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In recent years, with the deepening of exploration and development theories for tight oil reservoirs and the continuous breakthroughs in key engineering technologies, positive progress has been made in the development of onshore tight oil in China, it has become an important supplement to the growth of petroleum reserves and production. Therefore, identifying the main controlling factors of tight oil reservoir productivity and predicting this productivity are crucial for the development of petroleum resources. The article employs a comprehensive data preprocessing method to address field data, minimizing data errors to the greatest extent possible. In the study of controlling factors and prediction of productivity, various methods such as Pearson correlation coefficient, Random Forest, XGBoost, etc., are compared to enhance the reliability of the results. In addition, root mean square error, mean absolute error, and coefficient of determination are also introduced to evaluate the prediction results of each model, providing an overview of the overall framework of machine learning application in productivity. The study shows that compared with mutual information coefficient, the results of production capacity analysis using Random Forest are more consistent with Pearson correlation coefficient method. The fracturing engineering factors are dominant in the initial production capacity and first-year cumulative production; the initial production capacity is mainly controlled by the soaking time, the stable water cut, the volume of fracturing liquid volume and the formation thickness; the first-year cumulative oil production is mainly dependent on the stable water cut. The XGBoost method yielded the best performance across all three evaluation metrics, indicating that its prediction results are more reliable. In conclusion, machine learning methods can provide significant technical support for the exploration and development of tight oil reservoirs. • Utilize machine learning to discern geological and engineering factors impacting oil production. • Employ Random Forest and Pearson correlation coefficient for production analysis. • Achieve superior accuracy in oil production prediction with XGBoost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthracnose, caused by several Colletotrichum species, is a major restricting factor for guava production, but no comprehensive study of the causal agent has been conducted from the plant host centre of diversity. This work characterizes isolates from guava, mainly from the fruit, but also leaves and flowers, representing most Brazilian physiographies according to the partial sequences of the rDNA‐ITS, ApMAT, TUB2, HIS3 and GAPDH gene regions. In addition, the pathogenicity and aggressiveness to fruits of two widely planted guava varieties (SLG and RM) are described. Guava‐derived Colletotrichum isolates were found in five complexes: gloeosporioides, acutatum, boninense, gigasporum and orchidearum. The gloeosporioides complex was the most prevalent (81%), followed by the acutatum complex (14%). A total of 16 Colletotrichum species were naturally associated with guava anthracnose: C. aeschynomenes, C. asianum, C. chrysophilum, C. fructicola, C. gigasporum, C. gloeosporioides, C. karsti, C. melonis, C. musae, C. nymphaeae, C. paranaense, C. siamense, C. sojae, C. syzygicola, C. theobromicola and C. tropicale. Apart from C. nymphaeae and C. gloeosporioides, all the remaining 14 taxa are reported for the first time in P. guajava. The most aggressive species belonged to the C. gloeosporioides complex. C. siamense was the most prevalent, especially in warmer regions, followed by C. chrysophilum, mostly in temperate environments. The most aggressive species were C. siamense, C. chrysophilum, C. fructicola and C. tropicale. Fruits of the variety SLG were consistently more resistant to anthracnose than the fruits of RM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the minimality of (hyper)surfaces is a fundamental problem in mathematics with major applications in both fundamental and applied sciences. Recently, the minimality of production models in microeconomics has been investigated by several authors who obtained important classification results for quasi‐sum and quasi‐product production functions with two and three inputs. In the present work, we deal with the minimality of isoquants of production functions with arbitrary number of inputs, this being a key concept used in making the best decision for optimizing the production costs. In the main result of the article, we give the complete classification of quasi‐product production functions whose isoquants are minimal, showing that there are exactly nine production models with such a property. Among them, we can identify a particular classic model already widely used in economic analysis (viz., a Cobb–Douglas model with unit output elasticities with respect to some production factors) and various production models completely unknown until now and which will open new opportunities for applied research in the field of mathematical economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxyectoine is an important compatible solute that holds potential for development into a high-value chemical with broad applications. However, the traditional high-salt fermentation for hydroxyectoine production presents challenges in treating the high-salt wastewater. Here, we report the rational engineering of Halomonas salifodinae to improve the bioproduction of hydroxyectoine under lower-salt conditions. The comparative transcriptomic analysis suggested that the increased expression of ectD gene encoding ectoine hydroxylase (EctD) and the decreased expressions of genes responsible for tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle contributed to the increased hydroxyectoine production in H. salifodinae IM328 grown under high-salt conditions. By blocking the degradation pathway of ectoine and hydroxyectoine, enhancing the expression of ectD, and increasing the supply of 2-oxoglutarate, the engineered H. salifodinae strain HS328-YNP15 (ΔdoeA::PUP119-ectD p-gdh) produced 8.3-fold higher hydroxyectoine production than the wild-type strain and finally achieved a hydroxyectoine titer of 4.9 g/L in fed-batch fermentation without any detailed process optimization. This study shows the potential to integrate hydroxyectoine production into open unsterile fermentation process that operates under low-salinity and high-alkalinity conditions, paving the way for next-generation industrial biotechnology. Key points: • Hydroxyectoine production in H. salifodinae correlates with the salinity of medium • Transcriptomic analysis reveals the limiting factors for hydroxyectoine production • The engineered strain produced 8.3-fold more hydroxyectoine than the wild type [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidation flow reactors used in secondary aerosol research do not immediately respond to changes in the inlet concentration of precursor gases because of their broad transfer functions. This is an issue when measuring the vehicular secondary aerosol formation in transient driving cycles because the secondary aerosol measured at the oxidation flow reactor outlet does not correspond to the rapid changes in the exhaust flow rate. Since the secondary aerosol production factor is determined by multiplying the secondary aerosol mass by the exhaust flow rate, the misalignment between the two leads to incorrect production factors. This study evaluates the extent of the error in production factors due to oxidation flow reactor transfer functions using synthetic and semi-synthetic exhaust emission data. It was found that the transfer-function-related error could be eliminated when only the total production factor of the full cycle was measured using constant-volume sampling. For shorter segments within a driving cycle, a narrower transfer function led to a smaller error. Even with a narrow transfer function, the oxidation flow reactor could report production factors that were more than 10 times higher than the reference production factors if the segment duration was too short. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Simple Summary: Pig tracking provides strong support for refined management in pig farms and can assist in realizing customized, automated, and intellectualized management. However, there are many complex factors in actual production that result in pigs not being tracked consistently over time. To address this issue, we proposed a long-term video tracking method for group-housed pigs based on improved StrongSORT. The experimental results proved that our study demonstrates high practicality, catering to the needs of practical production. It improved the efficiency of farming personnel and lays the foundation for the automated monitoring of pigs. