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Abstract Upon infecting its vertebrate host, the malaria parasite initially invades the liver where it undergoes massive replication, whilst remaining clinically silent. The coordination of host responses across the complex liver tissue during malaria infection remains unexplored. Here, we perform spatial transcriptomics in combination with single-nuclei RNA sequencing over multiple time points to delineate host-pathogen interactions across Plasmodium berghei-infected liver tissues. Our data reveals significant changes in spatial gene expression in the malaria-infected tissues. These include changes related to lipid metabolism in the proximity to sites of Plasmodium infection, distinct inflammation programs between lobular zones, and regions with enrichment of different inflammatory cells, which we term ‘inflammatory hotspots’. We also observe significant upregulation of genes involved in inflammation in the control liver tissues of mice injected with mosquito salivary gland components. However, this response is considerably delayed compared to that observed in P. berghei-infected mice. Our study establishes a benchmark for investigating transcriptome changes during host-parasite interactions in tissues, it provides informative insights regarding in vivo study design linked to infection and offers a useful tool for the discovery and validation of de novo intervention strategies aimed at malaria liver stage infection.

يهدف البحث الحالي إلى دراسة التسويق الحسي ودوره في تعزيز الأداء التسويقي في مطاعم الأربعة والخمسة نجوم في مدينة دهوك، اذ يعد التسويق الحسي من المداخل التي يمكن ان تساعد المنظمات في زيادة ربحيتها وتعزيز أدائها التسويقي، كون الزبائن غالبا ما ينجذبون نحو العلامة التجارية على أساس تجربتهم الحسية، وأستخدم الباحثين المنهج الوصفي التحليلي، وقد تم اعتماد استمارة الاستبانة لاستطلاع اراء عينة البحث، والمتمثلة بالعاملين في مطاعم الأربعة والخمسة نجوم في مدينة دهوك البالغ عددهم (71) عاملا ومن خلال بعض الأساليب الإحصائية تم تحليل النتائج واختبار الفرضيات، وفيما تدل اهم استنتاجات البحث بوجود اثر معنوي للتسويق الحسي في تعزيز الأداء التسويقي، وكان اكبر تأثير معنوي علی مستوی الأبعاد من نصيب بعد الترويج الحسي، مقابل اقل تأثير معنوي لبعد التسعير الحسي في الأداء التسویقي. في حين تمثلت اهم المقترحات في وضع سياسات تسعيرية تراعي فيها اختلاف في مستويات الدخل للزبائن واستهداف الجانب العاطفي والادراكي للزبائن من خلال استخدام الانارة، الالوان، الموسيقى، والتصاميم والاشكال الملفته للانتباه.

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) and sex hormone profile disturbances are common in ESRD patients. Objective: To assess the effect of kidney transplant (KT) and Hemodialysis/peritoneal dialysis (HD/PD) on the serum sex hormone profile and sexual functions in ESRD patients with ED. Patients and methods: A single-center, nonconcurrent cohort study included a hundred ESRD patients with ED, on regular HD/PD (group A, n = 50) and after KT (group B, n = 50) at Armed Forces Hospitals Southern Region, KSA. Results: the mean age of patients was 47.3 ± 7.01 and 56.8 ± 9.6 years in groups A and B, respectively. The cohorts were comparable regarding patient demographics, apart from a higher incidence of comorbidities in group B. After KT the mean testosterone level was higher in Group B (13.64 ± 3.21 nmol/L vs 10.26 ± 3.26 nmol/L, p < 0.001). Similarly, LH and prolactin levels were lower in group B than in group A (p < 0.05). As regards sexual function, ED was reported in 92% of patients in group A compared to 42% in group B (p < 0.001). In groups A and B, mild ED was found in 48% and 14% of patients, while moderate ED was found in 16% and 8%, respectively. The mean total IIEF-15 score was 36.42 ± 9.33 and 43.87 ± 9.146 in groups A and B, respectively (p = 0.0001). Sexual desire and orgasm were significantly better in Group B. Conclusions: Our study showed that kidney transplantation could improve erectile function and restore normal sex hormone levels in ESRD male patients with ED, with better outcomes compared to HD/PD.

The current study aims to establish that emojis are graphic equivalents for prosodic features in natural speech. The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of communication urged to investigate emojis, used as a strategy to achieve visual prosody in computer-mediated communication (CMC). The study adopts mixed- methodology and computer-mediated-discourse analysis (CMDA) that focuses on manipulation of grammatical rules to create typographic impression to achieve prosody. Data is collected from 300 WhatsApp and Facebook users using an instrument—questionnaire. Data has been analyzed in two ways: descriptive analysis of chats and quantitative analysis getting frequencies of the emojis. The study arguably provides: (i) syntactic variants of the use of emojis: emoji aspect, ellipsis, embedding, embedded, bare, partial bare, beside words, repetition of emoji and repetition of emoji encoded utterance, (ii) variant manifestations of emojis displaying emotions at scalar level, and (iii) basic emotions: anger, joy, sarcasm, fear and neutral displayed via emojis’ varying manifestations; laughter, pouting face, non-emotion emojis representing objects and human faces. The overall findings predict that the observed construction is encoded with different placements of emojis and emojis are displaying diverse manifestations to exhibit prosodic features in CMC such as intonation, rhythm, duration, pause and stress. These prosodic features of emojis manifest aggression, love, hate, sadness and joy. The study hopes to augment the knowledge in the field of CMC and motivates the future researchers to conduct further studies in graphic switching and social implementation of CMC.

Securing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems is vital to safeguard the processes involved in operating the drones. This involves the execution of robust communication encryption processes to defend the data exchanged between the UAVs and ground control stations. Intrusion detection, powered by Deep Learning (DL) techniques such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), allows the classification and identification of potential attacks or illegal objects in the operational region of the drone, thus distinguishing them from the routine basics. The current research work offers a new Hybrid Arithmetic Optimizer Algorithm with DL method for Secure Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Network (HAOADL-UAVN) model. The purpose of the proposed HAOADL-UAVN technique is to secure the communication that occurs in UAV networks via threat detection. At the primary level, the network data is normalized through min-max normalization approach in order to scale the input dataset into a useful format. The HAOA is used to select a set of optimal features. Next, the security is attained via Deep Belief Network Autoencoder (DBN-AE)-based threat detection. At last, the hyperparameter choice of the DBN-AE method is implemented using the Seagull Optimization Algorithm (SOA). A huge array of simulations was conducted using the benchmark datasets to demonstrate the improved performance of the proposed HAOADL-UAVN algorithm. The comprehensive results underline the supremacy of the HAOADL-UAVN methodology under distinct evaluation metrics.

