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Abstract As crucial stages in the plant ontogeny, germination and seedling establishment under adverse conditions greatly determine staple crop growth and productivity. In the context of green technologies aiming to improve crop yield, seed priming is emerging as an effective approach to enhance seed vigor and germination performance under salt stress. In this study, we assess the efficiency of seed priming with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in mitigating the adverse effects of salt stress on maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings during germination and early seedling stages. In unprimed seeds, salt stress reduced germination indices, and seedling (both radicle and coleoptile) growth, together with decreased tissue hydration. However, seed priming using IAA significantly improved maize salt response, as reflected by the increased seed germination dynamics, early seedling establishment, and water status. Besides, seedlings from IAA-primed seeds showed a higher activity of α-amylase, resulting in increased sugar contents in roots and coleoptiles of salt-stressed plants. Further, IAA-seed priming stimulated the accumulation of endogenous IAA in salt-stressed seedlings, in concomitance with a significant effect on reactive oxygen species detoxification and lipid peroxidation prevention. Indeed, our data revealed increased antioxidant enzyme activities, differentially regulated in roots and coleoptiles, leading to increased activities of the antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT and GPX). In summary, data gained from this study further highlight the potential of IAA in modulating early interactions between multiple signaling pathways in the seed, endowing maize seedlings with enhanced potential and sustained tolerance to subsequent salt stress.

Abstract The integration of supercapacitors as hybrid energy storage systems in electric vehicles has attracted the attention of many researchers and has been considered as a promising solution. Bidirectional DC/DC converters (BDDCs) play a fundamental role in HESS, as they manage the power flow by controlling currents and regulating the DC bus voltage. However, they encounter the challenge of uncertainties and high fluctuation power loads, necessitating the fast dynamics, stability, and high robustness of the controller. This paper proposes a novel hybrid proportional–integral and backstepping cascade controller to regulate the DC‐bus voltage under uncertainties and load variations, and to control the current references of the on‐boarded sources. To confirm the asymptotic stability of the whole system, a nonlinear stability analysis is conducted using the Lyapunov theorem. A power management strategy is applied to distribute the power loads and generate reference currents for the BDDCs controller. Simulations results under various driving cycles using MATLAB/Simulink demonstrate the superiority of the proposed controller compared to conventional proportional–integral and backstepping controllers. A real‐time controller‐hardware‐in‐the‐loop test bench is developed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

Keeping electrical systems running is critical in industries especially in those that rely on static converters, for example in the case of inverters, continuous and safe of operation must be ensured even if one of the inverter’s static switch modules fails. This paper presents a method for fault detection in static converters. The study presents a 3-phase 3-level NPC (Neutral Point Clamped) inverter with IGBTs as static switches where open-circuit or closed-circuit faults are considered. In addition, leg failure and structural reconfiguration are also considered in this fault-tolerant inverter by adding a fourth 3-level leg.

Introduction: Palmoplantar psoriasis is a rare variant of psoriasis. Its impact on quality of life have been poorly investigated. Objectives: Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of localized palmoplantar psoriasis (PPP), to assess its severity using the modified-Palmoplantar Pustular Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (m-PPPASI), and to evaluate the correlation with the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Methods: We conducted a descriptive study with prospective data-collection from January to June 2021. We enrolled 223 patients with psoriasis. We excluded patients without palmar/plantar involvement, and those with a body surface area (BSA) greater than or equal to 10%. Results: We included 33 patients with PPP. This corresponded to a 14.8% prevalence among all psoriasis phenotypes. The mean age was 45 years. The male to female ratio was 2.3. Pruritus was present in 27 cases. The mean m-PPPASI was 11.77. The mean DLQI was 8.33. A significant correlation was found between DLQI and m-PPPASI: Mean DLQI scores for patients with m-PPPASI less than or equal to 10 and m-PPPASI greater than 10 were 5.6 and 11.3, respectively (p=0.002). Only 11.8% of patients with m-PPPASI less than or equal to 10 had a DLQI greater than 10, whereas 50% of those with m-PPPASI greater than 10 had a DLQI greater than 10 (p=0.026). Conclusions: Based on the present work, we confirm that, although affecting a reduced BSA, PPP is a severe form of psoriasis. We consider the m-PPPASI to be a reliable tool which can be used to assess the severity of PPP.

The prevalence of obesity and its associated comorbidities has surged dramatically in recent decades. Especially concerning is the increased rate of childhood obesity, resulting in diseases traditionally associated only with adulthood. While obesity fundamentally arises from energy imbalance, emerging evidence over the past decade has revealed the involvement of additional factors. Epidemiological and murine studies have provided extensive evidence linking parental obesity to increased offspring weight and subsequent cardiometabolic complications in adulthood. Offspring exposed to an obese environment during conception, pregnancy, and/or lactation often exhibit increased body weight and long-term metabolic health issues, suggesting a transgenerational inheritance of disease susceptibility through epigenetic mechanisms rather than solely classic genetic mutations. In this review, we explore the current understanding of the mechanisms mediating transgenerational and intergenerational transmission of obesity. We delve into recent findings regarding both paternal and maternal obesity, shedding light on the underlying mechanisms and potential sex differences in offspring outcomes. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind obesity inheritance holds promise for enhancing clinical management strategies in offspring and breaking the cycle of increased metabolic risk across generations.

