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The share of wind power in power systems is increasing dramatically, and this is happening in parallel with increased penetration of solar photovoltaics, storage, other inverter-based technologies, and electrification of other sectors. Recognising the fundamental objective of power systems, maintaining supply–demand balance reliably at the lowest cost, and integrating all these technologies are significant research challenges that are driving radical changes to planning and operations of power systems globally. In this changing environment, wind power can maximise its long-term value to the power system by balancing the needs it imposes on the power system with its contribution to addressing these needs with services. A needs and services paradigm is adopted here to highlight these research challenges, which should also be guided by a balanced approach, concentrating on its advantages over competitors. The research challenges within the wind technology itself are many and varied, with control and coordination internally being a focal point in parallel with a strong recommendation for a holistic approach targeted at where wind has an advantage over its competitors and in coordination with research into other technologies such as storage, power electronics, and power systems.

Abstract Background Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) manifests with hormonal imbalances, menstrual irregularities, follicle loss, and infertility. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) are emerging as a promising treatment for POI. This systematic review aims to assess the effects of MSC-EVs on follicle number, hormonal profile, and fertility in POI animal models. Methods A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases up to December 14th, 2023 was conducted. Two reviewers independently conducted screening, risk of bias assessment, and data extraction. Meta-analysis was performed to analyze treatment versus control outcomes using a random effects model. Publication bias was assessed using Egger’s regression test and sensitivity analysis was assessed using the leave-one-out method. Subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were conducted based on EV source, induction model, type of animal, study quality, administration route, administration frequency and route, and dose. Results a total of 29 studies were included. MSC-EVs treatment significantly increased total follicle count (SMD, (95CI), p-value; 3.56, (0.91, 6.21),

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the activation of error-prone DNA repair pathway in response to Helicobacter pylori infection. Relative changes in the expression levels of genes involved in the non-homologous end-joining pathway (NHEJ) in H. pylori-infected (Cases) and non-infected patients (Controls) with chronic gastritis were measured. A significant increase in the relative expression level of TP53, and significant decrease in the relative transcription of lncRNA LINP1 and XRCC5 were detected in the case group. The transcription of Lig4 and XRCC6 was increased in the case group, which was not statistically significant. The Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient analysis showed a significant positive-correlation between the transcriptional levels of LINP1 and XRCC4/XRCC5/Lig4, and between XRCC5 and TP53/Lig4 both in the case and control groups. Moreover, a significant positive correlation between LinP1 and XRCC6 in the case, and a significant positive correlation between XRCC4 and Lig4, and a negative correlation between TP53 and LinP1/XRCC4/XRCC5 in the control group was detected. Although a relative difference was detected in transcriptional levels of the NHEJ gene mediators, downregulation of LinP1 in H. pylori-infected patients proposed the activation of a negative feedback loop, which may interfere with the NHEJ activity at the early stages of gastritis.

Recent research on the genus Lithostege Hübner, 1825 has raised questions about the taxonomic status of Lithostege amseli Wiltshire, 1967. Examination of the recently rediscovered holotype confirms its validity as a distinct species. Furthermore, we have now clarified the taxonomy of Lithostege amoenata Christoph, 1885, a species that was previously misinterpreted. Additionally, two new species of the genus Lithostege from Afghanistan and Tajikistan are described here (L. hausmanni sp. n. and L. viidaleppi sp. n.). The wing patterns and genitalia structures of the discussed species are illustrated, and their diagnostic characteristics are discussed.

Abstract Introduction Identifying clinical factors that increase the risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients is crucial. This enables targeted screening, optimizing treatment, and prevention of severe complications, ultimately reducing death rates. This study aimed to develop prediction models for the death of patients (i.e., survival or death) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Shiraz, exploring the main influencing factors. Method We conducted a retrospective cohort study using hospital-based records of 1030 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19, who were hospitalized for treatment between March 21, 2021, and March 21, 2022, in Shiraz, Iran. Variables related to the final outcome were selected based on criteria and univariate logistic regression. Hierarchical multiple logistic regression and classification and regression tree (CART) models were utilized to explore the relationships between potential influencing factors and the final outcome. Additionally, methods were employed to identify the high-risk population for increased mortality rates during COVID-19. Finally, accuracy was evaluated the performance of the models, with the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve(AUC), sensitivity, and specificity metrics. Results In this study, 558 (54.2%) individuals infected with COVID-19 died. The final model showed that the type of medicine antiviral (OR: 11.10, p = 0.038) than reference (antiviral and corticosteroid), and discharge oxygen saturation(O2) (OR: 1.10, p