Biometric recognition using retinal and iris images is a refined and extremely safe technology in the biometrics field. The retina and iris are exclusive and constant functional features of the human eye that can be employed for individual identification. Retinal and iris detection systems are highly well-known for their high exactness and safety. The individuality and constancy of these features make them challenging in order to spoof or replicate. Biometric detection utilizing retinal and iris images improved by deep learning (DL) models has accompanied a novel period of highly exact and effective identity verification. DL models namely convolutional neural networks (CNN) and recurrent neural networks (RNN) employed for feature removal as well as matching, permitting complex and individual patterns of retina and iris to be taken with notable precision. This technique provides enlarged security and reliability. It is precious in numerous applications like access control, border control, healthcare, and mobile device verification while addressing the challenges of flexible lighting situations and accommodating users with eye conditions. This article presents an effective secure biometric retinal iris identification using an orca predator’s algorithm with deep learning (SBRIC-OPADL) technique. The main aim of the SBRIC-OPADL technique is to accomplish biometric security using retinal iris images. Primarily, the SBRIC-OPADL technique exploits the Wiener filtering (WF) approach for the removal of noise that exists in the input iris images. Besides, the SBRIC-OPADL technique exploits the EfficientNet model for the extraction of feature vectors. Moreover, the hyperparameter tuning process of the EfficientNet model takes place using OPA. Furthermore, the biometric identification process can be performed by the use of a convolutional autoencoder (CAE). To validate the enhanced biometric detection results of the SBRIC-OPADL technique is tested using the biometric iris dataset. The extensive results highlighted that the SBRIC-OPADL technique reaches better performance over other models.

Gastric glomus tumors (GGTs) are mesenchymal neoplasms with indolent behavior that originate from the subepithelial layers of the stomach and represent up to 1% of all gastric tumors. GGT is detected incidentally during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in a proportion of patients. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) evaluation of GGT is essential to establish the diagnosis and to differentiate it from gastrointestinal stromal tumors or gastric neuroendocrine tumors. An 80-year-old man who presented for abdominal discomfort was incidentally found to have a gastric antral nodule on EGD. Endoscopic biopsy demonstrated moderately erythematous gastric antral mucosa and a 1.5 cm subepithelial lesion along the greater curvature. An EUS revealed a subepithelial 1.6 cm × 1.3 cm isoechoic, homogenous lesion with small calcifications. Immunohistochemical staining of the fine needle biopsy specimen of the nodule was positive for neoplastic cells, smooth muscle actin, vimentin, patchy muscle-specific actin, and synaptophysin. There were no atypical cytologic features. These findings were consistent with GGT. The patient was not deemed to be a candidate for surgical resection due to advanced age and resolution of his symptoms. A shared decision was made to pursue regular surveillance. EUS is essential for evaluation of GGT. Currently, there are no guideline recommendations for surveillance of GGT detected on routine EGD in asymptomatic individuals. A definitive surgical treatment with partial gastrectomy was favored in previously published literature. For asymptomatic patients with GGT or those with resolution of symptoms, careful surveillance with serial abdominal imaging and EUS may be a reasonable option, especially in older patients with poor surgical candidacy.

Date palm cultivation has thrived in the Gulf Cooperation Council region since ancient times, where it represents a vital sector in agricultural and socio-economic development. However, climate change conditions prevailing for decades in this area, next to rarefication of rain, hot temperatures, intense evapotranspiration, rise of sea level, salinization of groundwater, and intensification of cultivation, contributed to increase salinity in the soil as well as in irrigation water and to seriously threaten date palm cultivation sustainability. There are also growing concerns about soil erosion and its repercussions on date palm oases. While several reviews have reported on solutions to sustain date productivity, including genetic selection of suitable cultivars for the local harsh environmental conditions and the implementation of efficient management practices, no systematic review of the desertic plants’ below-ground microbial communities and their potential contributions to date palm adaptation to climate change has been reported yet. Indeed, desert microorganisms are expected to address critical agricultural challenges and economic issues. Therefore, the primary objectives of the present critical review are to (1) analyze and synthesize current knowledge and scientific advances on desert plant-associated microorganisms, (2) review and summarize the impacts of their application on date palm, and (3) identify possible gaps and suggest relevant guidance for desert plant microbes’ inoculation approach to sustain date palm cultivation within the Gulf Cooperation Council in general and in Qatar in particular.

Aim: This study aimed to compare the estimated and measured resting metabolic rates of patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in an outpatient clinical setting. Material and methods: Participants were categorized into three groups that included type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and individuals without diabetes. Bland–Altman analysis was used to identify the equation that most accurately predicted the measured resting metabolic rates. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the factors affecting resting metabolic rates. Results: Resting metabolic rates was observed to be higher in subjects with type 2 diabetes compared to that of the other groups. There was a proportional bias between predicted and measured resting metabolic rates. Type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, male sex, body weight, waist circumference, and triglyceride level were factors that positively predicted resting metabolic rates, and age was a factor that negatively predicted it. Conclusions: Although there was a bias between estimated and measured RMR, the most accurate results were achieved with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation for women with type 1 diabetes, with the Owen equation for men with type 1 diabetes, with the Harris Benedict equation for women with type 2 diabetes, and with the Ikeda equation for men with type 2 diabetes as well as for women and men in the control group.

Background: Chronic airway obstruction (CAO) and restrictive spirometry pattern (RSP) are associated with mortality, but sex-specific patterns of all-cause and specific causes of death have hardly been evaluated. Objectives: To study the possible sex-dependent differences of all-cause mortality and patterns of cause-specific mortality among men and women with CAO and RSP, respectively, to that of normal lung function (NLF). Design: Population-based prospective cohort study. Methods: Individuals with CAO [FEV 1 /vital capacity (VC)

Abstract Worldwide mortality from hepatic fibrosis remains high, due to hepatocellular carcinoma and end stage liver failure. The progressive nature of hepatic fibrosis from inflammation to cicatrized tissues warrants subtle intervention with pharmacological agents that hold potential. Empagliflozin (Empa), a novel hypoglycemic drug with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, has lately been proposed to have additional antifibrotic activities. In the current study, we examined the antifibrotic effect of the Empa through modulating the activity of hepatic stellate cells by hedgehog (Hh) pathway. We also assessed the markers of inflammatory response and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Male Albino rats were treated with either CCl4 (0.4 mg/kg twice/week) and/or Empa (10 mg/kg/day) for eight weeks. In this study, CCl4 rats had active Hh signaling as indicated by overexpression of Patched 1, Smoothened and Glioblastoma-2. CCl4 induced ER stress as CHOP expression was upregulated and ERAD was downregulated. CCl4-induced inflammatory response was demonstrated through increased levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and mRNA levels of IL-17 while undetectable expression of IL-10. Conversely, Empa elicited immunosuppression, suppressed the expression of Hh markers, and reversed markers of ER stress. In conclusion, Empa suppressed CCl4-induced Hh signaling and proinflammatory response, meanwhile embraced ER stress in the hepatic tissues, altogether provided hepatoprotection.