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that we have also released a dataset specifically designed for long-term pig tracking in this paper. Pig tracking provides strong support for refined management in pig farms. However, long and continuous multi-pig tracking is still extremely challenging due to occlusion, distortion, and motion blurring in real farming scenarios. This study proposes a long-term video tracking method for group-housed pigs based on improved StrongSORT, which can significantly improve the performance of pig tracking in production scenarios. In addition, this research constructs a 24 h pig tracking video dataset, providing a basis for exploring the effectiveness of long-term tracking algorithms. For object detection, a lightweight pig detection network, YOLO v7-tiny_Pig, improved based on YOLO v7-tiny, is proposed to reduce model parameters and improve detection speed. To address the target association problem, the trajectory management method of StrongSORT is optimized according to the characteristics of the pig tracking task to reduce the tracking identity (ID) switching and improve the stability of the algorithm. The experimental results show that YOLO v7-tiny_Pig ensures detection applicability while reducing parameters by 36.7% compared to YOLO v7-tiny and achieving an average video detection speed of 435 frames per second. In terms of pig tracking, Higher-Order Tracking Accuracy (HOTA), Multi-Object Tracking Accuracy (MOTP), and Identification F1 (IDF1) scores reach 83.16%, 97.6%, and 91.42%, respectively. Compared with the original StrongSORT algorithm, HOTA and IDF1 are improved by 6.19% and 10.89%, respectively, and Identity Switch (IDSW) is reduced by 69%. Our algorithm can achieve the continuous tracking of pigs in real scenarios for up to 24 h. This method provides technical support for non-contact pig automatic monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan-triphosphate (TPP) nanogels are widely studied drug delivery carrier systems, typically prepared via a simple mixing process. However, the effects of the processing factors on nanogel production have not been extensively explored, despite the importance of understanding and standardising such factors to allow upscaling and commercial usage. This study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of various fabrication and processing factors on the properties of nanogels using a Design of Experiment approach. Hydrodynamic size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, and encapsulation efficiency were determined as the dependent factors. The temperature, stirring rate, chitosan grade, crosslinker choice, and the interaction term between temperature and chitosan grade were found to have a significant effect on the particle size, whereas the effect of temperature and the addition rate of crosslinker on the PDI was also noteworthy. Moreover, the addition rate of the crosslinker and the volume of the reaction vessel were found to impact the encapsulation efficiency. The zeta potential of the nanogels was found to be governed by the chitosan grade. The optimal fabrication conditions for the development of medium molecular weight chitosan and TPP nanogels included the following: the addition rate for TPP solution was set at 2 mL/min, while the solution was then stirred at a temperature of 50 °C and a stirring speed of 600 rpm. The volume of the glass vial used was 28 mL, while the stirrer size was 20 mm. The second aim of the study was to evaluate the potential for scaling up the nanogels. Size and PDI were found to increase from 128 nm to 151 nm and from 0.232 to 0.267, respectively, when the volume of the reaction mixture was increased from 4 to 20 mL and other processing factors were kept unchanged. These results indicate that caution is required when scaling up as the nanogel properties may be significantly altered with an increasing production scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Azo dyes are added as coloring agents in food, beverage, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products owing to their economic viability, aesthetic appeal, and ability to maintain color integrity. Opportunistic bacteria of Gram-negative, Pseudomonas aeruginosa employ N -acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) communication to coordinate their collective behaviors, enhancing their ability to invade and subsequently establish dominance over higher host species. The regulation of pathogenic activities by quorum sensing (QS) mechanism is a crucial determinant of the virulence exhibited by P. aeruginosa. This study investigates the potential anti-QS effects of commercially available food coloring azo dyes: malachite green, methyl orange, tartrazine, and sunset yellow FCF against P. aeruginosa at determined MIC and sub-MIC concentrations. The research findings revealed that the selected azo dyes inhibited the QS mechanism of P. aeruginosa , diminishing its production like biofilm, EPS, pyocyanin, pyoverdine, rhamnolipid, protease, and elastase. The gene expressed for these activities is quantified by RT-qPCR, which demonstrated a substantial downregulation of QS genes, specifically the malachite green and methyl orange inhibited in the higher percentages. The impact of malachite green on the QS system gene expression suggests its potential importance as a QS inhibitor. Though adding synthetic dyes to foods and other products receives more impact, it proves to have potential anti-QS activity. Thus, this research paves the way for the effective consideration of the selected azo dyes for the antiquorum sensing candidates against P. aeruginosa. [Display omitted] • Investigated anti-quorum sensing (QS) effects of available food coloring azo dyes. • Malachite green, methyl orange, tartrazine, sunset yellow tested with P.aeruginosa. • Azo dyes inhibited the QS mechanism of P. aeruginosa , diminishing activity. • Quantified by RT-qPCR, demonstrated a downregulation of QS genes. • Impact of malachite green on las, rhl system, and PqsE gene expression was noticed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin of marked commercial, scientific, diagnostic, and therapeutic interest. The preservation of its structural cystine-knot is the main challenge in its industrial production. A suitable expression system is critical to achieve the most efficient production of bioactive and stable BDNF for pharmaceutical purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mal secco, caused by the fungus Plenodomus tracheiphilus, is a xylem disease that is a limiting factor for lemon production in the Mediterranean. Resistance or field tolerance are major goals for lemon breeders; however, there is scant information regarding the heritability of mal secco resistance in breeding populations. As with other vascular diseases, phenotyping is the bottleneck for ascertaining resistance and susceptibility, and a validated protocol for greenhouse phenotyping would be valuable to accelerate the selection of tolerant trees before field evaluation. We report phenotyping of 148 hybrids of Khasi papeda (Citrus latipes; tolerant to mal secco) × lemon (susceptible to the disease) in field and greenhouse conditions. Field evaluation was performed on all hybrids for 2 to 3 consecutive years on trees subjected to high natural-pathogen pressure. Detection of the fungal infection was performed by visual observation and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The first infections occurred ≈6 months after planting, but 2 years of observations were needed for a reliable estimation of susceptibility. The spread of the disease did not occur uniformly throughout the plot, with patterns of spread within rows, probably resulting from infections from plant to plant. The possible errors in the estimation of susceptibility as a result of the uneven distribution of infections in the plot were reduced by using more than one replicate tree per hybrid. The correlation between phenotyping scores and cycle threshold values was weak (r = –0.48, P < 0.001). Three years after planting, hybrids clustered into three groups—susceptible, tolerant, and intermediate— based on symptom progression. A subset of 65 self-rooted hybrids was also subjected to stem inoculation in an unheated greenhouse, with two to seven biological replicates per hybrid. Three months after inoculation, the samples were monitored for symptoms appearance and subjected to real-time PCR pathogen quantification. We observed a weak (r = 0.41) but significant (P < 0.001) correlation between phenotypes in the field and the greenhouse, indicating that, in our conditions, field evaluation remains the best method for phenotyping. However, artificial inoculations might help to discard the highly susceptible hybrids before field evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional quality control methodologies are inadequate for fully elucidating the aberrant patterns of product quality. A multitude of factors influence product quality, yet the limited number of controlled quality characteristics is insufficient for accurately diagnosing quality abnormalities. Additionally, there are asymmetries in data collection, data pre-processing, and model interpretation. In this context, a quality anomaly recognition and diagnosis model for the complex product manufacturing process is constructed based on a deep residual network, support vector machine (SVM), and Shapley additive explanation (SHAP). Given the numerous complex product quality characteristic indexes and unpredictable accidental factors in the production process, it is necessary to mine the deep relationship between quality characteristic data and quality state. This mining is achieved by utilizing the strong feature extraction ability of the deep residual shrinkage network (DRSN) through self-learning. The symmetry of the data within the model has also been taken into account to ensure a more balanced and comprehensive analysis. The excellent binary classification ability of the support vector machine is combined with the DRSN to identify the quality anomaly state. The SHAP interpretable model is employed to diagnose the quality anomaly problem of a single product and to identify and diagnose quality anomalies in the manufacturing process of complex products. The effectiveness of the model is validated through case analysis. The accuracy of the DRSN-SVM quality anomaly recognition model reaches 99%, as demonstrated by example analysis, and the model exhibits faster convergence and significantly higher accuracy compared with the naive Bayesian model classification and support vector machine classification models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine a productive efficiency index that incorporates two new production factors of sustainability—an environmental variable as an undesirable output and a well-being indicator as a desirable output—for 12 years of data from 2007 to 2018 pertaining to 47 prefectures in Japan. This study proposes a combination of a new data envelopment analysis (DEA) intermediate approach with the DEA super-efficiency model to measure the integrated productive efficiency. The approach incorporates CO2 emissions and a well-being indicator into the conventional productivity index. A three-stage analysis is conducted by sequentially adding new factors, CO2 emissions, and a well-being indicator. We also conduct a club convergence analysis of the productive efficiency and observe how clubs are formed, what their characteristics are, and how the efficiency changes over time. Through these approaches, we examine the practicality of the new efficiency measure and discuss regional policy implications. We found that higher labor productivity and carbon productivity in major industries caused increased productive efficiency. Adding sustainability factors to the conventional production factors in efficiency measurement widened the efficiency gap among prefectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) plays a crucial role in metabolism and brain function. Glucosamine (GLN) has been recognized for its diverse beneficial effects. This study aimed to elucidate the modulation of FGF21 production by GLN and its impact on learning and memory functions. Using both in vivo and in vitro models, we investigated the effects of GLN on mice fed with a normal diet or high-fat diet and on mouse HT22 hippocampal cells, STHdhQ7/Q7 striatal cells, and rat primary cortical neurons challenged with GLN. Our results indicated that GLN promotes learning and memory functions in mice and upregulates FGF21 expression in the hippocampus, cortex, and striatum, as well as in HT22 cells, STHdhQ7/Q7 cells, and cortical neurons. In animals receiving GLN together with an FGF21 receptor FGFR1 inhibitor (PD173074), the GLN-enhanced learning and memory functions and induction of FGF21 production in the hippocampus were significantly attenuated. While exploring the underlying molecular mechanisms, the potential involvement of NF-κB, Akt, p38, JNK, PKA, and PPARα in HT22 and NF-κB, Akt, p38, and PPARα in STHdhQ7/Q7 were noted; GLN was able to mediate the activation of p65, Akt, p38, and CREB in HT22 and p65, Akt, and p38 in STHdhQ7/Q7 cells. Our accumulated findings suggest that GLN may increase learning and memory functions by inducing FGF21 production in the brain. This induction appears to be mediated, at least in part, through GLN's activation of the NF-κB, Akt, p38, and PKA/CREB pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In Bangladesh, buffalo dairy farming is gaining traction for its cost-effectiveness and the nutritional benefits of buffalo milk. This study aims to examine how environmental factors like age, number of past calvings, season of calving, intervals between calvings, and dry periods influence milk yield and lactation patterns. Through monitoring 384 buffaloes from seven populations across different ecological zones, significant impacts of various factors on milk production and reproduction were observed. Findings indicate that such environmental considerations are crucial for enhancing buffalo dairy farming, suggesting that a focus on these aspects could substantially benefit genetic improvement programs. Household buffalo dairy farming is gaining popularity nowadays in Bangladesh because of the outstanding food value of buffalo milk as well as the lower production cost of buffalo compared to cattle. An initiative has recently been taken for the genetic improvement of indigenous dairy buffaloes. The present study was carried out to determine the influence of some environmental factors like age, parity, season of calving, calving interval, dry period on the lactation yield, and lactation curve of indigenous dairy buffaloes of Bangladesh. A total of 384 indigenous dairy buffaloes from the 3rd and 4th parity of seven herds under two different agroecological zones covering four seasons were selected and ear tagged for individual buffalo milk recording. A milk yield of 300 days (MY300d) was calculated following the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) and the data were evaluated using the generalized linear model (GLM). In production traits, the mean of calculated lactation period (CLP), calculated lactation yield (CLY), and milk yield of 300 days (MY300d) of the overall population were 267.28 days, 749.36 kg, and 766.92 kg, respectively, whereas calving interval (CI) and dry period (DP) as reproductive traits were 453.06 days and 185.78 days, respectively. The season of calving, age of buffalo cows, population or herd, agroecological zone, calving interval, and dry period had significant effects on production traits (p < 0.05 to p < 0.001). The season of calving, level of milk production of 300 days, population, and agroecological zone significantly affected the reproduction traits (p < 0.01 to p < 0.001). Parity was found to be non-significant for both types of traits. The average peak yield of test day (TD) milk production was highest at TD4 (4.47 kg, 98th day of lactation). The average MY300d of milk production was the highest in the Lalpur buffalo population (1076.13 kg) and the lowest in the buffalo population of Bhola (592.44 kg). The correlations between milk production traits (CLP, CLY, and MY-300d) and reproduction traits (CI and DP) were highly significant (p < 0.01 to p < 0.001). Positive and high correlation was found within milk traits and reproduction traits, but correlation was negative between milk traits and reproduction traits. Therefore, these non-genetic factors should be considered in the future for any genetic improvement program for indigenous dairy buffaloes in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monocarpic plants have a single reproductive phase in their life. Therefore, flower and fruit production are restricted to the length of this period. This reproductive strategy involves the regulation of flowering cessation by a coordinated arrest of the growth of the inflorescence meristems, optimizing resource allocation to ensure seed filling. Flowering cessation appears to be a regulated phenomenon in all monocarpic plants. Early studies in several species identified seed production as a major factor triggering inflorescence proliferative arrest. Recently, genetic factors controlling inflorescence arrest, in parallel to the putative signals elicited by seed production, have started to be uncovered in Arabidopsis, with the MADS-box gene FRUITFULL (FUL) playing a central role in the process. However, whether the genetic network regulating arrest is also at play in other species is completely unknown. Here, we show that this role of FUL is not restricted to Arabidopsis but is conserved in another monocarpic species with a different inflorescence structure, field pea, strongly suggesting that the network controlling the end of flowering is common to other plants. Moreover, field trials with lines carrying mutations in pea FUL genes show that they could be used to boost crop yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Milk is an important source of protein for many Indian households. However, milk intake is very low. Hence, it is necessary to examine production-consumption linkages of milk within the paradigm of accessibility, availability, and affordability. Objectives: This study examined linkages between milk consumption and production, accounting for sales and factors associated with production investments in rural Bihar, a major milk-producing state of India with very poor nutritional status. Methods: A panel of households from the Gaya and Nalanda districts of Bihar were surveyed: the first round in July and August 2019 (n = 2026 households) and the second round from December 2019 to January 2020 (n = 2001 households). Data were collected on household consumption, production, and sale of milk, as well as other foods. The study examines the consumption-production linkage of milk and the association of dietary diversity with consumption from own production, with households as the unit of analysis. Ordinary least square regression analysis of average monthly household milk consumption was used to identify factors associated with milk consumption, particularly milk production. Results: The median (Quartile 1, Quartile 3) per capita milk consumption per day was 83.3 (41.6, 166.6) mL in the milk-consuming households. Average monthly household milk consumption in liters was higher in milk-producing households [β: 7.1; 95% confidence interval (CI): 6.1, 8.1] than households relying on market purchases. Household milk consumption was higher in the third tertile of milk production than the first tertile of production (β: 14.3 L/wk; 95% CI: 12.1, 17.2) and lower in the highest tertile of household sale quantity (β: -8.8 L/wk in tertile 3, 95% CI: -12.7, -5) than the first tertile of household sale quantity of milk. Conclusions: The study provides evidence that consumption of milk in rural households is associated with own production such that households with higher production consume more. However, sale preferences restrict the quantity of milk consumed in milk-producing households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around 10.5 million tonnes of sheep milk are produced worldwide, and around 3.1 million tonnes in Europe. In Europe, sheep milk production has stagnated slightly in recent years and currently accounts for around 1/3 of the global production. Due to its high content of dry matter, milk fat, total protein and casein, sheep milk is an