Search Results (25)

Background and Clinical Significance: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the third most common cancer that metastasizes to the oral and maxillofacial region following breast and lung cancers. Metastatic involvement in the oral cavity is rare and can present as a diagnostic challenge due to non-specific clinical features that mimic other benign or malignant conditions. The limited information available regarding oral metastasis of RCC highlights the importance of recognizing this uncommon presentation. Case Presentation: A 50-year-old female presented with a painful swelling in the buccal and palatal mucosa of the right maxilla that progressively enlarged over several months. Initially, this lesion was diagnosed clinically as a pyogenic granuloma. However, given the lesion’s continued growth and unusual presentation, a biopsy was performed. Histopathological examination confirmed the lesion as metastatic renal clear-cell carcinoma (ccRCC), with immunohistochemical analysis verifying the renal origin. Further diagnostic tests, including a computed tomography (CT) urogram, chest CT, and bone scintigraphy, revealed additional metastases in the left adrenal gland, lungs, and bone. Conclusions: This case is notable because the oral lesion was the first visible sign of RCC, making it a rare presentation of metastatic RCC. This underscores the importance of thorough history taking, detailed clinical evaluations, and considering rare metastatic conditions in the differential diagnosis of oral swellings. Additionally, this case reinforces the significance of routine cancer screenings for early detection of undiagnosed cancer. We also updated a previous literature review of metastatic RCC to the head and neck region, covering cases until 2023. Full article

We report absolute high-resolution vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoabsorption cross-sections of carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) in the photon energy range 5.0–10.8 eV (248–115 nm). The molecular spectrum and electronic structure have been comprehensively investigated together with quantum chemical calculations, providing geometries, bond lengths, vertical excitation energies and oscillator strengths. The major electronic excitations have been assigned to valence and Rydberg transitions which are also accompanied by vibrational excitation assigned to degenerate stretching, $v_3^{\prime }\left(t_2\right)$ and degenerate deformation $v_4^{\prime }\left(t_2\right)$ modes. The rather complex nuclear dynamics along the degenerate deformation mode, $v_4^{\prime }\left(t_2\right)$, have been thoroughly investigated by Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT) method. The relevant Jahn–Teller distortion operative within the lowest-lying electronic excited-state is shown here for the first time in order to yield a weak absorption feature at 6.156 eV. Further calculations on the potential energy curves for the singlet excited-states along the C–Cl stretching coordinate show the relevance of efficient C–Cl bond excision. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) encompasses the development of systems that perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence, such as reasoning and learning. Despite its widespread use, AI often raises trust issues due to the opacity of its decision-making processes. This challenge has led to the development of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI), which aims to enhance user understanding and trust by providing clear explanations of AI decisions and processes. This paper reviews existing XAI research, focusing on its application in the healthcare sector, particularly in medical and medicinal contexts. Our analysis is organized around key properties of XAI—understandability, comprehensibility, transparency, interpretability, and explainability—providing a comprehensive overview of XAI techniques and their practical implications. Full article

Newborn screening for sickle cell disease (SCD) is sparse in sub-Saharan Africa. The leadership of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) in Kano, Nigeria, with the support of local religious authorities, established a groundbreaking SCD newborn screening program that has become the standard of care for pregnant women and their newborns. Our program includes (1) prenatal genetic counseling for all pregnant women in the antenatal clinic, (2) newborn screening, (3) postnatal genetic counseling for parents of newborns diagnosed with SCD and SCT, and (4) referral of newborns with SCD for follow-up in the SCD Comprehensive Care Clinic by 3 months of age. From September 2020 to December 2023, the team screened 7530 infants for SCD at the AKTH, identifying 126 (1.7%) infants with SCD and 1546 (20.5%) with SCT. Of these, 93 (73.8%) newborns with SCD received individualized genetic counseling, and 43 (46%) were referred to the SCD Comprehensive Care Clinic before 3 months. Group genetic counseling was provided to the parents of 778 (50.3%) of newborns identified with SCT. The SCD newborn screening at the AKTH is now standard care, indicating the viability of sustaining an SCD newborn screening program that provides pre- and postnatal genetic counseling and comprehensive SCD care within a low-income setting. Full article