Abstract Background Pediatric Behçet’s disease (PBD) is rarer than BD and can be a challenging diagnosis as clinical picture may be incomplete. As in adult patients, sight-threatening ocular manifestations may lead to diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to report a series of cases of PBD with ocular manifestations and provide a review of the literature. Methods Retrospective case series of PBD patients with ocular manifestations. Demographic, ophthalmological and systemic data at presentation and during follow-up were collected and analyzed. Results Four patients, aged 13.0 ± 2.9 years (9–16) were included. Posterior uveitis with retinal vasculitis, papillitis and macular edema was present in all patients, with associated anterior uveitis in 2 cases. Other features included occlusive vasculitis (2/4) and necrotizing retinitis (2/4). All patients were improved by systemic treatments except one patient with severe bilateral optic neuropathy. Ocular manifestations were the presenting symptoms in 3/4 cases. Conclusion Ocular manifestations and systemic associations of PBD are comparable to those encountered in adult patients. The lack of complains in pediatric patients may lead to a longer diagnosis delay, especially in unilateral uveitis. Aggressive and long-term treatment is mandatory to prevent vision loss and recurrences.

Abstract Several important human infectious diseases are caused by microscale-sized parasitic nematodes like filarial worms. Filarial worms have their own spatial tissue organization; to uncover this tissue structure, we need methods that can spatially resolve these miniature specimens. Most filarial worms evolved a mutualistic association with endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia. However, the mechanisms underlying the dependency of filarial worms on the fitness of these bacteria remain unknown. As Wolbachia is essential for the development, reproduction, and survival of filarial worms, we spatially explored how Wolbachia interacts with the worm’s reproductive system by performing a spatial characterization using Spatial Transcriptomics (ST) across a posterior region containing reproductive tissue and developing embryos of adult female Brugia malayi worms. We provide a proof-of-concept for miniature-ST to explore spatial gene expression patterns in small sample types, demonstrating the method’s ability to uncover nuanced tissue region expression patterns, observe the spatial localization of key B. malayi - Wolbachia pathway genes, and co-localize the B. malayi spatial transcriptome in Wolbachia tissue regions, also under antibiotic treatment. We envision our approach will open up new avenues for the study of infectious diseases caused by micro-scale parasitic worms.

ABSTRACTThe Juglans regia root aqueous extract (JRRAE) phytochemical variability and the investigation of their antimicrobial, antibiofilm, insecticidal, and anti-leishmanial properties were studied. As a result, the JRRAE chemical profile revealed the presence of biomolecules using UV, HPLC, and FT-IR analysis. The investigations showed marked antibacterial activities, highlighted inhibited biofilm formation, induced lethality Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes (50%), and possess an insecticidal activity at 100 µg/ml. A molecular docking study was performed against S. aureus gyrase, S. aureus tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase, human peroxiredoxin 5, cyclooxygenase-2, and trypanothione reductase and confirmed that the activities are mainly due to coumarin, epicatechin, juglone, epicatechin, and epicatechin presence, respectively. The stability of these complexes is essentially related to the strong hydrogen bonds formed between the most active compounds and the binding site amino acids. The identified compounds were found to pass the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion property as well as five Lipinski’s rules with good drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic behavior.

Diamond as a templating substrate is largely unexplored, and the unique properties of diamond, including its large bandgap, thermal conductance, and lack of cytotoxicity, makes it versatile in emergent technologies in medicine and quantum sensing. Surface termination of an inert diamond substrate and its chemical reactivity are key in generating new bonds for nucleation and growth of an overlayer material. Oxidized high-pressure high temperature (HPHT) nanodiamonds (NDs) are largely terminated by alcohols that act as nucleophiles to initiate covalent bond formation when an electrophilic reactant is available. In this work, we demonstrate a templated synthesis of ultrathin boron on ND surfaces using trigonal boron compounds. Boron trichloride (BCl3), boron tribromide (BBr3), and borane (BH3) were found to react with ND substrates at room temperature in inert conditions. BBr3 and BCl3 were highly reactive with the diamond surface, and sheet-like structures were produced and verified with electron microscopy. Surface-sensitive spectroscopies were used to probe the molecular and atomic structure of the ND constructs’ surface, and quantification showed the boron shell was less than 1 nm thick after 1–24 h reactions. Observation of the reaction supports a self-terminating mechanism, similar to atomic layer deposition growth, and is likely due to the quenching of alcohols on the diamond surface. X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed that boron-termination generated midgap electronic states that were originally predicted by density functional theory (DFT) several years ago. DFT also predicted a negative electron surface, which has yet to be confirmed experimentally here. The boron-diamond nanostructures were found to aggregate in dichloromethane and were dispersed in various solvents and characterized with dynamic light scattering for future cell imaging or cancer therapy applications using boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). The unique templating mechanism based on nucleophilic alcohols and electrophilic trigonal precursors allows for covalent bond formation and will be of interest to researchers using diamond for quantum sensing, additive manufacturing, BNCT, and potentially as an electron emitter.

Background: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) epidemic was a serious healthcare concern not responding to conventional anti-viral therapies between 2012 and 2017 with high fatality rates. Saudi Arabia is still among the best world examples in combating both MERS-CoV and COVID-19 pandemics. Objectives: Investigating the medical and biochemical knowledge of healthcare professionals in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia on preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic measures against MERS-CoV epidemic. Subjects and methods: In 2019, this cross-sectional study included 416 healthcare personnel of which 402 participants answered the questions with a response rate of 96.7%. Specialties of participants were medical students (1.4%), physicians (64.4%), nurses (23.6%) and others (10.7%). Results: The vast majority of the investigated healthcare personnel gave the right answers. 96.7% of the participants answered that washing hands using water helps prevent MERS-CoV. 90.8% of the participants answered that wearing a clean non-sterile long-sleeved gown and gloves does helps prevent MERS-CoV infection. 94.7% of participants answered that using alcohol-based hand rub helps prevent MERS-CoV infection. 92.03% of the participants thought that wearing protective equipment does help preventing MERS-CoV infection. 86.1% answered that there is no vaccine available against MERS-CoV infection and 86.1% answered that taking vaccines is suitable for preventing MERS-CoV infection. 90.04% of the participants answered that MERS-CoV patients should be diagnosed using PCR and 84.3% thought that the highest levels of anti-CoV antibodies are in abattoir workers while 87.8% thought that isolation of suspected cases helps preventing MERS-CoV infection. Conclusion: The investigated healthcare workers had a satisfactory knowledge on the preventive and therapeutic measures and biochemical knowledge against MERS-CoV epidemic at mass gatherings as pilgrimage season.

Purpose: Retaining competent and qualified public accountants has become a challenge for most audit firms. Accordingly, some universities and audit firms are combining their efforts to attract accounting students by establishing the ‘School Leavers’ Program’. The objective of this research is to highlight some of the challenges auditors experience in the fieldwork. These challenges are defined by the unethical behaviour that auditors exhibit in order to achieve better performance evaluation. Design/Methodology: The sample of the study comprises two subgroups stratified based on the type of educational system: Classical Accounting Education (CAE) and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) education system. Findings: The research paper aids in identifying whether dysfunctional behaviour is demonstrated more within a specific academic context. Originality: The results are expected to help in avoiding and preventing unethical acts, leading to two forms of dysfunctional behavior; Premature Sign-Off and Underreporting of Chargeable Time when auditors are up to performance evaluation.