excellent raw material for cheese production. Milk processing and cheese making are not only economically important, but also part of the cultural heritage based on a long tradition, often taking place in rural and less developed areas. Milk production and quality are very complex and are influenced by numerous factors, the most important of which are breed, feeding and body condition, parity and stage of lactation, milking and udder health, and environmental factors. In addition, different types of stress such as heat stress, nutritional stress, weaning stress, shearing stress, stress of regrouping, etc. have a significant impact on the welfare and health of the sheep as well as on the quantity of milk produced, its chemical composition, processing characteristics and the economic efficiency of the flock. In recent years, due to climate change, there has been an increasing number of studies on the effects of heat stress on the reproductive and production characteristics of sheep, as well as on their welfare and health. In addition, heat stress is often associated to the feed and the lack of water. The effects of stress are particularly pronounced in extensive sheep farming and milk production, which are prevalent in sheep farming. The aim of this paper is to describe the effects of the main types of stress on the quantity and chemical composition of sheep milk and on animal welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vogt‒Koyanagi‒Harada (VKH) disease is a severe autoimmune disease. Herein, whole‐exome sequencing (WES) study are performed on 2,573 controls and 229 VKH patients with follow‐up next‐generation sequencing (NGS) in a collection of 2,380 controls and 2,278 VKH patients. A rare c.188T>C (p Val63Ala) variant in the olfactory receptor 11H1 (OR11H1) gene is found to be significantly associated with VKH disease (rs71235604, Pcombined = 7.83 × 10−30, odds ratio = 3.12). Functional study showes that OR11H1‐A63 significantly increased inflammatory factors production and exacerbated barrier function damage. Further studies using RNA‐sequencing find that OR11H1‐A63 markedly increased growth arrest and DNA‐damage‐inducible gamma (GADD45G) expression. Moreover, OR11H1‐A63 activates the MAPK and NF‐κB pathways, and accelerates inflammatory cascades. In addition, inhibiting GADD45G alleviates inflammatory factor secretion, likely due to the regulatory effect of GADD45G on the MAPK and NF‐κB pathways. Collectively, this study suggests that the OR11H1‐A63 missense mutation may increase susceptibility to VKH disease in a GADD45G‐dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider an investor, whose capital is divided into an industrial investment x t and cash y t , and satisfy a nonlinear deterministic dynamical system. The investor fixes fractions of capital to be invested, withdrawn, and consumed, and also the production factor parameter. The government fixes a subsidy fraction for industrial investments and a tax fraction for the capital outflow. We study a Stackelberg game, corresponding to the asymptotically stable equilibrium (x ∗ , y ∗) of the mentioned dynamical system. In this game, the government (the leader) uses subsidies to make incentives for the investor (the follower) to maintain the desired level of x ∗ , and uses taxes to achieve this with the minimal cost. The investor's aim is to maximize the difference between the consumption and the price of the production factor at equilibrium. We present an explicit analytical solution of the specified Stackelberg game. Based on this solution, we introduce the notion of a fair industrial investment level, which is costless for the government, and show that it can produce realistic results using a case study of water production in Lahore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most anti-cancer modalities are designed to directly kill cancer cells deploying mechanisms of action (MOAs) centered on the presence of a precise target on cancer cells. The efficacy of these approaches is limited because the rapidly evolving genetics of neoplasia swiftly circumvents the MOA generating therapy-resistant cancer cell clones. Other modalities engage endogenous anti-cancer mechanisms by activating the multi-cellular network (MCN) surrounding neoplastic cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). These modalities hold a better chance of success because they activate numerous types of immune effector cells that deploy distinct cytotoxic MOAs. This in turn decreases the chance of developing treatment-resistance. Engagement of the MCN can be attained through activation of immune effector cells that in turn kill cancer cells or when direct cancer killing is complemented by the production of proinflammatory factors that secondarily recruit and activate immune effector cells. For instance, adoptive cell therapy (ACT) supplements cancer cell killing with the release of homeostatic and pro-inflammatory cytokines by the immune cells and damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) by dying cancer cells. The latter phenomenon, referred to as immunogenic cell death (ICD), results in an exponential escalation of anti-cancer MOAs at the tumor site. Other approaches can also induce exponential cancer killing by engaging the MCN of the TME through the release of DAMPs and additional pro-inflammatory factors by dying cancer cells. In this commentary, we will review the basic principles that support emerging paradigms likely to significantly improve the efficacy of anti-cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The sustainability of public hospital financing in Spain is a recurring issue, given its representativeness in annual public healthcare budgets which must adapt to the macroeconomic challenges that influence the evolution of spending. Knowing whether the responsiveness of hospital expenditure to its determinants (need, utilisation, and quasi-prices) varies according to the type of hospital could help better design strategies aimed at optimising performance. Methods: Using SARIMAX models, we dynamically assess unique nationwide monthly activity data over a 14-year period from 274 acute-care hospitals in the Spanish National Health Service network, clustering these providers according to the average severity of the episodes treated. Results: All groups showed seasonal patterns and increasing trends in the evolution of expenditure. The fourth quartile of hospitals, treating the most severe episodes and accounting for more than 50% of expenditure, is the most sensitive to quasi-price factors, particularly the number of beds per hospital. Meanwhile, the first quartile of hospitals, which treat the least severe episodes and account for 10% of expenditure, is most sensitive to quantity factors, for which expenditure showed an elasticity above one, while factors of production were not affected. Conclusions: Belonging to one or another cluster of hospitals means that the determinants of expenditure have a different impact and intensity. The system should focus on these differences in order to optimally modulate expenditure not only according to the needs of the population, but also according to the macroeconomic situation, while leaving hospitals room for manoeuvre in case of unforeseen events. The findings suggest strengthening a network of smaller hospitals (Group 1)–closer to their reference population, focused on managing and responding to chronicity and stabilising acute events–prior to transfer to tertiary hospitals (Group 4)–larger but appropriately sized, specialising in solving acute and complex health problems–when needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes the huff and puff development of multi-component thermal fluid as the main research object, based on the reservoir characteristics of multi-component thermal fluid in the development of heavy oil, through searching relevant literature and carrying out formation simulation experiments of multi-component thermal fluid core displacement, cavitation water jet rock breaking and other experiments, it is found that the dissolution of high-temperature components of multi-component thermal fluid, cavitation, viscosity reduction, and composition changes of multi-component thermal fluid will lead to reservoir sand production. Furthermore, through the sand production simulation experiment of multi-component thermal fluid huff and puff, it is found that the soaking time is the main factor affecting sand production. In view of the multi-round characteristics of huff and puff development, multi-round sand production simulation experiments are also carried out in this paper. In view of the multi-round characteristics of huff and puff development, multiple rounds of sand production simulation experiments were carried out. As the huff and puff rounds change, the influence of various factors on sand production becomes more and more obvious, that is, temperature has the strongest influence, and injection speed is the second. In short, the pressure is the weakest. This study is helpful to guide fine sand control, set up a reasonable production and mining system, and play a very important role in prolonging the life of oil and gas wells and improving economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This data article presents a high‐resolution map of available water content (AWC) for Senegal, derived from the iSDA Africa dataset and the USDA Rosetta3 model, as well as the method used for its production. The map covers the entire country at a resolution of 30 m and provides a valuable resource for hydrological studies and spatialized crop model simulations in the region where water is a limiting factor for crop production. The dataset is based on existing soil properties data and leverages pedotransfer functions (PTFs) to estimate water