High consumption of mollusk shells generates many waste mollusk shells. To reduce and utilize these wastes, they can be cleaned and milled to produce calcium carbonate (CaCO3) powders, which can be further used as raw material for producing valuable products. This research presents a simple, cheap, and environmentally friendly preparation of calcium phosphates by using waste mollusk shells as a renewable source. All synthesized calcium phosphate samples were characterized and confirmed by X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. The addition of phosphoric acid to mollusk-derived CaCO3 generated triple superphosphate (TSP), which was consisting of two or more calcium phosphate compounds. After the TSP powder was dissolved in water, non-soluble powders were obtained and found to be dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD, CaHPO4•2H2O). After removing non-soluble compounds and then the self-evaporating process of the solution fraction to dryness, the recrystallized product was investigated and confirmed as monocalcium phosphate monohydrate (MCPM, Ca(H2PO4)2•H2O). This recrystallization process produced highly purified Ca(H2PO4)2•H2O with high solubility and phosphorus content that can be used as an effective fertilizer. The green and low-cost preparation of calcium phosphates proposed in this research will be valuable to reduce waste mollusk shells by reforming them into value-added products. This information points out the viewpoint of a zero-waste operation for obtaining sustainable development, which could be selected as an effective technique for waste management and recycling.

There are numerous applications for semiconductor-dependent light detection in various appliances. Finding semiconductors with affordable processing is crucial since the fabrication of commercial photodetectors requires complex and expensive instruments. Due to their ease of production and exceptional qualities, such as effective light absorption and high carrier mobility, hybrid organic–inorganic metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have attracted attention in this regard. Due to its attractive intermediate band gap and exceptional photostability, thermal stability, and moisture stability, all-inorganic CsPbBr3 has recently been identified as a good option for photodetection. A variety of synthesis techniques have been used to produce highly crystalline CsPbBr3 perovskites with a wide range of morphologies and dimensions, each enabling a particular application for a photodetector, such as cameras for handheld devices, large-area flat panel detectors, and flexible light sensors.The fabrication and integration of CsPbBr3 single crystals, microcrystals, nanowires, thin films, and nanocrystals into photodetectors are covered in detail in this review.

Population genomics applied to game species conservation can help delineate management units, ensure appropriate harvest levels, and identify populations needing genetic rescue to safeguard their adaptive potential. The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is rapidly declining in much of the eastern USA due to a combination of forest maturation and habitat fragmentation. More recently, mortality from West Nile Virus may have affected connectivity of local populations; however, genetic approaches have never explicitly investigated this issue. In this study, we sequenced 54 individual low-coverage (~5X) grouse genomes to characterize population structure and assess migration rates across the landscape to identify potential barriers to gene flow. Surprisingly, we identified two genomic clusters with no clear geographic correlation, with large blocks of genomic differentiation associated with chromosomes 4 and 20, likely due to chromosomal inversions. After excluding these putative inversions from the data set, we found weak but non-significant signals of population subdivision. Estimated gene flow revealed reduced rates of migration in areas with extensive habitat fragmentation, while areas with more habitat continuity showed higher rates of genetic connectivity. Our findings provide a benchmark for wildlife managers to compare and scale the genetic diversity and structure of ruffed grouse populations in Pennsylvania and across the eastern USA, as well as reveal unexpected structural variation in the grouse genome that requires further study to understand its possible effects on individual fitness and population distribution.

Organic photovoltaics (OPV) has attracted tremendous attention as a promising alternative to silicon wafer-based technologies for building integration. While significant progress has been achieved on the power conversion efficiency of OPV technologies, their field stability is rarely studied. This work investigates the field performance and reliability of a large-area OPV module designed for BIPV application in the tropical region of Singapore for 4.5 years. The device suffered more than 14% degradation in power at the standard testing conditions from the initial performance, largely due to losses in fill factor (-12% relative). During the monitoring period, it exhibited comparable performance to more conventional silicon PV technologies, with an average specific energy yield of about 4 kWh/kWp/day and an average performance ratio of 0.96. Excellent performance at low light conditions was also observed. However, its field performance was heavily impacted by soiling, which typically led to a 5 to 10% loss in the current output after several months. Further, the device’s outdoor performance also showed a three-stage degradation process, including (1) an initial slow degradation in the first two years (about -1%/year), (2) a stable period with negligible performance loss from year 2 to year 3.5 and (3) a rapid degradation in the last year (about -5%/year).