Comparative effects of untreated olive mill wastewater (UOMW), treated olive mill wastewater (TOMW) and bioaugmented olive mill wastewater (BOMW) on soil properties, on seeds germination and on plants growth were investigated. The water holding capacity, the salinity, the organic carbon content, humus, total nitrogen, phosphate and potassium increased when the spread amounts of UOMW (50, 100 and 200 m3 ha-1.year-1) or TOMW increased. TOMW increased the total mesophylic number while the number of fungi and nitrifiers decreased. Actinomycetes and spore-forming bacteria were neither sensitive to TOMW nor to UOMW. The total coliforms number increased with higher doses of TOMW and UOMW. Hazard assessments of toxicity were conducted for UOMW, untreated olive mill wastewater organic extract (UOE), TOMW, treated olive mill wastewater organic extract (TOE) and extracts of soils amended with UOMW (SUOMW) and with TOMW (STOMW). Results showed an increase in the germination index when seeds species were cultivated with TOMW. Plants irrigated by TOMW showed an improvement in biomass, spike number, plants growth and a similar or even better dry productivity than plants irrigated with water.

Background: Lymphopenia is common in COVID-19. This has raised concerns that COVID-19 could affect the immune system akin to measles infection, which causes immune amnesia and a reduction in protective antibodies. Methods: We recruited COVID-19 patients (n = 59) in Helsinki, Finland, and collected plasma samples on 2 to 3 occasions during and after infection. We measured IgG antibodies to diphtheria toxin, tetanus toxoid, and pertussis toxin, along with total IgG, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein IgG, and neutralizing antibodies. We also surveyed the participants for up to 17 months for long-term impaired olfaction as a proxy for prolonged post-acute COVID-19 symptoms. Results: No significant differences were found in the unrelated vaccine responses while the serological response against COVID-19 was appropriate. During the acute phase of the disease, the SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels were lower in outpatients when compared to inpatients. SARS-CoV-2 serology kinetics matched expectations. In the acute phase, anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria IgG levels were lower in patients with prolonged impaired olfaction during follow up than in those without. Conclusions: We could not detect significant decline in overall humoral immunity during or after COVID-19 infection. In severe COVID-19, there appears to be a temporary decline in total IgG levels.

Single-cell transcriptomics has the potential to provide novel insights into poorly studied microbial eukaryotes. Although several such technologies are available and benchmarked on mammalian cells, few have been tested on protists. Here, we applied a microarray single-cell sequencing (MASC-seq) technology, that generates microscope images of cells in parallel with capturing their transcriptomes, on three species representing important plankton groups with different cell structures; the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa sp. Both the cell fixation and permeabilization steps were adjusted. For the ciliate and dinoflagellate, the number of transcripts of microarray spots with single cells were significantly higher than for background spots, and the overall expression patterns were correlated with that of bulk RNA, while for the much smaller diatom cells, it was not possible to separate single-cell transcripts from background. The MASC-seq method holds promise for investigating "microbial dark matter", although further optimizations are necessary to increase the signal-to-noise ratio.

The increase in demand due to scientific innovation and economic expansion raises challenges linked to environmental impact and sustainable market development. This study analyzes the role played by Peer-to-Peer (P2P) energy trading in system operation. Several case studies with four distinct prosumer models, each fitted with diverse Energy Storage Systems (ESS), photovoltaic (PV) systems, and responsive demand technologies such as Electric Vehicles (EV), are examined. An economic analysis is conducted using the developed interface. An energy management system establishes a dynamic market framework, enabling energy trading via P2P market operators and distribution system operators. The implemented trading platform is chosen depending on pricing variations across different time intervals for home models. The P2P energy trading system employs mathematical modeling via deep learning to achieve an optimal solution that minimizes costs. The study uses other domestic models and optimization techniques to explore the amount of energy traded across households and timeframes. Additionally, it investigates the accomplishment of two-way energy transfer in electric cars, the importance of energy storage and photovoltaic systems, and various housing scenarios concerning peer-to-peer energy trading. Additionally, the system's advantages are demonstrated to participants beforehand by validating and presenting data through an input and output system that accepts these instances.

Hydrogels play an important role in tissue engineering due to their native extracellular matrix-like characteristics, but they are insufficient in providing the necessary stimuli to support tissue formation. Efforts to integrate bioactive cues directly into hydrogels are hindered by incompatibility with hydrophobic drugs, issues of burst/uncontrolled release, and rapid degradation of the bioactive molecules. Skeletal muscle tissue repair requires internal stimuli and communication between cells for regeneration, and nanocomposite systems offer to improve the therapeutic effects in tissue regeneration. Here, the versatility of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) was leveraged to formulate a nanoparticle-hydrogel composite and to combine the benefits of controlled delivery of bioactive cues and cellular support. The tunable surface characteristics of MSNs were exploited to optimize homogeneity and intracellular drug delivery in a 3D matrix. Nanocomposite hydrogels formulated with acetylated or succinylated MSNs achieved high homogeneity in 3D distribution, with succinylated MSNs being rapidly internalized and acetylated MSNs exhibiting slower cellular uptake. MSN-hydrogel nanocomposites simultaneously allowed efficient local intracellular delivery of a hydrophobic model drug. To further study the efficiency of directing cell response, a Notch signaling inhibitor (DAPT) was incorporated into succinylated MSNs and incorporated into the hydrogel. MSN-hydrogel nanocomposites effectively downregulated the Notch signaling target genes, and accelerated and maintained the expression of myogenic markers. The current findings demonstrate a proof-of-concept in effective surface engineering strategies for MSN-based nanocomposites, suited for hydrophobic drug delivery in tissue regeneration with guided cues.

Interaction in distance education processes; It has a very important place in the learner's academic performance, attitude and motivation, participation in the lesson and the acquisition of instructional goals and behaviors. According to the data obtained as a result of the analysis in this study, in which the interaction in synchronous and asynchronous distance education processes was investigated by qualitative meta-synthesis method; In the synchronous and asynchronous distance education processes, themes emerged about the purposes for which interactions are established, which features and functions can increase interactions in distance education, and which factors negatively affect this process while the interactions are established. According to these themes, which also constitute the aims of the research, interactions in distance education processes are established for cognitive, affective and collaborative purposes. Cognitively oriented interactions; ask questions-answer, asking for and expressing opinions, feedback, making explanations, sharing knowledge and experience, participating in discussions, suggesting solutions, directing, while affectively focused; encouragement and support, sharing personal information, cooperation and emotional support, collaborative interactions; It is established for the purpose of determining group qualifications (members and work area), coordination among group members, distribution of tasks within the group (expertise), group work processes. The categories on how to increase interactions were examined as learner-teacher, learner-learner, learner-content and multiple interaction. Teaching strategies that encourage peer consultation for learning, course contents with detailed and explanatory demonstrations, the learner's sense of belonging and commitment to the group, reducing social and psychological distance with a quick reply to the e-mail sent by the learner, the learner's questions and There is in-depth and explanatory feedback on the students' comments, and asynchronous student-teacher interaction using alternative web resources. Among the factors that negatively affect the interaction process are; during the process, there are negative experiences, slow connection or disconnection, conflict between learners, insufficient online course time to interact due to the intensity of the content, the dominant student being at the forefront when the teacher cannot manage the interaction process, and pedagogical inadequacy that negatively affects the cooperation between learners.

