In recent years, thin-film and organic photovoltaic (OPV) technologies have been increasingly used as alternatives to conventional technologies due to their low weight, portability, and ease of installation. Outdoor characterization studies allow knowing the real performances of these photovoltaic (PV) technologies in different environmental conditions. Therefore, to address the above, this article presents the hardware–software design and implementation of an integrated and scalable platform for performing the outdoor real-time characterization of modern PV/OPV technologies located at different altitudes. The platform allows knowing the outdoor performance of PV/OPV technologies in real environmental conditions by acquiring data from different monitoring stations located at different altitudes. The proposed platform allows characterizing solar panels and mini-modules and acquiring relevant information to analyze power generation capacity and efficiency. Furthermore, other devices for new PV technologies characterization can be easily added, achieving a scale-up of the platform. A preliminary study of the outdoor performance of emerging PV/OPV technologies was carried out at three different altitudes in a tropical climate region. From the results, the copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) technology presents the best outdoor performance with an average PCE of 9.64%; the OPV technology has the best behavior at high temperatures with a voltage loss rate of 0.0206 V/°C; and the cadmium telluride (CdTe) technology is the most affected by temperature, with a voltage loss rate of 0.0803 V/°C. Full article

This paper explores the timeliness and relevance of secularization theories in Europe. It seeks to understand how the classical theories of secularization—rationalization, societalization, functional differentiation, and existential security—and their theoretical innovations—namely, cultural diversity—help describe religious phenomena in a specific set of European countries—Austria, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain. In this context, cultural diversity shows the strongest negative correlation with religiosity. These findings arise from the correlation between the different theories of secularization, the independent variables, and an index of religiosity, the dependent variable. Cultural diversity, as a good predictor to explain secularization in Europe, shows how contact with different religious and non-religious worldviews enhances a mutual fragilization that can lead individuals from uncertainty to the rejection of religious beliefs. Full article

The perceived level of risk associated with a food product can influence purchase and consumption decisions. Thus, current trends in food safety address an issue of general interest—the identification of healthy and economical alternatives to synthetic antioxidants that may have harmful effects on human health. Still, the processors’ target is to increase the shelf life of food products using preserving substances. Natural antioxidants can be extracted and used in the food industry from different plants, such as blueberry, broccoli, chokeberry, cinnamon, ginger, olives, oregano, etc. The identification of the main natural antioxidant types that have been used in the food industry is very important in order to provide a comprehensive analysis of the researched topic. In this regard, the aim of this paper was to illustrate the positive aspects of using natural antioxidants with preservative roles in meat products, while, at the same time, highlighting the potential risks induced by these compounds. All of those aspects are correlated with the impact of sensorial attributes and the improvement of the nutritional value of meat products. Full article

Rapid urbanization has caused an increase in the discharge of inorganic elements into the environment; however, the knowledge about the fate and annual variations of multiple elements in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is limited. To understand the distribution and change of those elements, we collected and analyzed wastewater and sludge samples from seven WWTPs in a southeast city of China. Results revealed the elemental concentration ranging from 0.06 μg·L⁻¹ (Tl) to 221.90 μg·L⁻¹ (Mn) in the influent, below the detection limit (Er), to 206.40 μg·L⁻¹ (Mn) in the effluent, and 0.58 mg·kg⁻¹ (Tl) to 309.30 mg·kg⁻¹ (Zn) in the sludge. The removal analysis revealed that rare earth elements (REEs) were removed well from the wastewater with removal efficiencies ranging from 88.03% (Tm) to 97.37% (Sm), while heavy metals were poor, with removal efficiencies ranging from 10.71% (Mn) to 89.17% (Pb). The elemental flux analysis highlighted that activated sludge served as a major temporary storage site for 23 elements, while excess sludge acted as the major sink for REEs. Significant spatial variations were detected among different WWTPs. On the contrary, the temporal variations were insignificant based on the monitoring data from 2010 to 2020, indicating the satisfactory implementation of current environmental regulations. Full article