Bénard–Marangoni convection in an open cavity has attracted much attention in the past century. In most of the previous works, liquids with Prandtl numbers larger than unity were used to study in this issue. However, the Bénard–Marangoni convection with liquids at Prandtl numbers lower than unity is still unclear. In this study, Bénard–Marangoni convection in an open cavity with liquids at Prandtl numbers lower than unity in zero-gravity conditions is investigated to reveal the bifurcations of the flow and quantify the heat and mass transfer. Three-dimensional direct numerical simulation is conducted by the finite-volume method with a SIMPLE scheme for the pressure–velocity coupling. The bottom boundary is nonslip and isothermal heated. The top boundary is assumed to be flat, cooled by air and opposed by the Marangoni stress. Numerical simulation is conducted for a wide range of Marangoni numbers (Ma) from 5.0 × 10¹ to 4.0 × 10⁴ and different Prandtl numbers (Pr) of 0.011, 0.029, and 0.063. Generally, for small Ma, the liquid metal in the cavity is dominated by conduction, and there is no convection. The critical Marangoni number for liquids with Prandtl numbers lower than unity equals those with Prandtl numbers larger than unity, but the cells are different. As Ma increases further, the cells pattern becomes irregular and the structure of the top surface of the cells becomes finer. The thermal boundary layer becomes thinner, and the column of velocity magnitudes in the middle slice of the fluid is denser, indicating a stronger convection with higher Marangoni numbers. A new scaling is found for the area-weighted mean velocity magnitude at the top boundary of u_m~Ma Pr^−2/3, which means the mass transfer may be enhanced by high Marangoni numbers and low Prandtl numbers. The Nusselt number is approximately constant for Ma ≤ 400 but increases slowly for Ma > 400, indicating that the heat transfer may be enhanced by increasing the Marangoni number. Full article

Plant growing using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in a controlled environment is a revolutionary and innovative idea, regardless of the external environmental disturbances. Studying the growth and tuber yield of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) in an LED-based plant factory system is a relatively innovative concept. The current study was conducted in a plant factory to evaluate the effects of different LED spectral compositions on potato tuberization. Potato tuberization was analyzed under six different LED light spectral combinations with irradiances of 300 mol m⁻² s⁻¹, with natural light considered the control treatment. The findings stated that the L2 treatment (red70 + blue20 + white10) increased the plant height, branch number, and biomass accumulation, while photosynthetic pigments and photosynthetic activity increased significantly in L5 (red60 + blue20 + green10 + white10). Higher gibberellic acid (GA3) content was recorded in L1 (red70 + blue30), whereas the tuber number and tuber fresh weight were recorded in L3 (red70 + blue20 + green10) and L7 (natural light), respectively. On the other hand, a higher number of smaller-sized tubers were observed in L5, while L2 and L4 (red70 + blue20 + far-red10) resulted in a higher number of medium-sized tubers. In conclusion, a high proportion of red and blue light, along with white and far-red light, increased the plant height, branch number, plant biomass, and production of small- and medium-sized tubers. On the other hand, the inclusion of green light with red and blue enhanced the chlorophyll content, photosynthesis, and leaf expansion, and promoted the production of smaller-sized tubers. Finally, with regard to tuberization, the treatment using L4 followed by L2 outperformed the other treatments. Full article