retention capabilities from soil properties. This AWC map derived from datasets with enhanced accuracy offers a more precise estimate of soil water retention capacity, which can be instrumental in informing water and agricultural management, policy decisions and investments. The dataset, including intermediate variables, is available in geotiff format at Cirad Dataverse under the DOI 10.18167/DVN1/SGNSII and complies with FAIR data principles, allowing its broad reuse. The code used to produce this dataset is also made available under the DOI 10.5281/zenodo.10078399, so that AWC maps can be produced for any territory covered by the iSDA Africa product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poultry industry is one of the most important agricultural subsectors, significantly contributing to protein supply and holding a unique position in terms of production and employment. To expand and boost profitability in this industry, it is important to analyze the economic factors of production, so that the factors influencing the rise in productivity of broiler production units may properly be recognized. As a result, the effective factors on the productivity of the Arian broiler sector in Iran's Kurdistan Province were investigated and prioritized in the current study. In order to evaluate the productivity of the industry, four main factors including human capital, economic, technical, and environmental variables were evaluated. The DEMATEL-ANP integrated approach was then used to determine the relative weights of the factors. The results revealed that the human capital component had the highest impact and the economic component was identified as the most influential factor among the other factors. Furthermore, the economic indicator had the highest priority, with a weight of 0.17. Of the 29 research components (sub-criteria), the "broiler farmer experience", with a weight of 0.042, exerted the greatest impact on the productivity of the province's broiler sector. The "feed cost", "day-old chicks cost", and "health care cost" ranked the second to fourth, respectively. According to the findings, more attention should be devoted to the production chain, such as input production and poultry vaccinations, in order to accomplish and also enhance productivity in the broiler industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries of Emerging and Developing Europe (EDE) significantly transformed their agri-food sector in the last decades, and it has specific implications for agricultural tendencies and the economy of these countries. This research focuses on the sources of growth of agricultural production in countries belonging to EDE, as the former communist countries classified by the International Monetary Fund. This group of countries is particularly interesting because there is room for further growth in agricultural production, which can be crucial in times of crisis. This article's main objective is to estimate agriculture's production function and analyze the relationship between agricultural output and used inputs. Based on data for the period 2008 to 2019, results showed that the increase in the use of mineral fertilizers is a key source of production growth among production factors. Due to the economic importance of fertilizer use and its environmental effect, it can be concluded that agricultural policy must be created carefully in these countries to achieve a balance between economic, social, and environmental goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: The mainstays of treatment for granuloma pyogenicum include careful evaluation of any penile growth, thorough excision of the polypoid, histological examination, and close monitoring to check relapse and management. Pyogenic granuloma is an acquired noncancerous vascular proliferation that arises from the mucosa and skin, seldom subcutaneously or intravascularly. It is also referred to as telangiectasis granuloma or lobular capillary haemangioma. The risk factors include vascular abnormalities, medicines, hormones, and microtrauma. We discussed the case of a 24‐year‐old man who had a poorly managed ventral distal penile polypoid lesion at a peripheral hospital. Upon further histopathological examination, the diagnosis of pyogenic granuloma was made. Histopathologically speaking, the term "pyogenic granuloma" is misleading because the illness is not linked to the production of granulomas. Pyogenic granuloma's etiopathogenesis is still unknown; true hemangioma is thought to be a reactive hyperproliferative of the vasculature brought on by a variety of stimuli; pyogenic granuloma may be caused by uneven angiogenic factor production in response to minor local trauma or cutaneous disease. Histopathological analysis and surgical excision are the methods used for diagnosis and treatment. The mainstay of treatment for granuloma pyogenic granuloma includes careful evaluation of any penile growth, thorough excision of the polypoid, histological examination, close follow‐up to check for relapse, and early management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary methodology of Marxism consists of tackling the principal contradiction, and recognizing and addressing the principal contradiction in society is an essential prerequisite for advancing social progress. It is precisely by identifying and actively responding to the evolution of the principal contradiction facing Chinese society that the Communist Party of China has continuously promoted the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the new era, the evolution of the principal contradiction facing Chinse society has triggered changes in the driving forces of Chinese modernization, and the focuses of our work have changed from satisfying the people's material and cultural needs, to satisfying the ever-growing expectation of the people for a better life; from treating a high input of the factors of production as the main driving force in the economy, to regarding innovation as the primary source of growth; from overcoming the backward state of social production, to strengthening supply-side structural reform; from depending heavily on external circulation by way of the international market, to constructing the "dual circulation" development pattern in which domestic and foreign markets can boost each other, with the domestic market as the principal element; and from regarding only material incentives as crucial, to emphasizing both material and spiritual incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, several points of view are adopted to present the research directions of contemporary Piagetian historiography. This article first notes the immensity of the secondary literature (20'000 texts) related to Piaget's work, between empirical and historical-epistemological works. In order to get a more precise idea, we carried out various analyses of the scope of influence of his work: on the 2000 keywords of the thesaurus of secondary literature from 1945 to 2012; on the reception of Piaget's idea in France between 1920 and 1940; and on the disciplines of insertion of a thousand works from his private library, which were dedicated to him. These analyses corroborate Piaget's multidisciplinary impact in the 20th century science and culture and indicate the existence of an international Piagetian movement, which has not yet been studied. The factors of production and the recent orientations of the secondary literature are then discussed, showing the changes in the historiography of the last 50 years. Finally, future research directions are outlined between the exploitation of unknown archives and the use of a digital edition of Piaget's work, which is currently underway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several manufacturing industries try to reduce transportation waste using automated material handling systems, which can enhance the transportation of raw materials from one location to another in the production line of a manufacturing area. The issue with transportation and job flow is a critical factor in a production line because some production stations need to wait for the work-in-progress to be delivered. Automated guided vehicle (AGV) transportation needs a setup of traffic control over a factory's physical infrastructure and simulation. Doing so can help showcase and evaluate possible deficiencies that can be improved in the real job flow scenario of the production line. The design of experiment plays a huge role in finding and explaining variations of information under conditions that are regularly put as a hypothesis to reflect or describe the variation. A simulation model is implemented by adopting simplified AGV parameters. The model development follows the structure of system specification → machine specification → AGV specification → discrete-event simulation model → experimental design → analysis of performance indicators (PIs). To precisely reflect an alternative for evaluating aforementioned issues, this study proposes the model stated above and an analysis that is based on the PIs. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results are chosen to analyze different factors affecting the PIs. Using the factorial ANOVA test results, this study uses one-way and two-way interactions to compare the relationship between job flow time, AGVs, AGV utilization, number of AGVs, and average waiting time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petrochemical feedstocks are experiencing a fast growth in demand, which will further expand their market in the coming years. This is due to an increase in the demand for petrochemical-based materials that are used in households, hospitals, transportation, electronics, and telecommunications. Consequently, petrochemical industries rely heavily on olefins, namely propylene, ethylene, and butene, as fundamental components for their manufacturing processes. Presently, there is a growing interest among refineries in prioritising their operations towards the production of fuels, specifically gasoline, diesel, and light olefins. The cost-effectiveness and availability of petrochemical primary feedstocks, such as propylene and butene, can be enhanced through the direct conversion of crude oil into light olefins using fluid catalytic cracking (FCC). To achieve this objective, the FCC technology, process optimisation, and catalyst modifications may need to be redesigned. It is helpful to know that there are several documented methods of modifying traditional FCC catalysts' physicochemical characteristics to enhance their selectivity toward light olefins' production, since the direct cracking of crude oil to olefins is still in its infancy. Based on a review of the existing zeolite catalysts, this work focuses on the factors that need to be optimized and the approaches to modifying FCC catalysts to maximize light olefin production from crude oil conversion via FCC. Several viewpoints have been combined as a result of this research, and recommendations have been made for future work in the areas of optimising the yield of light olefins by engineering the pore structure of zeolite catalysts, reducing deactivation by adding dopants, and conducting technoeconomic analyses of direct crude oil cracking to produce light olefins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stunt disease is becoming the major yield limiting factors for the chickpea production and its occurrence has been reported form different states of India. The symptoms of stunt disease caused by chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus are difficult to distinguish Mastrevirus-infected plant from other disease-causing pathogens. Therefore, it's an imperative for precise detection of causal agent of the disease for development of management strategy against chickpea stunt. Methods: Survey for the incidence of stunt disease with most characteristic symptoms of leaf reddening and yellow orange typical to Mastrevirus infection was conducted in chickpea fields. The causal agent of the stunt was characterized and described through conventional and virus-specific PCR-based diagnostic technique. Result: The study revealed that maximum of 60% of the chickpea stunt was observed in three districts of Uttar Pradesh with an average incidence of 12.90%. The PCR amplification using CpCDV-specific primers encoding coat protein resulted in an expected amplicon size of 350 bp. The comparison of the partial coat protein sequence of virus revealed that maximum homology of 98.70% with previously identified chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus (CpCDV) strains, indicating that CpCDV associated with the chickpea stunt. Based on molecular characterization, chickpea stunt disease caused by Chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus (ssDNA), belongs to the genus Mastrevirus which is also responsible for the lentil stunt disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There is a simultaneous equations model to systematically study the impact of servitization of manufacturing on the upgrading of power status in the global value network. • The servitization of manufacturing will directly promote the international competitiveness of China's manufacturing based on the domestic value added of exports, and the improvement of international competitiveness will interact with the centralization of network power status. • Compared with the non-commercial sectors, the servitization of the commercial sectors has a more obvious impact on the power status of the global value network. • China's manufacturing enterprises should strengthen their own service-oriented transformation to improve the core competitiveness, especially in the forms of digital servitization and financial servitization. In the context of the great changes of the global value network pattern, the servitization of manufacturing has become an important strategy for the transformation and upgrading of multinational enterprises. China's manufacturing industry has been in the core area of the global value network, creating a lot of export value, but the quality of development needs to be improved. Especially, the servitization level and structure of China's manufacturing have a great space for development. The servitization level affects the international competitiveness of manufacturing enterprises, and their power status in the global value network depends on their international competitiveness to a large extent. With value-added trade data, inter-country input-output tables and China's industrial economic data, there is a simultaneous equations model in this paper to systematically study the impact of servitization of manufacturing on the upgrading of power status in the global value network. The empirical results show that the servitization level of the manufacturing significantly improves the competitiveness of the export value-added, and then affects its core position in the global network. This is a transmission mechanism with a complete mediating effect. Heterogeneity studies show that both commercial and non-commercial servitization have positive impacts on the status of China's manufacturing in the global value network, but the difference is significant. The distance between service and production, and the development stage of service dominance are the main reasons for the difference. China's manufacturing enterprises should optimize the allocation structure of production factors and strengthen their own service-oriented transformation to improve the core competitiveness, especially in the forms of digital servitization and financial servitization. And the government should innovate public service supply to carry out economic governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive characteristics (e.g., pollen, strobili, cones, seeds, and fruit) are one of the main tools in sustainable forestry. However, many biotic (e.g., growth characteristics, species, population, and individual) and abiotic (e.g., edaphic, climatic, geographic, and year) factors can affect these characteristics. In this study, the impact of climatic characteristics, including minimum, maximum, and average temperatures, annual total precipitation, and relative humidity, on female and male strobilus production was examined in three natural populations of Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) during three consecutive years (2020–2022). For this purpose, fifty trees were sampled randomly and marked in each population to observe strobilus production. Analysis of variance showed that climatic characteristics were similar (p > 0.05) among years and among populations, while female and male strobilus production showed significant (p < 0.01) differences among years, among populations, and among years within populations. In contrast, interactions of population × year were not significant (p > 0.05) for climatic characteristics. Two populations had the highest strobilus production (155.4 and 82.3 for females and 889.4 and 186.1 for males) in 2022. The studied climatic characteristics had no significant (p > 0.05) effects on strobilus production. The results of the study emphasized similar forestry practices in local areas based on climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agar oligosaccharides are thought to be valuable biomolecules with high bioactivity potential, along with a wide range of applications and advantages. The current study aimed to optimize the culture parameters required to produce agarase enzyme and agar oligosaccharides from industrial waste agar. Microbacterium spp. strain SS5 was isolated from a non-marine source and could synthesize oligo derivatives for use in a variety of industries ranging from food to pharmaceuticals. In addition, the strain and culture conditions were optimized to maximize extracellular agarase production. The bacterium grew best at pH 5.0 − 9.0, with an optimal pH of 7.5 − 8.0; temperatures ranging from 25 to 45 °C, with an optimal of 35 °C; and carbon and nitrogen concentrations of 0.5% each. Plackett-Burman experimental design and response surface methods were used to optimize various process parameters for agarase production by Microbacterium spp. strain SS5. Using the Plackett-Burman experimental design, eleven process factors were screened, and agar, beef extract, CaCl2, and beginning pH were found as the most significant independent variables affecting agarase production with confidence levels above 90%. To determine the optimal concentrations of the identified process factors on agarase production, the Box- Behnken design was used. Agarase production by Microbacterium spp. strain SS5 after optimization was 0.272 U/mL, which was determined to be greater than the result obtained from the basal medium (0.132 U/mL) before screening using Plackett-Burman and BBD with a fold increase of 2.06. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, based on static data from over a thousand fracturing wells, employs data governance, data mining, and machine learning regression uncover principal controlling factors for production in the fracturing context. Preprocessing methods, including outlier identification, missing value imputation, and label encoding, address the field data challenges. Correlations among geological, engineering, and production parameters are analyzed using Pearson coefficient, grey correlation, and maximum mutual information. The AutoGluon framework and SHAP post-explanation method compute feature importance. Utilizing multiple evaluation methods, the entropy weight method comprehensively scores and ranks the principal controlling factors. A machine learning production prediction model is established for validation. Results show that DBSCAN achieves better accuracy in identifying field anomaly data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) is believed to drive the next phase of sustainable productivity growth, meeting growing water demand, so as to address increasing environmental sustainability challenges. The Middle Route of SNWDP is regarded as an extremely large long-distance inter-basin water diversion project, which has benefited Henan, Hebei, Tianjin and Beijing since 2014 with great sustainable changes to the cities, groundwater, ecological environment, industrial structure and social development of the beneficiary areas. Taking the number of industrial enterprises above designated size (IEDS) in the water-receiving areas as the research object, this paper takes the year of policy implementation 2014 as the basic time point, evaluating the change of the number of IEDS in the beneficiary areas of the Middle Route of SNWDP through difference-in-difference model. The results show that: (1) The Middle Route of SNWDP promotes the additional growth of the number of IEDS in the beneficiary areas. (2) When the Middle Route of SNWDP promotes the growth of the number of IEDS in beneficiary areas, there is no regional difference for regions with different development levels. (3) The reasons why the Middle Route of SNWDP contributes to the additional growth of the number of IEDS are composed of promoting mixed ownership reform of enterprises in beneficiary areas, increasing water supply and increasing population. However, the Middle Route of SNWDP has not had a significant impact on the traditional total factor productivity or the components of production factors, technology and capital. From the final outcome, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project has played a facilitating role in the sustainable development of large-scale enterprises in the water-receiving areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adenomatous polyps (APs) with inflammation are risk factors for colorectal cancer. However, the role of inflammation-related gut microbiota in promoting the progression of APs is unknown. Methods: Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was conducted to identify characteristic bacteria in AP tissues and normal mucosa. Then, the roles of inflammation-related bacteria were clarified by Spearman correlation analysis. Furthermore, colorectal HT-29 cells, normal colon NCM460 cells, and azoxymethane-treated mice were used to investigate the effects of the characteristic bacteria on progression of APs. Results: The expression levels of inflammation-related markers (diamine oxidase, d-lactate, C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β) were increased, whereas the expression levels of anti-inflammatory factors (interleukin-4 and interleukin-10) were significantly decreased in AP patients as compared to healthy controls. Solobacterium moorei (S. moorei) was enriched in AP tissues and fecal samples, and significantly positively correlated with serum inflammation-related markers. In vitro, S. moorei preferentially attached to HT-29 cells and stimulated cell proliferation and production of pro-inflammatory factors. In vivo, the incidence of intestinal dysplasia was significantly increased in the S. moorei group. Gavage of mice with S. moorei upregulated production of pro-inflammatory factors, suppressed proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+cells, and disrupted the integrity of the intestinal barrier, thereby accelerating progression of APs. Conclusions: S. moorei accelerated the progression of AP in mice via activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway, chronic low-grade inflammation, and intestinal barrier disruption. Targeted reduction of S. moorei presents a potential strategy to prevent the progression of APs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the mainstream economics view of production based on the conventional factors of production is socially and empirically inaccurate, giving a distorted view of the nature of the production process and the agents responsible for it. Although the factors of production are essential, just as important are the various social, cultural, and political enabling conditions, or what is termed the ‘understructure’ of market production (the complex of infrastructures which underlie and enable market production). We gain an enriched understanding of what the economy truly is by studying the functioning of the understructure and the ancestral labour and care encompassed in it. If this revised view is correct, it has radical ethical implications. In particular, it implies that individuals do not morally deserve the bulk of the income (90% or more) that they receive in the market. High levels of redistributive taxation may therefore be legitimatea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Embelia ribes fruit extract inhibits QS-dependent virulence factors and biofilm. • Inhibition of QS enhances efficacy of antimicrobial drugs & attenuates pathogenicity. • Reduction in swarming motility and exopolysaccharide production in test pathogens. • In silico results provided insights into the mechanism underlying anti-QS activity. • Embelin was found to be the most prominent compound with potent anti-QS activity. Quorum sensing (QS) is a cell-to-cell signaling method that allows bacteria to control gene expression and regulate a variety of physiological processes, particularly the synthesis of virulence factors and biofilm formation. Inhibition of QS has been proposed as a promising strategy in attenuating the pathogenicity and enhancing the efficacy of antimicrobial drugs targeting bacterial infections. This study investigated the potential utilization of Embelia ribes fruit extract (ERFE) as an inhibitor of QS-dependent virulence factors and biofilm development in Gram negative pathogens. Further, the results were correlated with the inhibition of biofilms. High performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), followed by analysis of phytochemicals using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was conducted. Analyzing ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity) profiles, PAINS (Pan-assay interference compounds), and molecular docking analyses of selected potential phytochemicals were performed against proteins participating in QS and formation of biofilm. In-vitro analysis of anti-QS activity of ERFE against Chromobacterium violaceum (violacein production), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (pyocyanin production) and Serratia marcescens (prodigiosin production) demonstrated significant dose-dependent interference in pigment formation at sub-MIC concentrations. The development of biofilm was significantly reduced by 84.10, 85.52 and 70.64% over control at the highest sub-MIC levels for C. violaceum, P. aeruginosa and S. marcescens , respectively. Furthermore, in the presence of ERFE, swarming motility and exopolysaccharide production (EPS) were also reduced. As a result, further insights have been gained into the mechanism underlying the anti-QS activity. Further investigations with in-vivo studies are warranted to fully explore the therapeutic applications of this natural compound in managing the bacterial pathogenicity and biofilm-related infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cannabis, more commonly known as marijuana or hemp, has been used for centuries to treat various conditions. Cannabis contains two main components cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). CBD, unlike THC, is devoid of psychoactive effects and is well tolerated by the human body but has no direct effect on the receptors of the endocannabid system, despite the lack of action on the receptors of the endocannabid system. Objectives and methods: We have prepared a literature review based on the latest available literature regarding the analgesic effects of CBD. CBD has a wide range of effects on the human body. In this study, we will present the potential mechanisms responsible for the analgesic effect of CBD. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review to explore the analgesic mechanisms of CBD. Results and conclusion: The analgesic effect of CBD is complex and still being researched. CBD models the perception of pain by acting on G protein‐coupled receptors. Another group of receptors that CBD acts on are serotonergic receptors. The effect of CBD on an enzyme of potential importance in the production of inflammatory factors such as cyclooxygenases and lipoxygenases has also been confirmed. The presented potential mechanisms of CBD's analgesic effect are currently being extensively studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the mechanism involved in variable phenotypes of epilepsy models induced by γ‐aminobutyric acid type A γ2 subunit (GABRG2) mutations. Methods: The zebrafish carrying wild‐type (WT) GABRG2, mutant GABRG2(P282S), GABRG2(F343L) and GABRG2(I107T) were established by Tol2kit transgenesis system and Gateway method. Behavioral analysis of different transgenic zebrafish was performed with the DanioVision Video‐Track framework and the brain activity was analyzed by field potential recording with MD3000 Bio‐signal Acquisition and Processing System. The transcriptome analysis was applied to detect the underlying mechanisms of variable phenotypes caused by different GABRG2 mutations. Results: The established Tg(hGABRG2P282S) zebrafish showed hyperactivity and spontaneous seizures, which were more sensitive to chemical and physical epileptic stimulations. Traditional antiepileptic drugs, such as Clonazepam (CBZ) and valproic acid (VPA), could ameliorate the hyperactivity in