The fault diagnosis with one single sensor cannot comprehensively use the multi-sensor correlation information of fault signals for underwater thruster entanglement. To solve the real-time fault diagnosis problem that in the case of entanglement, a kind of fault diagnosis method based on the combination of current and rotational speed signal correlation analysis and Fuzzy C-means clustering (FCM) is proposed. Firstly, the collected current and speed signals of underwater thrusters under different states are normalized; Secondly, the correlation of normalized current and speed signals is calculated, and the correlation matrix is formed, and the sliding window of sampling series is adopted to calculate the correlation coefficient change over time between current and speed. Then a kind of Fuzzy C-means clustering method based on improved distance index is used to diagnose fault with correlation matrix elements. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, the sampling data in the case of propeller entanglement is used to verify the proposed fault detection method. The results show that the proposed method can fully extract the multi-sensor correlation information of underwater thrusters compared with the fault diagnosis method using only one signal using Support Vector Machine, and the feature extraction is more sufficient, effectively improving the accuracy of underwater thruster fault diagnosis.

Objectives: To explore roles of NKG2D in interactions of CD4 + T cells and dendritic cells (DCs) in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients Methods: Peripheral blood from active JIA patients and healthy controls were used for flow cytometry assessments of NKG2D +CD4 + T cells and expressions of MICA and MICB on DCs. NKG2D genetically modified CD4 + T cells resulted from transfection with lentiviral vectors harboring NKG2D and NKG2D siRNA. ELISA measured supernatant cytokines in co-cultured CD4 + T cells and DCs. CD4 + T cell subgroups, MICA and MICB expression on DCs was determined by flow cytometry and transcription factors by real-time PCR. Results: All JIA patients had significantly higher content of CD4 +NKG2D + T cells compared to healthy controls (P < 0.01). Expression of NKG2D on CD4 + T cells, and MICA and MICB on DCs were significantly greater in articular JIA than systemic JIA (P < 0.05). NKG2D induced IL-12 and suppressed IL-10 and TGF-β from CD4 + T cells, increased IFN-γ + CD4+ T and IL-17 + CD4 + T cells, RORc and T-bet, but reduced CD25 + Foxp3 + CD4 + T cells, IL-4 + CD4 + T cells, Foxp3, and GATA3 in JIA patients (P<0.05). NKG2D increased IL-12 and T-bet by CD4 + T cells in healthy controls (P<0.05). NKG2D decreased IL-10 and increased CD83, MICA, and MICB of DCs via interaction with CD4 + T cells in JIA and control patients (P<0.05). Conclusions: NKG2D regulates differentiation of CD4 + T cells directly and the maturation of DCs indirectly. Targeting NKG2D may be a potential therapy for JIA.

Splenic infarction is a rare and likely underdiagnosed complication of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) associated infectious mononucleosis (IM). Here we describe an 18-year-old male with persistent severe left-sided abdominal pain found to be EBV positive and have a large splenic infarct, along with a transient decrease in protein C, protein S, and antithrombin III activity levels. He was treated with supportive care, and anticoagulated with heparin and apixaban. We review prior reports and perspectives on underlying pathophysiology, diagnosis, and the management of these cases which likely does not require anticoagulation although may be considered on a per case basis.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurologic diseases affecting people of all ages, races, sex, social classes, and geographic locations. Cardiac arrhythmias have been associated with patients with seizure disorders and can be a common sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. We present a case of a 74-year-old woman with altered level of consciousness and agitation who was found to have non-convulsive status epilepticus and complete AV block. She was successfully managed only with dual antiepileptic medications. Diagnosis is best made with EEG and ECG. In general, management is made by seizure medications, while pacemakers are still a point of debate.

HIV is a serious disease that threatens and affects capital stock, population composition and economic growth. This research paper aims to study the mathematical modeling and disease dynamics of HIV/AIDS with memory effect. We propose two fractional models in the Caputo sense for HIV/AIDS with and without migration. First, we prove the existence and positivity of both models and calculate the basic reproduction number R 0 using the next generation method. Then, we study the local and global stability of the obtained equilibria. In addition, numerical simulations are provided for different values of the fractional order ρ using the Adams-Bashforth-Moulton fractional scheme, to verify the theoretical results. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis of the parameters for the model with migration is carried out.