A plant factory equipped with artificial lights is a comparatively new concept when growing seed potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) for minituber production. The shortage of disease-free potato seed tubers is a key challenge to producing quality potatoes. Quality seed tuber production all year round in a controlled environment under an artificial light condition was the main purpose of this study. The present study was conducted in a plant factory to investigate the effects of distinct spectrum compositions of LEDs on potato tuberization when grown in an aeroponic system. The study was equipped with eight LED light combinations: L1 = red: blue: green (70 + 25 + 5), L2 = red: blue: green (70 + 20 + 10), L3 = red: blue: green (70 + 15 + 15), L4 = red: blue: green (70 + 10 + 20), L5 = red: blue: far-red (70 + 25 + 5), L6 = red: blue: far-red (70 + 20 + 10), L7 = red: blue: far-red (70 + 15 + 15), L8 = red: blue: far-red (70 + 10 + 20), and L9 = natural light with 300 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ of irradiance, 16/8 h day/night, 65% relative humidity, while natural light was used as the control treatment. According to the findings, treatment L4 recorded a higher tuber number (31/plant), tuber size (>3 g); (9.26 ± 3.01), and GA₃ content, along with better plant growth characteristics. Moreover, treatment L4 recorded a significantly increased trend in the stem diameter (11.08 ± 0.25), leaf number (25.32 ± 1.2), leaf width (19 ± 0.81), root length (49 ± 2.1), and stolon length (49.62 ± 2.05) compared to the control (L9). However, the L9 treatment showed the best performance in plant fresh weight (67.16 ± 4.06 g) and plant dry weight (4.46 ± 0.08 g). In addition, photosynthetic pigments (Chl a) (0.096 ± 0.00 mg g⁻¹, 0.093 ± 0.00 mg g⁻¹) were found to be the highest in the L1 and L2 treatments, respectively. However, Chl b and TCL recorded the best results in treatment L4. Finally, with consideration of the plant growth and tuber yield performance, treatment L4 was found to have the best spectral composition to grow quality seed potato tubers. Full article

Since the deployment of EO resources into orbit, archaeological surveys have made extensive use of space imaging. In particular, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data have often proved useful in many geomorphic investigations. In this study, we tested the potential of SAR/InSAR datasets for archaeological applications, which were conducted for southern Mesopotamia. While identifying the embedded human settlements, we attempted to reconstruct the paleoclimatic conditions and the paleotopography imprinted onto contemporary geography as key features of the environmental context of ancient human activity. First, Sentinel-1 and PALSAR-2 SAR/InSAR time-series data were compiled and used to identify the paleoshoreline and other ancient hydrologic backgrounds in southern Mesopotamia. We defined regions of interest (ROI) based on this and further used a rotational decomposition of the time-series signature to detect shallow subsurface features in predefined ROI. SAR/InSAR data processing identified ancient channels and shorelines that match the historical/archaeological records of key Sumerian cities. Our findings in Eridu and Larsa-Uruk-Umma, as well as their hydrological contexts, are archaeologically significant and suggest the need for more ground surveys. In terms of global coverage and resolving power, this study shows that the potential of SAR/InSAR for probing the background environment of ancient civilizations is comparable to high-resolution commercial optical imaging. Longer wavelength and higher resolution SAR/InSAR time-series datasets are highly anticipated for such applications. Full article

The increased competitive academic environment pushes higher institutions to improve their service quality for meeting the market demands. It is thus necessary to assess the factors that satisfy students and make them loyal to the university. This study has focused on assessing service quality, using the SERVQUAL Model to measure students’ satisfaction with private universities in Bangladesh. In the study, the primary data collection method through a questionnaire with the 5-point Likert scale was adopted to collect data from 229 students who are currently studying in different private universities in Chattogram, Bangladesh. Structural equation modeling (SEM) has been performed to analyze the data through the AMOS 22 statistical package. The findings report that a comfortable lecture room under the tangible dimension, providing service on time under the reliability dimension, the capacity of administrative staff to solve immediate problems under the responsiveness dimension, proficient lecturers for teaching and research under the assurance dimension, and focus of university management on students under the empathy dimension have a great influence on student satisfaction. The study concludes that managers and authorities of private universities must focus on ensuring better service quality as student satisfaction largely affects the sustainability and recurrence development of the institutions. Full article

