Search

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that viruses can have multiple receptor properties, penetrating various tissues and causing mutations in various genes, thus promoting a range of metabolic disorders. The purpose of this study was to investigate the connection between three factors: diabetic status, pre-hospitalization oxygen therapy, and saturation levels, to the values of morphological, inflammatory, and biochemical parameters in the blood serum of COVID-19 patients. The study group consisted of 2139 patients, 1076 women (50.30%) and 1063 men (49.70%), with an average age of 63.73 ± 15.69 years. The population was divided into three groups based on a three-stage scale, taking into account patients with either type 2 diabetes/prediabetes (473 patients), those who received oxygen therapy before hospitalization, and those with a saturation value of below 95% (cut-off value). Among patients who did not receive pre-hospitalization oxygen therapy, those with diabetes and a SpO2 level

Ventilation systems constitute an important piece of the industrial facility ecosystems. Creating proper working environmental conditions for humans is crucial, especially in hazardous sites with presence of various gases, such as underground mines. Combined with the vast amount of space to be ventilated in large mines, designing and maintaining such a system is challenging and costly. To alleviate these issues, the EIT-RM project VOT3D (Ventilation Optimizing Technology based on 3D scanning) proposes conducting advanced airflow modeling in the underground tunnel networks, utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, modern surveying and 3D modeling approaches to reverse engineer a reliable geometric model of the mine and estimate the 3D airflow field inside it. In this paper, we present the challenges to be solved in this task and the proposed workflow to address them. An example related to an active industrial mine in Poland is reported as a basis for performing experimental data processing using the full, highly automatized procedure. Developments and results of underground mobile mapping (with a drone and a handheld system), point cloud processing and filtering, surface reconstruction and CFD modeling are presented. The detailed results of airflow field estimation show the advantages of the proposed solution and promise its high practical usefulness.

The purpose of this work is to present the process of the destruction of cultural property of the Muslim community during the warfare conducted on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in 1992–1995. The work is based on historical and press sources in Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian. Field research conducted in 2000 and 2022 to obtain information on the number of demolished and restored mosques in BiH also makes an important contribution. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with Slovak soldiers who served in NATO IFOR operations, as well as with representatives of international institutions. Research results indicate that during the war in BiH (1992–1995) the Muslim community suffered the greatest losses of cultural property. 614 mosques were destroyed. Serbian armed troops carried out most of the damage, while Croatian armed troops did less. After the war, no individual was held responsible for the destruction of cultural property. The case of BiH shows that international law still does not protect religious sites.

Abstract Sperm membrane composition and biophysical characteristics play a pivotal role in many physiological processes (i.e. sperm motility, capacitation, acrosome reaction and fusion with the oocyte) as well as in semen processing (e.g. cryopreservation). The aim of this study was to characterize the fatty acid content and biophysical characteristics (anisotropy, generalized polarization) of the cell membrane of domestic cat spermatozoa. Semen was collected from 34 adult male cats by urethral catheterization. After a basic semen evaluation, the fatty acid content of some of the samples (n = 11) was evaluated by gas chromatography. Samples from other individuals (n = 23) were subjected to biophysical analysis: membrane anisotropy (which is inversely proportional to membrane fluidity) and generalized polarization (describing lipid order); both measured by fluorimetry at three temperature points: 38 °C, 25 °C and 5 °C. Spermatozoa from some samples (n = 10) were cryopreserved in TRIS egg yolk-glycerol extender and underwent the same biophysical analysis after thawing. Most fatty acids in feline spermatozoa were saturated (69.76 ± 24.45%), whereas the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content was relatively low (6.12 ± 5.80%). Lowering the temperature caused a significant decrease in membrane fluidity and an increase in generalized polarization in fresh spermatozoa, and these effects were even more pronounced following cryopreservation. Anisotropy at 38 °C in fresh samples showed strong positive correlations with viability and motility parameters after thawing. In summary, feline spermatozoa are characterized by a very low PUFA content and a low ratio of unsaturated:saturated fatty acids, which may contribute to low oxidative stress. Cryopreservation alters the structure of the sperm membrane, increasing the fluidity of the hydrophobic portion of the bilayer and the lipid order in the hydrophilic portion. Because lower membrane fluidity in fresh semen was linked with better viability and motility after cryopreservation, this parameter may be considered an important factor in determination of sperm cryoresistance.

Abstract EFSA performs dietary exposure assessments for food‐producing and non‐food‐producing animals to deliver risk assessment for mandates on the presence of contaminants in feed. The CONTAM and FEEDAP Panels identified the need to update the animal dietary exposure assessment model used in those assessments in CONTAM Scientific Opinions since 2011 in cases where insufficient occurrence data are available on species specific compound feeds. The Panels proposed in this statement a series of model diets based on groups of feed materials with the possibility to use different feed materials in their formulation. The Panels considered that the currently proposed model diets cover the need of the CONTAM Panel to assess the dietary exposure of animals to contaminants in feed.

Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety of sepiolite as a technological feed additive for all animal species. In 2022, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) delivered an Opinion on the safety and efficacy of the same additive. The Panel concluded that sepiolite used as a feed additive is safe for the consumers and the environment, and efficacious as a thickener‐suspending agent, binder and anticaking agent in feed for all animal species under the proposed conditions of use. The additive was not considered an eye or skin irritant. However, it was considered a respiratory irritant, a respiratory and dermal sensitiser; owing to the dusting potential and its silica content, the additive was considered a risk by inhalation. Regarding the target species, in the previous Opinion, the Panel concluded on the safety of the additive for dairy ruminants. However, no conclusion could be drawn for all other species/categories. Based on the tolerance studies in chickens for fattening, weaned piglets and trout evaluated in the current assessment, and the one in dairy cows previously assessed, the Panel concluded that the inclusion of sepiolite at the maximum recommended level of 20,000 mg/kg complete feed is safe for all animal species.

Abstract Background This study was conducted to find the best concentration of cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin (CLC) which has a positive impact on canine post thaw semen quality. Three different concentrations of CLC (0.83 mg/ml; 1.66 mg/ml; 3.32 mg/ml) and 2-hydroxylpropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HBCD) (1.66 mg/ml) were used in addition to cryopreservation extender and compared with the control after thawing. Samples were assessed using computer-assisted semen analyzer (CASA), flow cytometry, fluorimeter by measuring the fluorescence anisotropy (ANISO) and determining the generalized membrane polarization (GP). Results An addition of 0.83 mg/ml CLC significantly increased the percentage of progressive motile (PROG) and rapid spermatozoa (RAP) (P

CO2 separation plays a crucial role in tackling the climate change induced by the greenhouse effects and improving the energy quality of natural gas and biogas. The efficient CO2 separation technology is highly required. Membrane separation technology is particularly attractive in CO2 separation processes owing to its advantages. However, the trade-off relationship limited the gas separation efficiency of polymeric membranes in gas separation processes. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare the high-performance membranes such as mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for CO2 separation. This review mainly focuses on the preparation methods, the material properties and the CO2 separation efficiency of the MMMs containing various fillers such as modified ZIFs, MOFs, and GO, and the emerging MOF-based composites, 2D MOFs and 2D MXene. The modified fillers demonstrated higher compatibility with polymer matrix, resulting in enhanced mechanical stability and CO2 separation efficiency of MMMs. 2D materials could significantly enhance the CO2 separation efficiency of MMMs, owing to their layered structure and the effective regulation of gas transport ways. Finally, the future direction and conclusions of fillers and MMMs in gas separation processes are provided.

This article reflects on the role of the academic dean in theological education in relation to faculty of color. Drawing on research related to faculty of color in higher education and theological education, the article explores issues and responses to the challenges faced by faculty of color in predominately White institutions, and maps potential responses and strategies.

Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety for the consumer of products from animals fed diets with feed additives containing selenium as an active substance. Based on the limited data set available and the several uncertainties, the FEEDAP Panel concluded that the use of organic selenium at the currently maximum authorised use level of 0.2 mg supplemented selenium from organic sources/kg complete feed (within a maximum of 0.5 mg total selenium/kg complete feed) leads to an exceedance of the UL for all the population categories (except elderly and very elderly), suggesting a concern for consumer safety. It was not possible to conclude on the safety of the currently maximum use level of 0.5 mg total selenium/kg complete feed for all consumer categories. Additional data from studies specifically designed to measure deposition of selenium in tissues and products from animal origin resulting from the use of the different sources of selenium would be required to perform a proper risk assessment.

Automatic segmentation of vestibular schwannoma (VS) from routine clinical MRI has potential to improve clinical workflow, facilitate treatment decisions, and assist patient management. Previous work demonstrated reliable automatic segmentation performance on datasets of standardized MRI images acquired for stereotactic surgery planning. However, diagnostic clinical datasets are generally more diverse and pose a larger challenge to automatic segmentation algorithms, especially when post-operative images are included. In this work, we show for the first time that automatic segmentation of VS on routine MRI datasets is also possible with high accuracy. We acquired and publicly release a curated multi-center routine clinical (MC-RC) dataset of 160 patients with a single sporadic VS. For each patient up to three longitudinal MRI exams with contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (ceT1w) (n = 124) and T2-weighted (T2w) (n = 363) images were included and the VS manually annotated. Segmentations were produced and verified in an iterative process: (1) initial segmentations by a specialized company; (2) review by one of three trained radiologists; and (3) validation by an expert team. Inter- and intra-observer reliability experiments were performed on a subset of the dataset. A state-of-the-art deep learning framework was used to train segmentation models for VS. Model performance was evaluated on a MC-RC hold-out testing set, another public VS datasets, and a partially public dataset. The generalizability and robustness of the VS deep learning segmentation models increased significantly when trained on the MC-RC dataset. Dice similarity coefficients (DSC) achieved by our model are comparable to those achieved by trained radiologists in the inter-observer experiment. On the MC-RC testing set, median DSCs were 86.2(9.5) for ceT1w, 89.4(7.0) for T2w, and 86.4(8.6) for combined ceT1w+T2w input images. On another public dataset acquired for Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery our model achieved median DSCs of 95.3(2.9), 92.8(3.8), and 95.5(3.3), respectively. In contrast, models trained on the Gamma Knife dataset did not generalize well as illustrated by significant underperformance on the MC-RC routine MRI dataset, highlighting the importance of data variability in the development of robust VS segmentation models. The MC-RC dataset and all trained deep learning models were made available online.