Empowering work teams is one of the most critical methods adopted in designing organizations to achieve the effectiveness of administrative decisions. The current study seeks a consistent theoretical framework for empowering work teams and speeding decision-making. It also aims to test the relationship between them in higher education institutions. The study sought to test the relationship applied based on an independent variable represented in empowering work teams with its dimensions: task design, leadership styles, organizational culture, information and communication, and a dependent variable represented in decision-making speed with its dimensions: response time, processing time, and execution time for a sample of university lecturers of the Faculty of Economic, Commercial, and Management Sciences at the at the University of Djelfa - Algeria. A questionnaire was designed to collect data from the study sample of 72 university lecturers, and the data was processed and analyzed statistically. The study reached a set of results. There was a significant effect of empowering leadership style, organizational culture, information and communication on the speed of decision-making among lecturers of the Faculty of Economic, Commercial, and Management Sciences at the University of Djelfa - Algeria. There were statistically significant differences in the sample responses concerning the axis speed of decision-making due to the job title variable. Also, the research study recommends working with the dimensions of the organization’s internal environment from the perspective of empowerment to make decisions that are compatible with time requirements.

Backgroung: Primary dural lymphoma is a very rare pathology arising from the dura mater. its clinical and radiological presentation is often similar to a meningioma. Treatment typically involves surgery followed by adjuvant radiotherapy/chemotherapy. Fewer than twenty cases have been described in the literature. Case presentation: A 73-year-old woman with a medical history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidemia presented with progressive right hemiparesis. Following diagnostic evaluation, a left fronto-temporal meningioma was initially diagnosed. Complete macroscopic excision was made and the immunohistochemical showed a follicular B lymphoma according. the patient had radiotherapy and chemotherapy sessions. Follow-up at 18 months was unremarkable. Conclusion: Primary dural lymphoma is an exceptionally rare pathology, often mimicking the radiological appearance of a meningioma. The management relies on complete tumor excision, along with a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. When administered appropriately, this treatment approach offers a favorable prognosis for patients.

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionised the medical system, empowering healthcare professionals to analyse complex nonlinear big data and identify hidden patterns, facilitating well-informed decisions. Over the last decade, there has been a notable trend of research in AI, machine learning (ML), and their associated algorithms in health and medical systems. These approaches have transformed the healthcare system, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, personalised treatment, and decision-making. Recognising the importance and growing trend of research in the topic area, this paper presents a bibliometric analysis of AI in health and medical systems. The paper utilises the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database, considering documents published in the topic area for the last four decades. A total of 64,063 papers were identified from 1983 to 2022. The paper evaluates the bibliometric data from various perspectives, such as annual papers published, annual citations, highly cited papers, and most productive institutions, and countries. The paper visualises the relationship among various scientific actors by presenting bibliographic coupling and co-occurrences of the author's keywords. The analysis indicates that the field began its significant growth in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with significant growth since 2019. The most influential institutions are in the USA and China. The study also reveals that the scientific community's top keywords include ‘ML’, ‘Deep Learning’, and ‘Artificial Intelligence’.

In perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the charge carrier recombination obstacles mainly occur at the ETL/perovskite and HTL/perovskite interfaces, which play a decisive role in the solar cell performance. Therefore, this study aims to enhance the flexible PSC (FPSC) efficiency by adding the newly designed CBz-PAI-interlayer (simply CBz-PAI-IL) at the perovskite/HTL interface. In addition, substantial work has been carried out on five different HTLs (Se/Te–Cu2O, CuGaO2, V2O5, and CuSCN, including conventional Spiro-OMeTAD as a reference HTL with and without CBz-PAI-IL), using drift-diffusion simulation to find suitable FPSC design to attain the maximum PCE. Interestingly, PET/ITO/AZO/ZnO NWs/FACsPbBrI3/CBz-PAI/Se/Te–Cu2O/Au device architecture demonstrates the highest achievable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 27.9 %. The findings of this study confirmed that the reference device (without IL) displays a large valence band edge (VBE)/highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level misalignment compared to the modified interface device (with CBz-PAI-IL that reduces VBE/HOMO level mismatch) that eases the hole transport, simultaneously, it reduces the charge carrier recombinations at the interface, resulting in diminished Voc losses in the device. Furthermore, the influence of perovskite absorber thickness and defect density, parasitic resistances, and working temperature are systematically examined to govern the superior FPSC efficiency and concurrently understand the device physics.