Control of plant virus diseases largely depends on the induced plant defense achieved by the external application of synthetic chemical inducers with the ability to modify defense-signaling pathways. However, most of the molecular mechanisms underlying these chemical inducers remain unknown. Here, we developed a lentinan-loaded hydrogel with a core-shell structure and discovered how it protects plants from different virus infections. The hydrogel was synthesized by adding a chitosan shell on the surface of the polyanion sodium alginate-Ca 2+-lentinan (LNT) hydrogel (SL-gel) to form a CSL-gel. CSL-gels exhibit the capacity to prolong the stable release of lentinan and promote Ca 2+ release. Application of CSL-gels on the root of plants induces broad-spectrum resistance against TMV, TRV, PVX and TuMV). RNA-seq analysis identified that the calmodulin-like protein 19 gene ( NbCML19) is upregulated by the sustained release of Ca 2+ from the CSL-gel, and silencing and overexpression of NbCML19 alter the susceptibility and resistance of tobacco to TMV. Our findings provide evidence that this novel and synthetic CSL-gel strongly inhibits the infection of plant viruses by the sustainable release of LNT and Ca 2+. This study uncovers a novel mode of action by which CSL-gels trigger NbCML19 expression through the stable and sustained release of Ca 2+.

Vegetative insecticidal proteins (Vips) are widely used in pest management, but Vip resistance is a big threat. DNA methylation plays important roles in regulating the response of biological organisms to environmental stress. In this study, DNA methylation map was developed for fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda), and its function in regulating FAW Vip3Aa resistance was explored. FAW was screened by Vip3Aa for 10 generations, and bioassays indicated that Vip3Aa resistance increased trans-generationally. Based on the comparison of DNA methylation maps between Vip3Aa-resistant and -susceptible strains showed that gene body methylation was positively correlated with its expression. Moreover, the study demonstrated that a reduction in the methylation density within the gene body of a 3’5’-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase gene resulted in decreased expression and increased resistance of FAW to Vip3Aa, which was validated through RNAi experiments. The mechanism of Vip3Aa resistance will improve the understanding of DNA methylation and its function in lepidoptera and provide a new perspective for making strategies to pest management.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between personality characteristics and psychological health of hospitals’ frontline medical staff and provide a basis and reference for targeted psychological health education for frontline medical staff and for the staff of related departments to formulate relevant policies. The self-evaluation scale of symptoms (SCL-90) was used to investigate the mental health status of 150 first-line medical staff in Zhejiang Province in response to the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia.The average scores of SCL-90 and somatization, obsessive-compulsive, depression, anxiety, hostility, terror, and psychotic factors were significantly higher than those of the normal sample in the first-aid medical staff of Aihu Hubei. The degree of influence on the mental health status of the frontline medical staff in service in Hubei is as follows, from high to low: the degree of suspicion that they may have been infected when new coronavirus pneumonia-related symptoms occur, the degree of fear of being infected and thus bring the infection to their families, and whether they have received a medical check-up recently, as well as a high level of education (both P<0.05).The psychological health level of the frontline medical staff is lower than the national norm. In the context of the increasing number of confirmed cases and the new type of coronavirus pneumonia in the absence of any specific curative treatments, the frontline medical staff is under great psychological pressure. It is necessary to institute targeted mental health promotion to relieve the psychological pressure endured by the frontline medical staff, promote their physical and mental health, and better respond to the pandemic in China.

Motivated by applications in unmanned aerial based ground penetrating radar for detecting buried landmines, we consider the problem of imaging small point like scatterers situated in a lossy medium below a random rough surface. Both the random rough surface and the absorption in the lossy medium significantly impede the target detection and imaging process. Using principal component analysis we effectively remove the reflection from the air-soil interface. We then use a modification of the classical synthetic aperture radar imaging functional to image the targets. This imaging method introduces a user-defined parameter, δ, which scales the resolution by √δ allowing for target localization with sub wavelength accuracy. Numerical results in two dimensions illustrateWe study imaging methods for identifying point targets in a lossy medium below a random rough surface. the robustness of the approach for imaging multiple targets. However, the depth at which targets are detectable is limited due to the absorption in the lossy medium.

Ground-based observations of shock aurora, which is an aurora related to geomagnetic sudden commencement (SC), have mainly been limited to the dayside. On 26 February 2023, right after the SC onset at 19:24 UT, ground-based all-sky cameras and a wide-angle camera detected shock aurora at 21 MLT in the auroral zone. For this aurora, three different emissions are detected instead of the previously known two emissions: intensification of a pre-existing arc (19:25 UT), red diffuse aurora (19:28 UT), and a second, green discrete arc (19:31 UT). The relative location of these emissions differs from the dayside cases where the first and last types are not distinguished. Geomagnetic data under this aurora indicates a significant difference in the anti-sunward propagation velocity between the secondary discrete arc and the related field-aligned current.