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether changes in repeated lung ultrasound (LUS) or chest X-ray (CXR) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients can predict the development of severe disease and the need for treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU). In this prospective monocentric study, COVID-19 patients received standardized LUS and CXR at day 1, 3 and 5. Scores for changes in LUS (LUS score) and CXR (RALE and M-RALE) were calculated and compared. Intra-class correlation was calculated for two readers of CXR and ROC analysis to evaluate the best discriminator for the need for ICU treatment. A total of 30 patients were analyzed, 26 patients with follow-up LUS and CXR. Increase in M-RALE between baseline and follow-up 1 was significantly higher in patients with need for ICU treatment in the further hospital stay (p = 0.008). Both RALE and M-RALE significantly correlated with LUS score (r = 0.5, p < 0.0001). ROC curves with need for ICU treatment as separator were not significantly different for changes in M-RALE (AUC: 0.87) and LUS score (AUC: 0.79), both being good discriminators. ICC was moderate for RALE (0.56) and substantial for M-RALE (0.74). The present study demonstrates that both follow-up LUS and CXR are powerful tools to track the evolution of COVID-19, and can be used equally as predictors for the need for ICU treatment. Full article

(1) This article reviews all available information on the species composition, current distribution, and origins of the neobiotic (non-indigenous and restoring the lost range) freshwater mollusks in Siberia. (2) An extensive literary search has been carried out, and virtually all existing publications of recent decades on the findings of freshwater mollusk species new to Siberia were taken into account. We examined extensive malacological collections of some of Russia’s and Kazakhstan’s scientific organizations. The core of the examined material is our own observations and collections made in various parts of Siberia and adjacent areas. (3) An annotated checklist of neobiotic species of mollusks reliably recorded in Siberia is presented, and probable mechanisms and “corridors” of infiltration of these species into the region are discussed. Most of the discovered snail species belong to a group popular among aquarists, and their source of introduction is obvious. Another large portion of species infiltrate into the region with the development of fish farming. A classification of species of neobiotic freshwater mollusks of Siberia was proposed and a forecast was made for changes in the Siberian freshwater malacofauna for the coming decades. (4) In our opinion, at present it is possible to accept the newest stage in the genesis of the freshwater malacofauna of Siberia, occurring in conditions specific to the Anthropocene. Full article

The worldwide serious deteriorations in environmental and social quality have led many countries to follow institutional, social, and economic policies eliminating the negative environmental and social costs of economic growth and development, urbanization, and population growth. This study investigates the influence of financial sector development and educational attainment on economic sustainability in a sample of BRICS economies over the 1995–2020 term through causality and cointegration tests. The results of the causality test find a bidirectional causal interplay between financial development and economic sustainability and a unilateral causal effect from educational attainment on economic sustainability. Furthermore, cointegration analysis unveils a long-term positive influence of financial development and educational attainment on economic sustainability, but the effect of educational attainment on economic sustainability is ascertained to be slightly higher when compared with that of financial sector development. As a result, both educational attainment and financial development with environmental and social measures can be useful instruments to achieve economic sustainability. Full article

Immune system dysregulation is clinically evident in the pathogenesis of endometriosis (EMS). Changes in the dendritic cells (DCs) activity or phenotype may be involved in the implantation and growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus in the disease. The TIM-3/Gal-9 axis is implicated in the development of immune tolerance. However, the knowledge about the exact role of this pathway in the EMS is extremely poor. In the present study, we evaluated the expression of Gal-9 on myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) in the peripheral blood (PB) and peritoneal fluid (PF) of both EMS patients (n = 82) and healthy subjects (n = 10) via flow cytometry. We also investigated the concentrations of soluble Gal-9 and TIM-3 in the plasma and PF of EMS patients and the control group using ELISA. We showed significantly elevated percentages of mDCs-Gal-9⁺ and pDCs-Gal-9⁺, and significantly higher concentrations of the soluble form of Gal-9 and TIM-3 in the PF of EMS patients than in circulation. Our results led us to conclude that the accumulation of Gal-9 expressing mDCs and pDCs in the PF and high sTIM-3/Gal-9 production in the peritoneal cavity could represent the hallmark of immune regulation in EMS patients, which may augment the inflammatory process and development/maintenance of local immunosuppression. Full article