Hyperglycemia plays a key role in the development of microvascular complications, endothelial dysfunction (ED), and inflammation. It has been demonstrated that cathepsin S (CTSS) is activated in hyperglycemia and is involved in inducing the release of inflammatory cytokines. We hypothesized that blocking CTSS might alleviate the inflammatory responses and reduce the microvascular complications and angiogenesis in hyperglycemic conditions. In this study, we treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with high glucose (HG; 30 mM) to induce hyperglycemia and measured the expression of inflammatory cytokines. When treated with glucose, hyperosmolarity could be linked to cathepsin S expression; however, many have mentioned the high expression of CTSS. Thus, we made an effort to concentrate on the immunomodulatory role of the CTSS knockdown in high glucose conditions. We validated that the HG treatment upregulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines and CTSS in HUVEC. Further, siRNA treatment significantly downregulated CTSS expression along with inflammatory marker levels by inhibiting the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) mediated signaling pathway. In addition, CTSS silencing led to the decreased expression of vascular endothelial markers and downregulated angiogenic activity in HUVECs, which was confirmed by a tube formation experiment. Concurrently, siRNA treatment reduced the activation of complement proteins C3a and C5a in HUVECs under hyperglycemic conditions. These findings show that CTSS silencing significantly reduces hyperglycemia-induced vascular inflammation. Hence, CTSS may be a novel target for preventing diabetes-induced microvascular complications. Full article

Radical/extremist Islamist actors use social media to disseminate uncompromising stories of monist religious political orders and identities. As a reaction, counter-movements to online Islamist radicalism/extremism emerged in Western societies (and beyond), while uncertainty about effective outcomes remains widespread. In a bid to understand how inclusionary and exclusionary discursive spaces are created, we ask: How do some Muslim actors create discursive spaces open to self-reflection, pluralism and liberal-democratic principles, while others construct illiberal, particularistic and non/anti-democratic spaces? To respond to this question, we compare two contrasting storytellers, one who agitates for exclusionary Islamist radicalism/extremism (Generation Islam) and one who offers inclusionary prevention and deradicalization work against that (Jamal al-Khatib). We draw on novel narrative approaches to the Discourse Historical Approach (DHA) in Critical Discourse Studies (CDS), via which we compare text-level and context-level narratives disseminated about three Muslim-related crises: the racist terrorist attacks/genocide to represent the national, European and global level. Our two-layered, DHA-inspired narrative analysis illustrates that, at the level of text, narrative persuasion varies between both contrasting actors. While Jamal al-Khatib disseminates persuasive stories, Generation Islam is much less invested in narrative persuasion; it seems to address an already convinced audience. These two text-level strategies reveal their meaning in two antagonistic narrative genres: Jamal al-Khatib’s “self-reflexive savior” creates an inclusionary discursive space represented in a self-ironic narrative genre, while Generation Islam’s ”crusading savior” manufactures an exclusionary discursive space represented in a romance featuring a nostalgic return to the particularistic Islamic umma. Full article

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing, most dynamic, and vital food-producing sector compared to other food-producing industries. However, aquaculture production is hampered by a variety of bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic diseases. Fish farmers routinely apply various types of aqua-chemicals, particularly antibiotics and pesticides, to reduce the disease burden. Antibiotics and pesticides are widely used to increase fish production around the world, including Bangladesh. Between March 2020 and February 2021, a survey was conducted via face-to-face interviews with fish farmers in the Rajshahi district, Bangladesh, to determine the current status of the use of antibiotics, pesticides, and other aqua-chemicals in the rearing of freshwater finfishes. Nine active antibiotics ingredients belonging to 11 trade names of antibiotics, various pesticides, numerous disinfectants, and aqua-chemicals were found to be used in finfish rearing. The renamycin (active ingredient: oxytetracycline) was most commonly used antibiotics by freshwater finfish farmers in the study areas. In case of pesticides, sumithion and timsen were found to be used mostly by fish farmers. In addition, four distinct probiotics were found to be used in aquaculture in the study areas. The present study revealed several issues related to the use of aqua-drugs in the study areas. For instance, the majority of fish farmers (88%) lacked knowledge in the use of aqua-chemicals and antibiotics, and 81% of fish farmers were unaware about the effective dosages of chemicals in fish farming. Thirty seven percent of fish farmers in the study areas reported the indiscriminate use of chemicals. Furthermore, a considerable proportion of fish farmers (72%) reported ignorance about the residual effects of the aqua-chemicals on the aquatic environment and human health. As a result, this preliminary study suggests that the use of antibiotics, pesticides, and other aqua-chemicals in aquaculture should be strictly monitored and controlled by the responsible authorities of Bangladesh. Moreover, further research needs to be expanded on the detection of residues from aqua-drugs and antibiotics in the aquaculture system, and their consequences on the ecosystem and human health. Full article