Exploring the integration of 5D Building Information Modeling (BIM) within the Norwegian construction sector, this study examines its transformative impact on cost estimation and project management, highlighting technological and skill-based adoption challenges. Through methodical case studies and interviews with industry experts, it is revealed that 5D BIM significantly enhances the precision of cost estimations and effectively reduces financial overruns in complex construction projects, indicating an industry shift towards its broader acceptance. The research sets out to explore current challenges and opportunities in 5D BIM, assess the usability and integration of software tools, and understand systemic barriers and skill gaps hindering further progress. These objectives lead to a detailed understanding of 5D BIM’s role in improving economic and procedural efficiencies in construction. Suggesting its pivotal role in the evolving construction management realm, the study contributes important insights into 5D BIM’s transformative potential and underscores its importance in advancing the construction industry’s digital transformation.

Pedestrian detection is a significant research topic in the computer vision (CV) domain for a longer period. Recently, deep learning (DL) and specifically convolutional neural network (CNN) exhibit significant improvement in the computer vision tasks such as object detection, segmentation, image classification, etc. With this motivation, this study develops a novel Colliding Bodies Optimization with Deep Learning based Robust Pedestrian Detection (CBODL-RPD) model. The goal of the CBODL-RPD approach is to identify the occurrence of pedestrians and non-pedestrians via object detection process. For object detection process, YOLO v4 with Adagrad optimizer is applied. In addition, the CBODL-RPD technique employs SqueezeNet model to generate feature vectors, and the hyperparameter tuning process is performed via the CBO algorithm. At last, deep belief network (DBN) model is applied for accurate pedestrian detection. A comprehensive experimental analysis is made to demonstrate the significant pedestrian detection results of the CBODL-RPD technique. The comparative outcome study reported the improved outcomes of the CBODL-RPD method over other recent methods.

The current study used the spray pyrolysis method to prepare tin oxide, manganese oxide, and SnO2/Mn3O4 hybrid bilayer thin films. The primary solutions for the deposition process were produced utilizing the sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy were used to analyze the grown films. XRD spectrum of SnO2, Mn3O4, and SnO2/Mn3O4 hybrid bilayer thin film shows that SnO2 thin film has a polycrystalline structure with a tetragonal cassiterite phase, Mn3O4 thin film shows a lower crystallinity degree due to the powdery nature of its surface, and XRD pattern of SnO2/Mn3O4 hybrid thin film has a polycrystalline structure. From the FESEM, the surface morphology of SnO2 thin film is crack-free and regular with incessant grain distribution. FESEM micrographs of the synthesized Mn3O4 thin film and the perfectly spherical grains of Mn3O4 are uniform and entirely separate, with an average size of less than 50 nm. FESSEM micrographs of SnO2/Mn3O4 hybrid thin film exhibit an uneven and porous polycrystalline structure with polyhedral granulation. The film's antibacterial properties were evaluated for standard gram-negative bacteria (GNB) and gram-positive bacteria (GPB), namely Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. According to the results, the hybrid bilayers have demonstrated better antibacterial properties than tin oxide and manganese oxide monolayers. These findings ascertain the role the hybrid thin film nanocomposites play in the biomedical field's potential applications.

Abstract Background Peripheral neuropathies constitute a common complaint in general and neurology practice, and are a source of handicap to patients. Epidemiological data in the Middle East and North Africa region as well as in the African continent are sparse. Nevertheless, regional etiological profiles are crucial in navigating the diagnostic maze of neuropathies. This study outlines the etiological profile of peripheral neuropathies in an academic hospital in southern Morocco. Results A total of 180 cases were recorded in a span of 8 years (22.5 cases per year). The mean age of patients was 42.35 years. Male gender was predominant (68.88%), with a sex ratio of 2.2. Motor symptoms were the most frequently reported (86.6%). The axonal form (40.56%) was the most frequently encountered electrophysiologic form. The most frequent etiologies in the study were diabetes (26.7%), acute polyradiculoneuropathy (26.1%) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (16.1%). Alcohol neuropathy was found in 2.2% of the cohort. No cause was found in 5% of cases. Outcome was mostly favorable under treatment, although 10 deaths due to acute polyradiculoneuropathy were recorded (mortality = 21.3%). Conclusions Knowledge of the etiological profile of peripheral neuropathies should guide clinicians to an early diagnosis and aid in an adapted management of patients.

Prostatic stromal sarcoma (PSS) is a rare encounter; fewer than 35 cases have been reported in the literature. We report a twenty-one-year-old male patient who presented with acute urinary retention. Radiological evaluation revealed a retro-vesical mass originating from the prostate. An image-guided core needle biopsy was consistent with PSS, and postoperative microscopic examination of the cystoprostatectomy specimen showed high-grade PSS confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy. Six months later, the patient had a disease recurrence. The patient died 17 months after diagnosis. This case report can be a new addition to the medical literature regarding this rare tumor.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is a symptom that deviates from the normal menstrual cycle. AUB is characterized by changes in the frequency, volume, and duration of the menstrual flow. The etiology of AUB, which varies with age, may be attributed to both structural and non-structural causes. OBJECTIVES: Determine the histopathological pattern of endometrial biopsies in patients with AUB across different age and parity groups who have undergone dilation and curettage (D&C), along with the discrepancy between D&C and histopathological findings after hysterectomy. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review SETTING: Tertiary referral hospital PATIENTS AND METHODS: We collected data on all patients diagnosed with AUB between January 2015 and December 2020. Histopathological findings of all D&C endometrial biopsy samples were examined after being categorized by age and parity groups. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and NPV were calculated to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of D&C. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Histopathological pattern of D&C endometrial biopsies by age and parity groups. SAMPLE SIZE: 3233 patients. RESULTS: Most patients were in the 18-39 year age group, with normal cyclical findings being the most common histopathological finding. Malignant lesions were observed in 42 patients with a majority being older than 50 years. In 13.3% (42/316) of patients, D&C failed to detect intrauterine disorder that was found on hysterectomy. The overall accuracy of D&C in determining the existence of normal versus pathological findings was 75.60%, the sensitivity was 72.90%, the specificity was 77.90%, the positive predictive value was 73.86% and the NPV was 77.05% in our patients. CONCLUSION: Normal cyclic changes account for the highest proportion of histopathological findings. However, hyperplasia and malignancies are important causes of perimenopausal and postmenopausal bleeding. While the use of D&C as a sampling tool for AUB cases remains questionable, the use of D&C in diagnosing premalignant and malignant cases is highly effective. LIMITATIONS: Single-center, retrospective design, incomplete medical records, and inter-rater reliability could not be determined. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

Abstract Introduction In the European Union (EU), a Risk Management Plan (RMP) is submitted as part of the dossier for initial marketing authorization of a medicinal product or with an application involving a significant change to an existing marketing authorization. A comprehensive revision of the EU Guideline on Good Pharmacovigilance Practices (GVP) Module V—Risk Management Systems (Revision [Rev] 2), adopted in March 2017, provides a framework for developing more focused, actionable, and risk-proportionate RMPs. This paper describes the Janssen experience with the interpretation and application of GVP Module V (Rev 2) regarding the evaluation of safety concerns in an RMP. Methods Janssen convened a cross-functional working group to promote consistent interpretation of the GVP Module V (Rev 2) guidance across therapeutic areas. The group created 3 algorithms to support implementation of the guidance related to removal or reclassification of safety concerns by product-specific RMP teams. Results Following implementation of the GVP Module V (Rev 2) guidance, the algorithm-driven process led to a substantial decrease in the number of safety concerns for most products. With few exceptions, EU health authorities agreed with the proposed safety concern removals or reclassifications, resulting in RMPs that were focused on only those safety concerns that required further characterization or specific risk minimization. Conclusions The algorithm-driven process allows for consistent interpretation and application of the GVP Module V (Rev 2) guidance, which enables product teams to develop an actionable RMP using a thoughtful, evaluative, science-based approach that considers all available evidence.