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of milk supplementation with different zinc (Zn) sources on growth rate, starter intake, diarrhea incidence, and nutrient digestibility in dairy calves during the pre-weaning period. Forty newborn Holstein heifer calves were assigned to four treatments: control (no Zn supplementation; CON) or supplementation with 80 mg/day Zn from zinc sulfate (Zn-Sul), chelated zinc (Zn-Bon), or zinc methionine (Zn-Met). The Zn supplements were provided via milk from days 3 to 14 of age. Body weight (BW) and starter intake (SI) were monitored until weaning on day 70. Serum metabolite concentrations were determined in blood samples collected on days 15 and 70. Fecal consistency index (FCI) and frequency of medical treatments were measured during the first 21 days of life. Apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) was determined in the 10th week of life. Although the effects of Zn supplementation on BW gain or body measurements were non-significant, a tendency for treatment × time interaction on BW was observed, with variations among the experimental groups becoming more pronounced on days 56 and 70, showing higher values in Zn-supplemented calves compared to CON. SI was improved by Zn supplementation, with the greatest response in the Zn-Bon group. Compared to control, ATTD of organic matter, neutral detergent fiber, and starch tended to increase with Zn supplementation. Blood metabolites and FCI did not differ among the experimental treatments. Although no significant difference was detected between Zn-Met and CON, the frequency of medical treatment was significantly lower in Zn-Bon and Zn-Sul compared to CON calves. In conclusion, zinc supplementation in milk, particularly with the organic chelated zinc source (Zn-Bon), showed promising effects on increasing starter intake and reducing medical treatments, along with trends toward enhanced growth and nutrient digestibility in pre-weaned calves.

Abstract Purpose The classification of trauma patients in emergency settings is a constant challenge for physicians. However, the Injury Severity Score (ISS) is widely used in developed countries, it may be difficult to perform it in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). As a result, the ISS was calculated using an estimated methodology that has been described and validated in a high-income country previously. In addition, a simple scoring tool called the Kampala Trauma Score (KTS) was developed recently. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of KTS and estimated ISS (eISS) in order to achieve a valid and efficient scoring system in our resource-limited setting. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study between December 2020 and March 2021 among the multi-trauma patients who presented at the emergency department of Imam Reza hospital, Tabriz, Iran. After obtaining informed consent, all data including age, sex, mechanism of injury, GCS, KTS, eISS, final outcome (including death, morbidity, or discharge), and length of hospital stay were collected and entered into SPSS version 27.0 and analyzed. Results 381 multi-trauma patients participated in the study. The area under the curve for prediction of mortality (AUC) for KTS was 0.923 (95%CI: 0.888–0.958) and for eISS was 0.910 (95% CI: 0.877–0.944). For the mortality, comparing the AUCs by the Delong test, the difference between areas was not statistically significant (p value = 0.356). The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) for the prediction of mortality KTS and eISS were 28.27 and 32.00, respectively. Conclusion In our study population, the KTS has similar accuracy in predicting the mortality of multi-trauma patients compared to the eISS.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cognitive-behavioral group training of self-care skills on positive and negative signs, and general psychopathology of patients with schizophrenia. In this quasi-experimental study, among the patients admitted to Ebn'e Sina Psychiatric Hospital in Mashhad who met the inclusion criteria, 50 people were randomly selected and divided into two groups of intervention (26 people) and control (24 people). The intervention group received cognitive-behavioral group training of self-care skills based on the protocol of Kashani-Lotfabadi & et al (2020) and the control group were placed on a waiting list. The research was conducted using available sampling method as pretest-posttest and follow up with a control group. Data were collected and evaluated by the Positive and Negative Clinical Syndrome Rating Scale (Kay, Fiszbein, Opler. 1987) in three stages. Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. The results showed that cognitive-behavioral group training of self-care skills can be effective in reducing the negative symptoms of patients with schizophrenia (p