Biofilm is a complex matrix made up of extracellular polysaccharides, DNA, and proteins that protect bacteria against physical, chemical, and biological stresses and allow them to survive in harsh environments. Safe and healthy foods are mandatory for saving lives. However, foods can be contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms at any stage from farm to fork. The contaminated foods allow pathogenic microorganisms to form biofilms and convert the foods into stigmatized poison for consumers. Biofilm formation by pathogenic microorganisms in agri-farm industries is still poorly understood and intricate to control. In biofilms, pathogenic bacteria are dwelling in a complex manner and share their genetic and physicochemical properties making them resistant to common antimicrobial agents. Therefore, finding the appropriate antibiofilm approaches is necessary to inhibit and eradicate the mature biofilms from foods and food processing surfaces. Advanced studies have already established several emerging antibiofilm approaches including plant- and microbe-derived biological agents, and they proved their efficacy against a broad-spectrum of foodborne pathogens. This review investigates the pathogenic biofilm-associated problems in agri-farm industries, potential remedies, and finding the solution to overcome the current challenges of antibiofilm approaches. Full article

Twenty-six rice hybrids were evaluated at three locations. Data were normally distributed after running the Shapiro–Wilk test. Plant height and effective tillers/hills showed leptokurtic distribution, indicating these traits were controlled by fewer genes, whereas the rest of the attributes had platykurtic distribution, indicating these traits were controlled by many genes. Most of the traits were significant for variety, locations, and variety × locations. For yield stability, the data were analyzed using additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI), genotype and genotype–environment interaction (GGE), and Eberhart and Russell’s model. Among 26 hybrids, BRRI99A × BRRI38R and BRRI hybrid dhan5 exhibited high yields at three locations. BRRI99A × BRRI45R, BRRI99A × BRRI31R, IR79156A × BRRI38R, and BRRI hybrid dhan3 were selected for mega-environments: Gazipur and Ishwardi. Among the tested locations, Gazipur (E2) and Ishwardi (E3) were identified as mega-environments for the hybrid combinations, including BRRI99A × BRRI36R, BRRI99A × BRRI49R, IR79156A × BRRI31R, IR79156A × BRRI38R, BRRI hybrid dhan5, BRRI99A × BRRI38R, BRRI99A × BRRI45R, and BRRI99A × BRRI31R based on their average action and fixity. Gazipur and Ishwardi were the best environments because their discriminative and representative ability was remarkable. The hybrid assessment, as well as area selection for hybrid rice breeding in Bangladesh, were revealed in this study. The hybrid BRRI99A × BRRI38R, BRRI99A × BRRI36R, and IR79156A × Rline7 belonged to medium-to-long slender grain types. Nowadays, the citizens of Bangladesh prefer fine-grain rice. Therefore, these fine-grain hybrids can be cultivated as preferable commercial varieties at three locations, such as Barisal, Gazipur, and Ishwardi in Bangladesh. The stable hybrids identified in the current study can be recommended for cultivation throughout the whole country without compromising the loss of grain yield of rice. Full article

The new capital city of Indonesia, Nusantara, having moved from Jakarta on Java Island to Kalimantan, is now officially located in the interregional area of the Makassar Strait. This area is expected to develop as the engine of the Indonesian economy, while various economic infrastructures are still very limited. The Makassar Strait area covers East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, West Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi. These provinces have significant marine resource commodities and make a relatively significant economic contribution to the Indonesian economy as a whole. Using the data of the 2016 Inter-Regional Input-Output (IRIO) table which was updated in January 2021, this study aims to analyze the main sectors and inter-provincial linkages between each sector in the region. The results show that each province has a different main sector of economic development, which leads to differenct strategies based on their quadrants. Furthermore, the goal of provincial development as the new engine of the Indonesian economy is based on the assumption that the marine sector is on an industrial scale. Full article