Therapeutic phages against pathogenic bacteria should kill the bacteria efficiently before the latter evolve resistance against the phages. While many factors contribute to phage efficiency in killing bacteria, such as phage attachment to host, delivery of phage genome into the host, phage mechanisms against host defense, phage biosynthesis rate, and phage life cycle, this paper focuses only on the optimization of phage mRNA for efficient translation. Phage mRNA may not be adapted to its host translation machinery for three reasons: (1) mutation disrupting adaptation, (2) a recent host switch leaving no time for adaptation, and (3) multiple hosts with different translation machineries so that adaptation to one host implies suboptimal adaptation to another host. It is therefore important to optimize phage mRNAs in therapeutic phages. Theoretical and practical principles based on many experiments were developed and applied to phages engineered against a drug-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus that infected a young cystic fibrosis patient. I provide a detailed genomic evaluation of the three therapeutic phages with respect to translation initiation, elongation, and termination, by making use of both experimental results and highly expressed genes in the host. For optimizing phage genes against M. abscessus, the start codon should be AUG. The D_toStart distance from base-pairing between the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence and the anti-SD sequence should be 14–16. The stop codon should be UAA. If UAG or UGA is used as a stop codon, they should be followed by nucleotide U. Start codon, SD, or stop codon should not be embedded in a secondary structure that may obscure the signals and interfere with their decoding. The optimization framework should be generally applicable to developing therapeutic phages against bacterial pathogens. Full article

Physical activity (PA) plays a vital role in children’s physical and mental health. The built, natural, and socio-demographic environmental variables affect children’s PA behaviors in various ways. However, few studies focus on systematically measuring the environmental spatiality to enhance PA research. We propose a Physical activity Access Disparity (PAD) index for children. This study aims to design, test, and apply an integrated approach to the children’s PAD index. We adopt five dimensions of “access” to healthcare to measure the children’s PAD index for the United States (US) and the state of Georgia at the county level. The PAD index sorts 18 environmental measures with 23 variables into accessibility, availability, accommodation, affordability, and acceptability (5 As) for children’s PA. We use the self-organizing map (SOM) method to measure how the 5 As affect the PAD index values. According to the result, the children’s PAD index’s ranking normalizes from 0 to 1 and identifies “play oases” to “play deserts” in the US and Georgia using diverse 5 As combinations. The children’s PAD index shows Low disparity in the north and coastal region and High disparity in Deep South states in the US. Moreover, the PAD index shows Low disparity and High disparity in the north and south of Georgia. The PAD index provides a valuable tool for researchers and policymakers to analyze disparity in children’s “access” to the PA environment. The flexible parameters and the weighing scheme also extend the method’s generality and allow users to customize the PAD index based on local preferences and conditions. Full article

In the three major urban agglomerations in Mexico (Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara), a significant change to anthropogenic sources of air pollution happened in March–May 2020, when policies implemented to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Mexico caused the reduction of some anthropogenic sources of air pollution. We study the effect of these significant changes to air pollution sources using satellite-retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) and particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) concentrations from ground stations. The Chow test was applied to study trend changes in PM concentrations from 1 January to 30 May 2020. The Mann–Whitney non-parametric test was then used to compare average PM concentrations in April and May pre-lockdown, during lockdown in 2020, and post-lockdown in 2021. The assessment was further performed by evaluating the exceedance of national air quality standard maxima. The trend analysis showed that PM₁₀ concentrations were reduced during lockdown in Mexico City and Monterrey, whereas no change was found for PM₁₀ in Guadalajara and PM_2.5 in the three cities. Further analysis showed that in Mexico City and Guadalajara, average PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentrations decreased by 12% in April and May 2020. However, in Monterrey, average PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentrations increased by 2.76% and 11.07%, respectively, in April 2021 due to a severe drought that caused dry soils and dust around the city. The results of this research can be used to implement policies for reducing anthropogenic sources to improve the air quality in urban areas. Full article

