% PI 1.03 to 2.99), as well as cardiovascular disease incidence and recurrence, cerebrovascular disease, nonfatal stroke, deep vein thrombosis, gallbladder disease requiring surgery, and lung cancer mortality (EPT). In meta-analyses of observational studies, MHT was associated with decreased risks of cataract, glioma, and esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancer, but increased risks of pulmonary embolism, cholelithiasis, asthma, meningioma, and thyroid, breast, and ovarian cancer. ET and EPT had opposite effects for endometrial cancer, endometrial hyperplasia, and Alzheimer disease. The major limitations include the inability to address the varying effects of MHT by type, dose, formulation, duration of use, route of administration, and age of initiation and to take into account the quality of individual studies included in the systematic reviews. The study protocol is publicly available on PROSPERO (CRD42017083412).ConclusionsMHT has a complex balance of benefits and harms on multiple health outcomes. Some effects differ qualitatively between ET and EPT. The quality of available evidence is only moderate to poor.

• This is an analysis from HELLAS-FH registry. • 1655 adults with heterozygous FH (HeFH) were included. • Over half of HeFH adults have overweight or obesity. • Obesity was associated with increased prevalence of coronary artery disease. Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and obesity are well-established risk factors of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Despite high prevalence, their joint association with ASCVD remains largely unknown. To investigate the association of obesity with prevalent ASCVD in individuals with heterozygous FH (HeFH) enrolled in the Hellenic Familial Hypercholesterolemia Registry (HELLAS-FH). FH diagnosis was based on Dutch Lipid Clinic Network (DLCN) criteria. Adults with at least possible FH diagnosis (DLCN score ≥3) and available body mass index (BMI) values were included. Homozygous FH individuals were excluded. 1655 HeFH adults (mean age 51.0 ± 14.4 years, 48.6% female) were included; 378 (22.8%) and 430 (26.0%) were diagnosed with probable and definite FH, respectively. Furthermore, 371 participants (22.4%) had obesity and 761 (46.0%) were overweight. Prevalence of ASCVD risk factors increased progressively with BMI. Prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) was 23.4% (3.2% for stroke and 2.7% for peripheral artery disease [PAD]), and increased progressively across BMI groups. After adjusting for traditional ASCVD risk factors and lipid-lowering medication, individuals with obesity had higher odds of established CAD (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.04–2.27, p = 0.036) as well as premature CAD (OR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.17–2.60, p = 0.009) compared with those with normal BMI. No association was found with stroke or PAD. Over half of adults with HeFH have overweight or obesity. Obesity was independently associated with increased prevalence of CAD in this population. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]