Sea ice modulates the energy exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean through its kinematics. Marginal ice zone (MIZ) dynamics are complex and are not well resolved in routine observations. Here, we investigate sea ice dynamics in the Greenland Sea MIZ using two Lagrangian drift datasets. We find evidence of tidal currents strongly affecting sub-daily sea ice motion. Velocity anomalies show abrupt transitions aligned with gradients in seafloor topography, indicating changes in ocean currents. Remote-sensed ice floe trajectories derived from moderate resolution satellite imagery provide a view of small-scale variability across the Greenland continental shelf. Ice floe trajectories reveal an west-east increasing velocity gradient imposed by the East Greenland Current, with maximum velocities aligned along the continental shelf edge. These results highlight the importance of small scale ocean variability for ice dynamics in the MIZ.

Although IE incidence has increased due to the gradual increase of survival rate in congenital heart disease (CHD) children, the mitral and aortic valves are the most commonly involved, while tricuspid valve infection is rare, and pulmonary valve involvement is extremely rare. To improve the diagnosis in echocardiography, we described two cases of right-sided infective endocarditis (RSIE), explained the ideas of ultrasonic diagnosis, analyzed the differential diagnosis, and demonstrated the important role of echocardiography in diagnosing and treating children.

The objective of this study was to estimate the variance components and genetic parameters as well as to predict breeding values for resistance to endoparasite in Anglo Nubian goats, with repeatability model in single-trait analysis, with inclusion of genomic information. Records of body condition score (BCS), FAMACHA, eggs per gram of feces (EPG) treated by the logarithmic transformations scale L 1EPG = log (EPG + 1), and resistance to worms (RW) were used as traits associated with resistance to worms. A total of 89 animals were genotyped with Bead Chip Goats SNP50. There was little variation in variance component estimates and in heritability and repeatability values with the inclusion of the genomic information. The use of genomic information provided increased accuracy for all traits, providing gains in accuracy of up to 50% for the trait EPG. The use of genomic information improved the predictive ability of the models and, consequently, more reliable genetic parameters were estimated for traits associated with resistance to infections caused by endoparasites in Anglo Nubian goats.

Objective: Globally, early and optimal feeding practices and strategies for small and vulnerable infants are limited. We aim to share the challenges faced and implementation lessons learned from a complex, mixed methods research study on infant feeding. Design: A formative, multisite, observational cohort study using convergent parallel, mixed-methods design. Setting: 12 tertiary/secondary, public/private hospitals in India, Malawi, and Tanzania Population or Sample: Moderately low birthweight infants (MLBW; 1.50-2.49kg) Methods: We assessed infant feeding and care practices through: 1) assessment of in-facility documentation of 603 MLBW patient charts; 2) intensive observation of 148 MLBW infants during facility admission; and 3) prospective one-year follow-up of 1114 MLBW infants. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews gathered perspectives on infant feeding among clinicians, families, and key stakeholders. Results: Hospital-level guidelines and provision of care for MLBW infants varied across and within countries. 89% of charts had missing data on time to first feed; 56% lacked discharge weights. Among 148 infants observed in-facility, 18.5% were discharged prior to meeting stated weight goals. Despite challenges during COVID, 90% of the prospective cohort was followed until 12 months of age. Conclusions: Enrolment and follow-up of this vulnerable population required additional effort from researchers and the community. Using a mixed-methods exploratory study allowed for a comprehensive understanding of MLBW health and evidence-based planning of targeted large-scale interventions. Multi-site partnerships in global health research, which require active and equal engagement, are instrumental in avoiding duplication and building a stronger, generalizable evidence base.

Background: The findings of individual epidemiological studies that suggest an association between some Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) are inconclusive. Objectives: To estimate the strength of the association between POPs exposure and GDM in a systematic review with meta-analysis. Search strategy: MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched until 2022. Selection criteria: Cohort and case-control studies analyzing the association between POPs and GDM in healthy pregnant women. Data collection and analysis: Quality was assessed using QUIPS scale and standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) was pooled using random-effect model. Main results: Fourteen articles including 11,422 participants were selected. The risk of bias of included studies was high in 4 (28.6%), moderate in 9 (64.3%) and low in 1 (7.14%). Only six POPs showed a significative SMD between GDM cases and controls: Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) 0.33 (95% CI 0.23, 0.43; I2=0%); Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) -0.11 (95% CI -0.20, -0.01, I2 = 0.0%); 2,2’,3,4,4’,5,5’-Heptachlorobiphenyl (PCB 180) 0.37 (95% CI 0.19, 0.56; I2=25.3%); 2,2’,4,4’,5-Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 99) 0.36 (95% CI 0.14, 0.59; I2=0%); 2,2’,4,4’,6-Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 100) 0.42 (95% CI 0.19, 0.38; I2=0%); and, Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) 0.22 (95% CI 0.01, 0.42, I2=39.6%). For other POPs, no statistically significant association was observed. Conclusion: The available evidence is variable on quality and results were heterogeneous making impossible to establish a clear association between POPs exposure and risk of GDM. Improve the methodology of epidemiological studies assessing the association of POPs and risk of adverse clinical outcomes are needed.