Understanding and determining soil properties is reflected in improving farm management and crop production. Soil salinity, pH and calcium carbonate are among the factors affecting the soil’s physical and chemical properties. Hence, their estimation is very important for agricultural management, especially in arid regions (Wadi Elkobaneyya valley, located in the northwest of Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt). The study objectives were to characterize and develop prediction models for soil salinity, pH and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) using integration soil analysis and spectral reflectance vis-NIR spectroscopy. To achieve the study objectives, three multivariate regression models: Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR), Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) and Least Square-Support Vector Regression (LS-SVR)); and two machine learning algorithms, Random Forest (RF) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) were used. Ninety-six surface soil samples were collected from the study area at depths 0–5 cm. The data were divided into a calibration dataset (70% of the total) and a validation dataset (30% of the total dataset). The obtained results represent that the PLSR model was the best model for soil pH parameters where R² of calibration and validation predictability = 0.68 and 0.52, respectively. The LS-SVR model was the best model to predict soil Electrical Conductivity (EC) and soil Calcium Carbonate (CaCO₃) content, with R² 0.70 and 0.74 for calibration and R² 0.26 and 0.47 for validation, respectively. On the other hand, the results of the implemented machine learning algorithm model showed that RF was the best model to predict soil pH and CaCO₃, as the R² was 0.82 for calibration and 0.57 for validation, respectively. Nevertheless, the best model for predicting soil EC was ANN, with an R² of 0.96 for calibration and 64 for validation. The results show the advantages of machine learning models for predicting soil EC, pH and CaCO₃ by Vis-NIR spectroscopy. Therefore, Vis-NIR spectroscopy is considered faster and more cost-efficient and can be further used in environmental monitoring and precision farming. Full article

The skin protects our body; however, it is directly exposed to the environment and is stimulated by various external factors. Among the various environmental factors that can threaten skin health, the effects of ultraviolet (UV) and particulate matter (PM) are considered the most notable. Repetitive exposure to ultraviolet and particulate matter can cause chronic skin diseases such as skin inflammation, photoaging, and skin cancer. The abnormal activation of the Src family of protein tyrosine kinases (SFKs) and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in response to UV and/or PM exposure are involved in the development and aggravation of skin diseases. Phytochemicals, chemical compounds of natural plants, exert preventive effects on skin diseases through the regulation of various signaling pathways. Therefore, this review aims to highlight the efficacy of phytochemicals as potential nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical materials for the treatment of skin diseases, primarily by targeting SFK and AhR, and to explore the underlying mechanisms of action. Future studies are essential to validate the clinical potential for the prevention and treatment of skin diseases. Full article

Space-time panel data widely exist in many research fields such as economics, management, geography and environmental science. It is of interest to study the relationship between response variable and regressors which come from above fields by establishing regression models. This paper introduces a new fixed effects partially linear varying coefficient panel data regression model with nonseparable space-time filters. On the basis of approximating the varying coefficient functions with a powerful B-spline method, the profile quasi-maximum likelihood estimators of parameters and varying coefficient functions are constructed. Under some regular conditions, we derive their consistency and asymptotic normality. Monte Carlo simulation shows that our estimates have good finite performance and ignoring spatial and serial correlations may lead to inefficiency of estimates. Finally, the driving forces of Chinese resident consumption rate are studied using our estimation method. Full article

Histoplasmosis is a frequent mycosis in people living with HIV/AIDS and other immunocompromised hosts. Histoplasmosis has high rates of mortality in these patients if treatment is unsuccessful. Itraconazole and amphotericin B are used to treat histoplasmosis; however, both antifungals have potentially severe pharmacokinetic drug interactions and toxicity. The present study determined the minimal inhibitory and fungicidal concentrations of mebendazole, a drug present in the NIH Clinical Collection, to establish whether it has fungicidal or fungistatic activity against Histoplasma capsulatum. Protein extracts from H. capsulatum yeasts, treated or not with mebendazole, were analyzed by proteomics to understand the metabolic changes driven by this benzimidazole. Mebendazole inhibited the growth of 10 H. capsulatum strains, presenting minimal inhibitory concentrations ranging from 5.0 to 0.08 µM. Proteomics revealed 30 and 18 proteins exclusively detected in untreated and mebendazole-treated H. capsulatum yeast cells, respectively. Proteins related to the tricarboxylic acid cycle, cytoskeleton, and ribosomes were highly abundant in untreated cells. Proteins related to the nitrogen, sulfur, and pyrimidine metabolisms were enriched in mebendazole-treated cells. Furthermore, mebendazole was able to inhibit the oxidative metabolism, disrupt the cytoskeleton, and decrease ribosomal proteins in H. capsulatum. These results suggest mebendazole as a drug to be repurposed for histoplasmosis treatment. Full article