Tg(hGABRG2P282S) zebrafish. The metabolic pathway was significantly changed in the brain transcriptome of Tg(hGABRG2P282S) zebrafish. In addition, the behavioral activity, production of pro‐inflammatory factors, and activation of the IL‐2 receptor signal pathway varied among the three mutant zebrafish lines. Conclusion: We successfully established transgenic zebrafish epileptic models expressing human mutant GABRG2(P282S), in which CBZ and VPA showed antiepileptic effects. Differential inflammatory responses, especially the SOCS/JAK/STAT signaling pathway, might be related to the phenotypes of genetic epilepsy induced by GABRG2 mutations. Further study will expand the pathological mechanisms of genetic epilepsies and provide a theoretical basis for searching for effective drug treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we analyze nuclear effects in the inclusive production of quarkonium in proton‐nucleus collisions at high energy regime. A theoretical framework that includes initial state effects like nuclear shadowing and gluon density saturation is considered. Numerical results for nuclear modification factor, RpA(y)$$ {R}_{pA}(y) $$, as a function of meson rapidity in proton‐nucleus collisions are presented. The parameter‐free predictions are compared to the available data from the Large Hadron Collider. Discussion on the main theoretical uncertainties is made, with emphasis on the phenomenological models for the nuclear saturation scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Misallocation of factors of production has been recently viewed as a promising explanation accounting for the large difference in total factor productivity (TFP) across countries. This article differs from previous studies by concentrating on interregional capital misallocation and by focusing on the role of fiscal decentralization in shaping misallocation. Using a city level panel data set, we measure intra-provincial and inter-city capital misallocation in China over 2003–2018. The empirical results based on provincial level panel data suggest that fiscal decentralization can lower inter-city capital misallocation while revenue decentralization performs better than expenditure decentralization. We further find that this positive effect is more significant and much larger when it is the market rather than government intervention that is driving the flow of capital. The results are robust to subsample regressions, IV estimations, spatial autoregressions and alternative measurement of interregional misallocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biohydrogen generation from various waste materials is quite promising in renewable energy exploration. Biohydrogen is a cost-effective biofuel that produces both water vapor and energy when burned. However, biohydrogen production is more appreciable in utilizing various waste materials, thereby compromising both socioeconomic and technical strategies of energy exploration. The substrate, inoculum employed and their concentrations, culture kinds, and pretreatment procedure have all been found to be important in biohydrogen production. Physiological variables such as pH, temperature, redox potential, and partial pressure also significantly impact biohydrogen generation. The utilization of several growth factors, mainly the substrate, nitrogen, and phosphorus, also confronts extensive applications during biohydrogen production. This present study explores the enhancing activity engaged by the parameters and focuses on the inhibitory effects of the operating conditions. • Less expensive bio-hydrogen production can be attained using facultative anaerobes. • Higher hydrogen production can be attained from the base-treated bacterial inoculum. • Temperature and pH are the prime factors confiding in more outstanding hydrogen production. • Protons liberated during organic acids breakdown would inhibit bacterial growth. • Ligninolytic enzyme-producing fungi are very promising in lignocellulose pretreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review provides insights at the molecular level into the current and old methods for treating meniscal injuries. Meniscal injuries have been found to have a substantial impact on the progression of osteoarthritis. In line with the "save the meniscus" approach, meniscectomy is considered a last-resort treatment. Nevertheless, it is important to note that mechanical repair alone may not achieve the complete restoration of the meniscus. A deep understanding of the healing pathways could lead to future improvements in meniscal healing. The inclusion of cytokines and chemokines has the potential to facilitate the process of tear repair or impede the inflammatory catabolic cascade. MicroRNA (miRNA) could serve as a potential biomarker for meniscal degeneration, and RNA injections might promote collagen and growth factor production. The critical aspect of the healing process is angiogenesis within the inner zone of the meniscus. The use of collagen scaffolds and the implantation of autologous meniscus fragments have been successfully integrated into clinical settings. These findings are encouraging and underscore the need for well-designed clinical trials to explore the most effective factors that can enhance the process of meniscal repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the electrical calculations of four 1 MW Solar Power Plants (SPPs) located in four different directions, established in Samsun (41° 17′ 25″ North, 36° 20′ 1″ East) province, Turkey, were analyzed and compared in terms of various parameters. Daily production data obtained from real SPPs for the years 2021 and 2022 are used in this study. This way, a comprehensive data source was obtained for four directions. Values such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, panel direction, panel angle, and pollution were recorded daily and monthly. It has been observed that the factors affecting the production values in the months when the irradiance values decreased were climatic effects. It has been determined that in cases where the main factor is lack of radiation, the sun starts to fall on September 23, which is the angle of arrival to the Earth, and rises on March 21. The situation recorded between these dates is that the production differences between the west and the east did not show any variation. Production differences varied between 30 and 55% between the north and south directions. The most apparent months of the difference are December and January, when the sun's rays are most oblique to the northern hemisphere. The feasibility study of the installation of SPPs for the climate of the Black Sea region in Turkey according to different roof aspects was also carried out prospectively, and the reactions to possible natural events were reported as recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metal-free and low-cost g-C 3 N 4 has received a lot of attention from researchers as a photocatalyst to solve environmental and energy problems. However, bulk g-C 3 N 4 suffers from limited light absorption, few reactive sites and easy recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes, resulting in unsatisfactory photocatalytic performance. In this study, g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets with excellent photodegradation performance were successfully fabricated by a combination of S/P co-doping and secondary calcination modifications. The modified g-C 3 N 4 could degrade 99.4% rhodamine B (30 mg L−1) in only 4 min, which was 15 times higher than that of pure g-C 3 N 4 due to the synergistic effect of bi-element doping and secondary calcination. Furthermore, experiments using photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production have shown different results, demonstrating that the critical factor is different from the photodegradation reaction.This paper provides an effective and feasible novel idea for the modification of g-C 3 N 4. [Display omitted] • S/P co-doped g-C 3 N 4 with secondary calcination were fabricated successfully. • The S/P–CN-2 could photodegrade 99.4% rhodamine B (30 mg L−1) in only 4 min. • The result is due to synergistic effect of S/P co-doping and secondary calcination. • Secondary calcination will change the doping position of S atom but not P atom. • The critical factor for hydrogen production is different from the photodegradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial multidrug resistance is becoming a global menace to humanity, and finding alternative approaches to combat these "superbugs" is critical. Targeting quorum sensing (QS), which is essential for bacterial biofilm formation and virulence factors production, represents a viable alternative strategy for combating a variety of diseases. Accordingly, the current work reports potential QS inhibitors (QSIs), which could target the transcriptional regulator protein CviR in the model QS bacterium Chromobacterium violaceum. A set of novel hybrids 4(a–k) were synthesized using the virtual screening results of structurally based hybrids of the 2-indolinone-thiazolidine scaffold on the CviR active pocket residues. The ability of these hybrids to inhibit the QS system was tested against C. violaceum, and two molecules (4h and 4i) revealed promising antivirulence activity. Biofilm formation and motility were both impaired in the treated bacterial cells. Moreover, the molecular docking of these two compounds was comparable with that of chlorolactone (CL), a native inhibitor of the C. violaceum CviR. The global chemical descriptors were calculated for compounds 4h and 4i and found to be more reactive than the native inhibitor, CL. Furthermore, the in silico ADME prediction profiles of these two lead compounds, 4h and 4i, showed good ADME profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]