The inactivation of antinutritional factors, protease inhibitors within winged bean protein was induced by two respective method treatments. The physical method based on steam vapor that was conducted using an autoclave and chemical method consisting on pH-gradients of buffer solutions prepared at respective acidic pH, neutral pH and alkaline pH ranges. The activity of remaining protease inhibitors of bowman birk inhibitor (BBI), and kunitz-trypsin inhibitor (KTI) after and before treatments was enzymatically confirmed using relevant antagonistic trypsin and combined trypsin-α-chymotrypsin digests. The resulting molecular assembly indicating an interval molecular relaxation range of °0.16 < °DA < °0.2 corresponding to reconformation in protein units with volume-mass changes of −2.17 < ∂v' < +2.17 and with denaturation/unfolding efficiency based on heat capacity ΔCp of 36.36 < DE/UF% < 54.67. These structural changes had a great benefit in determining and producing functional protein hydrolysates.

The current research work attempted to investigate, for the first time, the impact of biochar addition, on anaerobic digestion of olive mill wastewater with different initial chemical oxygen demand loads in batch cultures (10 g/L, 15 g/L, and 20 g/L). Methane yields were compared by applying one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by post-hoc Tukey’s analysis. The results demonstrated that adding at 5 g/L biochar to olive mill wastewater with an initial chemical oxygen demand load of 20 g/L increased methane yield by 97.8% and mitigated volatile fatty acid accumulation compared to the control batch. According to the results of microbial community succession revealed by the Illumina amplicon sequencing, biochar supplementation significantly increased diversity of the microbial community and improved the abundance of potential genera involved in direct interspecies electron transfer, including Methanothrix and Methanosarcina. Consequently, biochar can be a promising alternative in terms of the recovery of metabolic activity during anaerobic digestion of olive mill wastewater at a large scale.

The importance of this research is to study the effect of changing the temperature at the same time on each of the prepared samples and during the gas sensing processes, the effects of substrate temperature Ts were investigated after precipitation by the microstructural and optical characteristics of cadmium sulfide using thermal spraying method with different temperatures of (300, 400, and 500) ℃. The structural investigations of these films were studied, showing that the increases in substrate temperature were shown cubic and hexagonal phases according to ICDD card no. (21-0929) and (43-0989). The dramatic change occurred at 500 ℃ in changing the phase from hexagonal to a cubic structure. XRD exhibits a dominant plane at (200) for different substrate temperatures. Optical transmittance, absorption coefficient, and energy gap values were calculated by UV/VIS spectrophotometer. These results showed that the band gap values decreased with increasing substrate temperature. The gas sensitivity was tested for NO2 gas at several working temperatures from 175 ℃ to 250 ℃, and various gas concentrations from 150 ppm to 200 ppm and found that the sensitivity increase with increasing both the operating temperature and gas concentration for a Ts at 500 ℃ which offer also the best crystallization the best sensitivity at an operating temperature of 175 ℃ is 75% at a gas concentration of 150 ppm.

Global transcriptional differences across lobular units in the liver remain unknown. Here the authors perform spatial transcriptomics of liver tissue to delineate transcriptional differences in physical space, confirm lobular zonation along transcriptional gradients and suggest the presence of previously uncharacterized structures within liver tissue.

Abstract Background Two-port VATS (2-P-VATS) and three-port VATS (3-P-VATS) are well-established techniques for surgical therapy of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP). However, comparisons of both techniques in terms of postoperative outcome and recurrence are limited. Methods From January 2010 to March 2020, we retrospectively reviewed data of 58 PSP patients who underwent VATS in our institution. For statistical analysis, categorical and continuous variables were compared by chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test and the Student´s t-test, respectively. Twenty-eight patients underwent 2-P-VATS and 30 were treated with 3-P-VATS. Operation time, length of hospital stay (LOS), total dose of analgesics per stay (opioids and non-opioids), duration of chest tube drainage, pleurectomy volume (PV), postoperative complications and recurrence rates were compared between both groups. Results Clinical and surgical characteristics including mean age, gender, Body-Mass-Index (BMI), pneumothorax size, smoking behaviour, history of contralateral pneumothorax, side of pneumothorax, pleurectomy volume and number of resected segments were similar in both groups. The mean operation time, LOS and total postoperative opioid and non-opioid dose was significantly higher in the 3-P-VATS group compared with the 2-P-VATS group. Despite not being statistically significant, duration of chest tube was longer in the 3-P-VATS group compared with the 2-P-VATS group. In terms of postoperative complications, the occurrence of hemothorax was significantly higher in the 3-P-VATS group (3-P-VATS vs. 2-P-VATS; p = 0.001). During a median follow-up period of 61.6 months, there was no significant statistical difference in recurrence rates in both groups (2/28 (16.7%) vs. 5/30 (7.1%); p = 0.274). Conclusion Our data demonstrate that 2-P-VATS is safer and effective. It is associated with reduced length of hospital stay and decreased postoperative pain resulting in less analgesic use.

The nuclear export factor CRM1-mediated pathway is known to be important for the nuclear egress of progeny parvovirus capsids in the host cells with virus-mediated cell cycle arrest at G2/M. However, it is still unclear whether this is the only pathway by which capsids exit the nucleus. Our studies show that the nuclear egress of DNA-containing full canine parvovirus. capsids was reduced but not fully inhibited when CRM1-mediated nuclear export was prevented by leptomycin B. This suggests that canine parvovirus capsids might use additional routes for nuclear escape. This hypothesis was further supported by our findings that nuclear envelope (NE) permeability was increased at the late stages of infection. Inhibitors of cell cycle regulatory protein cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) and pro-apoptotic caspase 3 prevented the NE leakage. The change in NE permeability could be explained by the regulation of the G2/M checkpoint which is accompanied by early mitotic and apoptotic events. The model of G2/M checkpoint activation was supported by infection-induced nuclear accumulation of cyclin B1 and Cdk1. Both NE permeability and nuclear egress of capsids were reduced by the inhibition of Cdk1. Additional proof of checkpoint function regulation and promotion of apoptotic events was the nucleocytoplasmic redistribution of nuclear transport factors, importins, and Ran, in late infection. Consistent with our findings, post-translational histone acetylation that promotes the regulation of several genes related to cell cycle transition and arrest was detected. In conclusion, the model we propose implies that parvoviral capsid egress partially depends on infection-induced G2/M checkpoint regulation involving early mitotic and apoptotic events.