This article provides a full English translation of the Du’ā’ al-saḥar or Dawn Supplication for the Islamic month of Ramaḍān. Attributed to certain Imams whom Twelver Shī`ī Muslims regard as the successors of the Prophet Muhammad, it is an Arabic invocatory devotional also known from around the 13th century CE after its opening words, as the Du‘ā al-Bahā (Supplication of Splendour–Glory–Light). It is commonly ascribed to the fifth Imam Muhammad al-Bāqir (d. c. 126/743) or as transmitted through his son, the sixth Imam Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq (d. c. 138/765). The former version or recension has around 22 invocations, while the sixth Imam’s recension is known as the Du‘ā’ al-mubāhalah (The Supplication for Mutual Imprecation) and is considerably longer, consisting of over 30 supplicatory lines. This latter recension had its origin at a time when Muhammad was challenged near Medina by certain Yemenite Christians of Najrān about his messianic status as a Prophet in the light of theological and Christological issues. Both Sayyid ‘Alī Muḥammad Shīrāzī, “the Bāb” (1819–1850), and Mīrzā Ḥusayn ‘Alī Nūrī, “Bahā’u’llāh” (1817–1892) gave great importance to this supplication (or these two related supplications) and were much influenced by its vocabulary and rhythmic, cascading content relating the Names of God. The Bāb interpreted it on Islamic and imamological lines in his Persian Dalā’il-i saba‘ (The Seven Proofs). He cited it often, both in early texts and within numerous later major writings, including the Kitāb al-asmā’ (The Book of Names) and the Kitāb-i panj sha’n (The Book of the Seven Modes [of Revelation]). In his Persian Bayān and other writings, he used nineteen of its invocatory divine Names to frame the structure and names of his annual calendar of nineteen months: his new, wondrous or Badī‘ calendar (“The New/Regenerative Calendar”). This calendar was furthermore adopted by Baha’u’llah in his Kitāb-i aqdas (The Most Holy Book). His own theophanic title, evolving from “Jināb-i Bahā’” (His eminence the Glory) to “Bahā’u’llāh” (the Glory of God) is closely related and is rooted in this and certain similar texts. Baha’u’llah referred to the Du‘ā’ al-saḥar as the Lawh-i baqā’ (The Scriptural Tablet of Eternity) and understood its opening lines as an allusion to his person as the embodiment of the Supreme or Greatest Name of God (al-ism al-a`ẓam). Several of the Arabic and Persian writings in which the founder of the Baha’i religion interprets the Du‘ā’ al-saḥar are translated in this current paper. Their content demonstrates the extent to which he elevated this powerful Islamic text. Full article

The influences of various factors on blood lead to the formation of extra reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in the disruption of morphology and functions of red blood cells (RBCs). This study considers the mechanisms of the mechanochemical synergism of OH^• free radicals, which are most active in the initiation of lipid peroxidation (LPO) in RBC membranes, and H₂O₂ molecules, the largest typical diffusion path. Using kinetic models of differential equations describing C_H202 (t) and C_OH• (t), we discuss two levels of mechanochemical synergism that occur simultaneously: (1) synergism that ensures the delivery of highly active free radicals OH^• to RBC membranes and (2) a positive feedback system between H₂O₂ and OH^•, resulting in the partial restoration of spent molecules. As a result of these ROS synergisms, the efficiency of LPO in RBC membranes sharply increases. In blood, the appearance of OH^• free radicals is due to the interaction of H₂O₂ molecules with free iron ions (Fe²⁺) which arise as a result of heme degradation. We experimentally established the quantitative dependences of C_OH (C_H2O2) using the methods of spectrophotometry and nonlinear curve fitting. This study extends the analysis of the influence of ROS mechanisms in RBC suspensions. Full article

Infectious diseases contribute significantly to the global disease burden. Sensitive and accurate screening methods are some of the most effective means of identifying sources of infection and controlling infectivity. Conventional detecting strategies such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), DNA sequencing, and mass spectrometry typically require bulky equipment and well-trained personnel. Therefore, mass screening of a large population using conventional strategies during pandemic periods often requires additional manpower, resources, and time, which cannot be guaranteed in resource-limited settings. Recently, emerging microfluidic technologies have shown the potential to replace conventional methods in performing point-of-care detection because they are automated, miniaturized, and integrated. By exploiting the spatial separation of detection sites, microfluidic platforms can enable the multiplex detection of infectious diseases to reduce the possibility of misdiagnosis and incomplete diagnosis of infectious diseases with similar symptoms. This review presents the recent advances in microfluidic platforms used for multiplex detection of infectious diseases, including microfluidic immunosensors and microfluidic nucleic acid sensors. As representative microfluidic platforms, lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) platforms, polymer-based chips, paper-based devices, and droplet-based devices will be discussed in detail. In addition, the current challenges, commercialization, and prospects are proposed to promote the application of microfluidic platforms in infectious disease detection. Full article