Developing young are particularly sensitive to environmental challenges, often with life-long consequences, but the risks of climate warming during this period are not well understood. To quantify the physiological effects of increasing temperatures for developing endotherms, we measured metabolic rate, water loss, and heat dissipation behaviours between 25-45°C in nestlings of a free-living songbird. The thermoneutral zone ranged from 33.1–42.3°C – higher and narrower than adults – and metabolic rate increased sharply above and below this range. Water loss was constant below 33.5°C, above which it increased sharply, when nestlings also drooped their wings to lose heat. Despite nestlings initiating panting (p50) around 40°C, water loss was never sufficient to dissipate metabolically produced heat, indicating poor cooling capabilities. Our data show that while developing young appear relatively tolerant to higher temperatures, they are at a high risk of dehydration and hyperthermia, with limited ability to mitigate these risks of increasing temperatures.

A reliability analysis framework is constructed by combining parametric modelling methods with finite element analysis methods under fluid-thermal-solid sequential coupling. The influence of blade profile changes due to machining errors on the reliability of turbine rotor blisks in reusable rocket engines (RRE) is investigated. The effects of machining errors, material, and load variability on the cyclic life reliability of rotor blisks are effectively quantified. With the suggested method, a reliability analysis is conducted for an RRE turbine rotor blisk, and the effect of the machining error range on the analysis results is investigated. It is found that when the reliability requirements are 0.85, 0.9, and 0.95, the general tolerance grades to satisfy the reliability requirements are the coarsest grade, the medium grade, and the precise grade, respectively. The highest sensitivity coefficient in cyclic life reliability is 29.09% for the blade axial chord. This study provides valuable insights and recommendations for the reliability design and optimization of reusable turbine rotor blisks.

Objectives: The treatment modalities of ependymoma in infants remains controversial. Postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) could prolong the overall survival but has the potential to affecting nervous system development in infants. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) in prolonging overall survival for infants with ependymoma is still unclear. Therefore, we designed this study to explore the effect of treatment modalities on survival time of infants with ependymoma. Methods: A total of 72 infants with ependymoma from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database in this retrospective analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were adopted to determine hazard ratios and to compare overall survival. Results: Among 72 infants with ependymoma, 35 were male (48.6%) and 37 were female (51.4%). The 5-year overall survival of all patients was 67.0%. 46 infants (63.9%) received gross total resection (GTR), 20 (27.8%) received subtotal resection (STR), and 6 (8.3%) did not receive surgical resection or only autopsy. 21 infants (29.2%) received RT, and 45 (62.5%) received CT. Multivariate analysis revealed that patients accepted surgical resection (No vs GTR, P < 0.001; No vs STR, P = 0.026) and chemotherapy (No vs Yes, P = 0.024) are the independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Conclusion: Treatment modality is associated with survival time in infants with ependymoma. The extent of resection and CT were independent prognostic factors for infants with ependymoma.

We argue that a global time index may not be computable. Time and simultaneity can be computable only locally.

Background Use of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in children receiving anti-infective drugs may lead to inappropriate concentrations with risks of treatment failure, toxicity and emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. We aimed to describe anti-infective prescribing practices in critically ill children undergoing CRRT. Methods An online survey to assess CRRT, anti-infective prescribing and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) practices was sent by e-mail to physicians working in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) through the French-speaking Group of Pediatric Intensive Care and Emergency medicine (GFRUP). Results From April 1st 2021 to May 1st 2021, 26/40 different PICUs participated in the survey, corresponding to a response rate of 65%. Twenty-one were located in France and five abroad. All PICU practiced CRRT mainly with Prismaflex™ System. Anti-infective prescriptions were adjusted to the presence of CRRT in 23 (88%) PICUs mainly according to the molecular weight in 6 (23%), the molecule protein binding in 6 (23%) and the elimination routes in 15 (58%) including the residual diuresis in 9 (35%), to the CRRT flow in 6 (23%) and to the modality of CRRT used in 15 (58%), PICUs. There was a wide variability noticed between PICUs and between physicians in the same unit. Barriers to TDM were mainly an excessive delay in obtaining results in 11 (42%) and the lack of an on-site laboratory in 8 (31%) PICUs. Conclusions Our survey reported wide variability in anti-infective prescribing practices in children undergoing CRRT highlighting the gap in the knowledge and the need for education and recommendations