Digital dermoscopy is used to identify cancer in skin lesions, and sun exposure is one of the leading causes of melanoma. It is crucial to distinguish between healthy skin and malignant lesions when using computerised lesion detection and classification. Lesion segmentation influences categorization accuracy and precision. This study introduces a novel way of classifying lesions. Hair filters, gel, bubbles, and specular reflection are all options. An improved levelling method is employed in an innovative method for detecting and removing cancerous hairs. The lesion is distinguished from the surrounding skin by the adaptive sigmoidal function; this function considers the severity of localised lesions. An improved technique for identifying a lesion from surrounding tissue is proposed in the article, followed by a classifier and available features that resulted in 94.40% accuracy and 93% success. According to research, the best method for selecting features and classifications can produce more accurate predictions before and during treatment. When the recommended strategy is put to the test using the Melanoma Skin Cancer Dataset, the recommended technique outperforms the alternative.

Understanding the role of oxygen vacancy–induced atomic and electronic structural changes to complex metal oxides during water-splitting processes is paramount to advancing the field of solar thermochemical hydrogen production (STCH). The formulation and confirmation of a mechanism for these types of chemical reactions necessitate a multifaceted experimental approach, featuring advanced structural characterization methods. Synchrotron X-ray techniques are essential to the rapidly advancing field of STCH in part due to properties such as high brilliance, high coherence, and variable energy that provide sensitivity, resolution, and rapid data acquisition times required for the characterization of complex metal oxides during water-splitting cycles. X-ray diffraction (XRD) is commonly used for determining the structures and phase purity of new materials synthesized by solid-state techniques and monitoring the structural integrity of oxides during water-splitting processes (e.g., oxygen vacancy–induced lattice expansion). X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is an element-specific technique and is sensitive to local atomic and electronic changes encountered around metal coordination centers during redox. While in operando measurements are desirable, the experimental conditions required for such measurements (high temperatures, controlled oxygen partial pressures, and H2O) practically necessitate in situ measurements that do not meet all operating conditions or ex situ measurements. Here, we highlight the application of synchrotron X-ray scattering and spectroscopic techniques using both in situ and ex situ measurements, emphasizing the advantages and limitations of each method as they relate to water-splitting processes. The best practices are discussed for preparing quenched states of reduction and performing synchrotron measurements, which focus on XRD and XAS at soft (e.g., oxygen K-edge, transition metal L-edges, and lanthanide M-edges) and hard (e.g., transition metal K-edges and lanthanide L-edges) X-ray energies. The X-ray absorption spectra of these complex oxides are a convolution of multiple contributions with accurate interpretation being contingent on computational methods. The state-of-the-art methods are discussed that enable peak positions and intensities to be related to material electronic and structural properties. Through careful experimental design, these studies can elucidate complex structure–property relationships as they pertain to nonstoichiometric water splitting. A survey of modern approaches for the evaluation of water-splitting materials at synchrotron sources under various experimental conditions is provided, and available software for data analysis is discussed.

Abstract With a limited coding capacity of 4.7 kb, adeno-associated virus (AAV) genome has evolved over-lapping genes to maximise the usage of its genome. An example is the recently found ORF in the cap gene, encoding membrane-associated accessory protein (MAAP), located in the same genomic region as the VP1/2 unique domain, but in a different reading frame. This 13 KDa protein, unique to the dependovirus genus, is not homologous to any known protein. Our studies confirm that MAAP translation initiates from the first CTG codon found in the VP1 ORF2. We have further observed MAAP localised in the plasma membrane, in the membranous structures in close proximity to the nucleus and to the nuclear envelope by co-transfecting with plasmids encoding the wild-type AAV (wt-AAV) genome and adenovirus (Ad) helper genes. While keeping VP1/2 protein sequence identical, both inactivation and truncation of MAAP translation affected the emergence and intracellular distribution of the AAV capsid proteins. We have demonstrated that MAAP facilitates AAV replication and has a role in controlling Ad infection. Additionally, we were able to improve virus production and capsid integrity through a C-terminal truncation of MAAP while other modifications led to increased packaging of contaminating, non-viral DNA. Our results show that MAAP plays a significant role in AAV infection, with profound implications for the production of therapeutic AAV vectors.

This review critically evaluates the plastic accumulation challenges and their environmental (primarily) and human (secondarily) impacts. It also emphasizes on their degradation and fragmentation phenomena under marine conditions. In addition, it takes into account the leachability of the various chemical substances (additives) embedded in plastic products to improve their polymeric properties and extend their life. Regardless of their effectiveness in enhancing the polymeric function of plastic products, these additives can potentially contaminate air, soil, food, and water. Several findings have shown that, regardless of their types and sizes, plastics can be degraded and/or fragmented under marine conditions. Therefore, the estimation of fragmentation and degradation rates via a reliable developed model is required to better understand the marine environmental status. The main parameter, which is responsible for initiating the fragmentation of plastics, is sunlight/UV radiation. Yet, UV- radiation alone is not enough to fragment some plastic polymer types under marine conditions, additional factors are needed such as mechanical abrasion. It should be also mentioned that most current studies on plastic degradation and fragmentation centered on the primary stages of degradation. Thus, further studies are needed to better understand these phenomena and to identify their fate and environmental effects.

Agroforestry (AF) is a promising land-use system to mitigate water deficiency, particularly in semi-arid areas. However, the belowground microbes associated with crops below trees remain seldom addressed. This study aimed at elucidating the effects of olive AF system intercropped with durum wheat (Dw), barely (Ba), chickpea (Cp), or faba bean (Fb) on crops biomass and their soil-rhizosphere microbial networks as compared to conventional full sun cropping (SC) under rainfed conditions. To test the hypothesis, we compared the prokaryotic and the fungal communities inhabiting the rhizosphere of two cereals and legumes grown either in AF or SC. We determined the most suitable annual crop species in AF under low-rainfed conditions. Moreover, to deepen our understanding of the rhizosphere network dynamics of annual crops under AF and SC systems, we characterized the microbial hubs that are most likely responsible for modifying the microbial community structure and the variability of crop biomass of each species. Herein, we found that cereals produced significantly more above-ground biomass than legumes following in descending order: Ba > Dw > Cp > Fb, suggesting that crop species play a significant role in improving soil water use and that cereals are well-suited to rainfed conditions within both types of agrosystems. The type of agrosystem shapes crop microbiomes with the only marginal influence of host selection. However, more relevant was to unveil those crops recruits specific bacterial and fungal taxa from the olive-belowground communities. Of the selected soil physicochemical properties, organic matter was the principal driver in shaping the soil microbial structure in the AF system. The co-occurrence network analyses indicated that the AF system generates higher ecological stability than the SC system under stressful climate conditions. Furthermore, legumes’ rhizosphere microbiome possessed a higher resilient capacity than cereals. We also identified different fungal keystones involved in litter decomposition and drought tolerance within AF systems facing the water-scarce condition and promoting crop production within the SC system. Overall, we showed that AF reduces cereal and legume rhizosphere microbial diversity, enhances network complexity, and leads to more stable beneficial microbial communities, especially in severe drought, thus providing more accurate predictions to preserve soil diversity under unfavorable environmental conditions.