Due to the influence of complex factors such as atmospheric dynamic processes, physical processes and local topography and geomorphology, the prediction of near-surface meteorological elements in the numerical weather model often has deviation. The deep learning neural networks are more flexible but with high variance. Here, we proposed a stacking ensemble model named FLT, which consists of a fully connected neural network with embedded layers (ED-FCNN), a long short-term memory (LSTM) network and a temporal convolutional network (TCN) to overcome the high variance of a single neural network and to improve prediction of maximum air temperature. The case study of daily maximum temperature forecast evaluated with observation of almost 2400 weather stations shows substantial improvement over that of single neural network model, ECMWF-IFS and statistical post-processing model. The FLT model can more effectively improve the forecast bias of the ECMWF-IFS model than that of any of the above single neural network model, with the RMSE reduced by 52.36% and the accuracy of temperature forecast increased by 43.12% compared with the ECMWF-IFS model. The average RMSEs of the FLT model decreases by 8.39%, 1.50%, 2.96% and 16.03%, respectively, compared with ED-FCNN, LSTM, TCN and the decaying average method. Full article

Drought is a major threat to plant growth in many parts of the world. During periods of drought, multiple aspects of plant physiology are negatively affected. For instance, water shortages induce osmotic imbalance, inhibit photosynthesis, decrease nutrient uptake, and increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this context, it is necessary to develop sustainable strategies for crops that would help mitigate these conditions. In previous studies, endophytic Zopfiella erostrata strains were found to extensively colonize plant roots, forming a profuse melanized mycelium in the rhizosphere, which could be involved in improving water uptake and nutrient mineralization in plants. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of different strains of Z. erostrata on stress mitigation in wheat and tomato plants grown under water deficit conditions. General plant growth variables, as well as physiological and biochemical parameters, related to oxidative status were determined. Our data demonstrate that inoculation with both Zopfiella strains had a very significant effect on plant growth, even under water deficit conditions. However, we observed an even more pronounced impact, depending on the plant and strain involved, suggesting a certain degree of plant/strain compatibility. The biochemical aspects, the accumulation of proline, the oxidative damage to lipids, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes varied considerably depending on the endophyte and the plant evaluated. Full article

The strengthening of steel beams using hybrid fiber-reinforced polymers (HFRPs) has gained enormous attention over the last decades. Few researchers have investigated the effectiveness of the fastening techniques without a bonding agent to overcome the undesirable debonding failure of the bonded FRP–steel system. This paper reports the outcomes of experimental and numerical investigations conducted on steel beams strengthened by HFRP using steel bolts. Twenty-two steel beams were tested in four-point loading to investigate the effect of the HFRP length and the bolt arrangement on the flexural behavior of the strengthened systems. The observed failure modes, load-deflection relations, deflection profiles, and strain measurements were also studied. The tested beams showed a ductile behavior, with 15.1 and 22.2% enhancements in the yield and ultimate flexural capacities, respectively. Simplified empirical equations were developed to predict the ultimate load of the bolted HFRP–steel beams. ANSYS software was used to model the beams’ behavior and investigate the effects of the HFRP thickness, bolt spacing, steel grade, loading scheme, and beam length on the effectiveness of the adopted fastening technique. Increasing the HFRP length enhanced the utilization of HFRPs as well as the beam’s ductility, with a reduction of up to 51.2% in the mid-span deflection. Moreover, the strain compatibility of the HFRP–steel beams was improved with an 87.2% reduction in the interfacial slippage. The bolt arrangement showed an insignificant effect on the overall performance of the beams. The numerical results verified the effectiveness of the fastening technique in enhancing the flexural performance of the steel beams, with gains of up to 16.7% and 34.5% in the yield and ultimate load-carrying capacities, respectively. Full article