This study aimed to investigate the hepatoprotective activity of jojoba seed cake extracts against an acute paracetamol (PC) intoxication. Two aqueous extracts from jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) seed cake, a simmondsin-rich extract (WE), and a simmondsin-hydrolyzed extract (NE) using Viscozyme L enzyme have been prepared and characterized. After enzyme treatment, simmondsin content decreased from 33.0 % to 3.0 % and glucose content increased from 16.2 % to 27.3 % reflecting simmondsin hydrolysis. Both extracts were administered to different rat groups via gavage (0.6 g/kg b.w.) before PC treatment (2 g/kg b.w.) three times a week for 3 weeks. The PC intoxication altered the serum biomarkers, the oxidative status, and the Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), Bax and Bcl-2 protein expressions of tested animals. In addition, the histological analysis of liver tissues proved significant injury and hepatocellular necrosis. WE and NE extract showed a relatively high in vitro radical scavenging (ORAC) and averting activities (HORAC) with a polyphenol content of 3.6 % and 2.9 %, respectively. Both extracts showed a powerful in vivo hepatoprotective activity against PC-induced toxicity by improving the hepatocellular antioxidant status and blocking proteins expression (TNF-α, Bax and Bcl-2), involved in inflammation and liver damage. However, the enzymatic treatment improved the hepatoprotective activity of NE despite its lower simmondsin content and lower in vitro antioxidant capacity. This enhancement could be linked to the synergetic effect between the antioxidant components and the new hydrolytic products as glucose, uronic acids, arabinose and simmondsin-aglycons. These results suggest that jojoba waste could be potentially valorized in developing hepatoprotective drugs.

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) management is an economic and environmental challenge for olive oil-producing countries. The recovery of components with high added value, such as antioxidants, is a highly researched approach that could help refinance performant wastewater treatment systems. Anaerobic (co-)digestion is a suitable process to valorize the energetic and nutritional content of OMW and OMW-derived waste streams from resource recovery processes. Issues of process stability, operation, and yields discourage industrial application. Deepening the understanding of biomethane potential, continuous anaerobic digester operational parameters, and co-substrates is key to large-scale implementation. The biomethane potential of different OMW-derived samples and organic solid market waste as co-substrate was 106–350 NL methane per kg volatile solids (VS). The highest yields were obtained with the co-substrate and depolyphenolized OMW mixed with retentate from an ultrafiltration pretreatment. Over 150 days, an anaerobic fixed-bed 300 L digester was operated with different OMW-derived substrates, including OMW with selectively reduced polyphenol concentrations. Different combinations of organic loading rate and hydraulic retention time were set. The biogas yields ranged from 0.97 to 0.99 L of biogas per g of volatile solids (VS) eliminated, with an average methane content in the produced biogas of 64%. Potential inhibition of the process due to high polyphenol concentrations or over-acidification through volatile fatty acids was avoided in the continuous process through process and substrate manipulation. High concentrations of potassium and low concentrations of nitrogen and phosphate end up in the digestate. Sulfate reduction results in high H2S concentrations in the biogas. The digestate was tested for phytotoxic properties via the germination index. Diluted digestate samples improved germination by up to 50%.

Abstract Background As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the new SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged in the different regions of the world. These newly emerged variants have mutations in their spike (S) protein that may confer resistance to vaccine-elicited immunity and existing neutralizing antibody therapeutics. Therefore, there is still an urgent need of safe, effective, and affordable agents for prevention/treatment of SARS-CoV-2 and its variant infection. Results We demonstrated that green tea beverage (GTB) or its major ingredient, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), were highly effective in inhibiting infection of live SARS-CoV-2 and human coronavirus (HCoV OC43). In addition, infection of the pseudoviruses with spikes of the new variants (UK-B.1.1.7, SA-B.1.351, and CA-B.1.429) was efficiently blocked by GTB or EGCG. Among the 4 active green tea catechins at noncytotoxic doses, EGCG was the most potent in the action against the viruses. The highest inhibitory activity was observed when the viruses or the cells were pre-incubated with EGCG prior to the infection. Mechanistic studies revealed that EGCG blocked infection at the entry step through interfering with the engagement of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the viral spikes to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor of the host cells. Conclusions These data support further clinical evaluation and development of EGCG as a novel, safe, and cost-effective natural product for prevention/treatment of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and infection.

Abstract Background Since early 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has engulfed the world. Amidst the growing number of infections and deaths, there has been an emphasis of patients with non-communicable diseases as they are particularly susceptible to the virus. The objective of this literature review is to systematize the available evidence on the link between non-communicable diseases and Covid-19. Methods We have conducted a systematic review of the literature on Covid-19 and non-communicable diseases from December, 2019 until 15th of November, 2020. The search was done in PubMed and in doing so we used a variety of searching terms in order to isolate the final set of papers. At the end of the selection process, 45 papers were selected for inclusion in the literature review. Results The results from the review indicate that patients with certain chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension (and other cardiovascular diseases), chronic respiratory illnesses, chronic kidney and liver conditions are more likely to be affected by Covid-19. More importantly, once they do get infected by the virus, patients with chronic illnesses have a much higher likelihood of having worse clinical outcomes (developing a more severe form of the disease or dying) than an average patient. There are two hypothesized channels that explain this strong link between the chronic illnesses enumerated above and Covid 19: (i) increased ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) receptor expressions, which facilitates the entry of the virus into the host body; and (ii) hyperinflammatory response, referred to as “cytokine storm”. Finally, the literature review does not find any evidence that diabetes or hypertension related medications exacerbate the overall Covid-19 condition in chronic illness patients. Conclusions Thus, the evidence points out to ‘business as usual’ disease management model, although with greater supervision. However, given the ongoing Covid-19 vulnerabilities among people with NCDs, prioritizing them for the vaccination process should also figure high on the agenda on health authorities.

Abstract There is an immediate need to identify alternative sources of high-nutrient feedstocks for domestic livestock production and poultry, not only to support growing food demands but also to produce microalgae-source functional foods with multiple health benefits. Various species of microalgae and cyanobacteria are used to supplement existing feedstocks. In this review, microalgae have been defined as a potential feedstock for domestic animals due to their abundance of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals, vitamins, and other high-value products. Additionally, the positive physiological effects on products of animals fed with microalgal biomass have been compiled and recommendations are listed to enhance the assimilation of biomolecules in ruminant and nonruminant animals, which possess differing digestive systems. Furthermore, the role of microalgae as prebiotics is also discussed. With regards to large scale cultivation of microalgae for use as feed, many economic trade-offs must be considered such as the selection of strains with desired nutritional properties, cultivation systems, and steps for downstream processing. These factors are highlighted with further investigations needed to reduce the overall costs of cultivation. Finally, this review outlines the pros and cons of utilizing microalgae as a supplementary feedstock for poultry and cattle, existing cultivation strategies, and the economics of large-scale microalgal production.