Depression is a serious psychological disorder which negatively affects human feelings and actions. The use of antidepressants is the therapy of choice while treating depression. However, such drugs are associated with severe side effects. There is a need for efficient and harmless drugs. In this connection, the present study was designed to synthesize several substituted benzodiazepine derivatives and explore their antidepressant potentials in an animal model. The chalcone backbone was initially synthesized, which was then converted into several substituted benzodiazepine derivatives designated as 1–6. The synthesized compounds were identified using spectroscopic techniques. The experimental animals (mice) after acclimatation were subjected to forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) after oral administration of the synthesized compounds to evaluate their antidepressant potentials. At the completion of the mentioned test, the animals were sacrificed to determine GABA level in their brain hippocampus. The chloro-substituent compound (2) significantly reduced the immobility time (80.81 ± 1.14 s; p < 0.001 at 1.25 mg/kg body weight and 75.68 ± 3.73 s with p < 0.001 at 2.5 mg/kg body weight dose), whereas nitro-substituent compound (5) reduced the immobility time to 118.95 ± 1.31 and 106.69 ± 3.62 s (p < 0.001), respectively, at the tested doses (FST). For control groups, the recorded immobility time recorded was 177.24 ± 1.82 s. The standard drug diazepam significantly reduced immobility time to 70.13 ± 4.12 s while imipramine reduced it to 65.4 5± 2.81 s (p < 0.001). Similarly, in the TST, the compound 2 reduced immobility time to 74.93 ± 1.14 s (p < 0.001) and 70.38 ± 1.43 s (p < 0.001), while compound 5 reduced it to 88.23 ± 1.89 s (p < 0.001) and 91.31 ± 1.73 s (p < 0.001) at the tested doses, respectively, as compared to the control group immobility time (166.13 ± 2.18 s). The compounds 1, 3, 4, and 6 showed weak antidepressant responses as compared to compounds 2 and 5. The compounds 2 and 5 also significantly enhanced the GABA level in the brain’s hippocampus of experimental animals, indicating the possible involvement of GABAergic mechanism in alleviating the depression which is evident from the significant increase in mRNA levels for the α subunit of the GABA_A receptors in the prefrontal cortex of mice as well. From the results, it can be concluded that compound 2 and 5 could be used as alternative drugs of depression. However, further exploration in this connection is needed in other animal models in order to confirm the observed results in this study. Full article

Although multifactorial in origin, one of the most impactful consequences of social isolation is an increase in breast cancer mortality. How this happens is unknown, but many studies have shown that social isolation increases circulating inflammatory cytokines and impairs mitochondrial metabolism. Using a preclinical Sprague Dawley rat model of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, we investigated whether social isolation impairs the response to tamoxifen therapy and increases the risk of tumors emerging from dormancy, and thus their recurrence. We also studied which signaling pathways in the mammary glands may be affected by social isolation in tamoxifen treated rats, and whether an anti-inflammatory herbal mixture blocks the effects of social isolation. Social isolation increased the risk of dormant mammary tumor recurrence after tamoxifen therapy. The elevated recurrence risk was associated with changes in multiple signaling pathways including an upregulation of IL6/JAK/STAT3 signaling in the mammary glands and tumors and suppression of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway. In addition, social isolation increased the expression of receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), consistent with impaired insulin sensitivity and weight gain linked to social isolation. In socially isolated animals, the herbal product inhibited IL6/JAK/STAT3 signaling, upregulated OXPHOS signaling, suppressed the expression of RAGE ligands S100a8 and S100a9, and prevented the increase in recurrence of dormant mammary tumors. Increased breast cancer mortality among socially isolated survivors may be most effectively prevented by focusing on the period following the completion of hormone therapy using interventions that simultaneously target several different pathways including inflammatory and mitochondrial metabolism pathways. Full article

This paper evaluates the ${\mathcal{L}}_1$ adaptive model predictive control (AMPC-${\mathcal{L}}_1$) method in terms of its control performance and computational load. The control performance is assessed on the basis of the nonlinear simulation of a fly-back booster conducting stage separation and re-entry, and compared to baseline nonadaptive MPC and as a pole placement controller in both longitudinal and lateral control tasks. Simulation results show that AMPC-${\mathcal{L}}_1$ exhibits superior control performance under nominal conditions, and aerodynamic and guidance law uncertainties. The computational load of AMPC-${\mathcal{L}}_1$ is also evaluated on an embedded platform to demonstrate that AMPC-${\mathcal{L}}_1$ preserves the efficiency properties of AMPC while improving its performance. Full article

The mustache toads Leptobrachium boringii and Leptobrachium liui are two attractive species in Megophryidae, in which adult males have mustache-like keratinized nuptial spines on their upper lip. However, both are under threat due to multiple factors, of which scientific studies are still very limited. In this study, two new complete mitochondrial genomes of L. boringii and L. liui were sequenced, assembled, and annotated based on next-generation sequencing. The mitogenome lengths of L. boringii and L. liui were found to be 17,100 and 17,501 bp, respectively, with both containing 13 protein coding genes, 23 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs, and 1 non-coding control region. Nucleotide diversity analyses indicate that atp8, atp6, and nad2 showed higher nucleotide diversity than cox1, cox3, and cytb. The intraspecific genetic distances among three different populations of L. boringii exceed 4%, and those between two populations of L. liui reach 7%. Phylogenetic relationships support their division into two subfamilies of Megophryidae (Leptobrachiinae and Megophryinae) as well as two species groups within Leptobrachium, corresponding to the number of keratinized nuptial spines (10–48 in the L. boringii species group vs. 2–6 in the L. liui species group). The two new mitogenomes reported in this study provide valuable data for future molecular evolutionary and conservation studies of the genus Leptobrachium and other Megophryidae toads. Full article

Torulaspora delbrueckii is known for improving the aroma quality in wine and beer, but information for cider manufacturing is scarce. We explored the behaviour of two commercial strains of T. delbrueckii in apple juice fermentation to produce cider and sparkling cider. The influence of the strain, method, and strain–method interaction on the physicochemical parameters of cider was analysed by enzymatic and chromatographic assays. The data were subjected to an analysis of variance and a principal component analysis. Both strains also showed regular fermentation kinetics under pressure. Ethanol, lactic acid, acetic acid, and glycerol were produced with significant differences between strains and production methods. Then, 26 volatile compounds were identified, with higher alcohols being the quantitatively most abundant group. Strain A was associated with a higher production of methyl butanol, 2-phenyl ethanol, and butyric, propionic, and succinic acid esters, while strain B was associated with higher amounts of hexanoic acid, and acetate and valerate esters. In addition, 13 compounds showed significant differences between methods, and 14 were influenced by the method–strain interaction. Our findings encourage the further investigation of the application of T. delbrueckii as a solo player to produce ciders with a unique flavour. Full article

As a member of the neurotrophic family, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) provides a key link in the physiological process of mammalian ovarian follicle development, in addition to its functions in the nervous system. The emphasis of this study lay in the impact of BDNF on the proliferation of porcine follicular granulosa cells (GCs) in vitro. BDNF and tyrosine kinase B (TrkB, receptor of BDNF) were detected in porcine follicular GCs. Additionally, cell viability significantly increased during the culture of porcine GCs with BDNF (100 ng/mL) in vitro. However, BDNF knockdown in GCs decreased cell viability and S-phase cells proportion—and BDNF simultaneously regulated the expression of genes linked with cell proliferation (CCND1, p21 and Bcl2) and apoptosis (Bax). Then, the results of the receptor blocking experiment showed that BDNF promoted GC proliferation via TrkB. The high-throughput sequencing showed that BDNF also regulated the expression profiles of miRNAs in GCs. The differential expression profiles were obtained by miRNA sequencing after BDNF (100 ng/mL) treatment with GCs. The sequencing results showed that, after BDNF treatment, 72 significant differentially-expressed miRNAs were detected—5 of which were related to cell process and proliferation signaling pathways confirmed by RT-PCR. Furthermore, studies showed that BDNF promoted GCs’ proliferation by increasing the expression of CCND1, downregulating miR-127 and activating the ERK1/2 signal pathway. Moreover, BDNF indirectly activated the ERK1/2 signal pathway by downregulating miR-127. In conclusion, BDNF promoted porcine GC proliferation by increasing CCND1 expression, downregulating miR-127 and stimulating the MAPK-ERK1/2 signaling cascade. Full article