Background and Aim: Stress is known to affect many reproductive variables, including gonadotropins and sex steroid levels. Stressors such as crowding can alter the normal function of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterine cycles. In the this study, we investigated the effect of crowding stress on mice oocyte parameters and reproductive organs. Materials and Methods: Mice were divided into control, low & high- density crowding stress groups, and kept under stres condition for one month. Superovulation was induced in the mice in all groups by pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The mice were sacrificed 15 hours after hCG injection. Grade I and IV oocytes were stained with the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method after collection and evaluation. Ovarian, fallopian tubes and uterine horns tissues were evaluated after staining with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). Data were analyzed by ANOVA. p-value ≤0.05 was considered significant. Results: The number of grade I and the size of grades I and IV oocytes in the high-density crowding stress group were significantly decreased compared to those in the control group. The rate of DNA fragmentation of grade I and IV oocytes in the low and high- density crowding stress groups demonstrated a significant increase compared to that in the control group. The number of monolayer primary follicles and the height of the fallopian tube epithelium significantly decreased in the high- density crowding stress group compared to those in the control group (p≤0.05). Conclusion: Crowding as an environmental stress can affect DNA fragmentation by inducing irregularities in follicular and oocyte development.

Abstract Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) are used in many studies due to their therapeutic potential, including their differentiative ability and immunomodulatory properties. These cells perform their therapeutic functions by using various mechanisms, such as the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, growth factors, direct cell-to-cell contact, extracellular vesicles (EVs) production, and mitochondrial transfer. However, mechanisms related to immune checkpoints (ICPs) and their effect on the immunomodulatory ability of MSCs are less discussed. The main function of ICPs is to prevent the initiation of unwanted responses and to regulate the immune system responses to maintain the homeostasis of these responses. ICPs are produced by various types of immune system regulatory cells, and defects in their expression and function may be associated with excessive responses that can ultimately lead to autoimmunity. Also, by expressing different types of ICPs and their ligands (ICPLs), tumor cells prevent the formation and durability of immune responses, which leads to tumors' immune escape. ICPs and ICPLs can be produced by MSCs and affect immune cell responses both through their secretion into the microenvironment or direct cell-to-cell interaction. Pre-treatment of MSCs in inflammatory conditions leads to an increase in their therapeutic potential. In addition to the effect that inflammatory environments have on the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines by MSCs, they can increase the expression of various types of ICPLs. In this review, we discuss different types of ICPLs and ICPs expressed by MSCs and their effect on their immunomodulatory and therapeutic potential.

5-Fluorouracil (5FU) is a common chemotherapy drug for various cancers. It has exhibited large potentials for the treatment of both malignant and premalignant tumors. In the meantime, topical application of 5FU has been limited to surface pre-carcinogenic tumors. So far, a number of nano systems have been developed for encapsulation and targeted delivery of 5FU to improve its solubility, bioavailability, and functional characteristics, leading to the development of, for example, 5FU carriers in topical treatments. Due to their considerable advantages over ordinary therapies, nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems (DDSs), particularly polymeric nanocarriers (PNCs), have led to some sorts of evolution in many fields, including disease diagnosis and DDS. As a naturally occurring polymer, chitosan (CS) has long been regarded because of its biodegradability, biocompatibility, polycationic nature, non-toxicity, and non-allergenic nature. In addition, the pH-responsive nature of CS provides an exact drug dispersion in the cancer environment, converting it a promising carrier system. Utilization of 5-FU into carbon nanocarriers has indicated positive results such as targeted delivery to tumors and prevention of cancer activity. Researchers have successfully synthesized a handful of CS nanocarriers with distinctive characteristics for targeted delivery of 5FU; these come in different forms, including nano-sized particles (NPs), composites (NCs), emulsions (NEs), and fibers (NFs). This study reviews the mechanism of CS in different formulations by analyzing the physicochemical characteristics of the corresponding DDS in terms of morphology, surface charge, release profile, and encapsulation driving force. A more detailed analysis was performed on the most popular pharmaceutical applications of 5FU-loaded CS NPs. Effective facilitation of targeted delivery of 5FU and improvement of its therapeutic effects for various cancers by the CS were also indicated. Herein, the readers are introduced to nanoscale systems based on natural polymers like chitosan as promising platforms for cancer diagnosis and therapy. More recent discoveries on mechanistic anticancer behavior of 5FU-loaded CS NPs was further discussed.

Geopolymer materials can be formulated with a variety of precursors rich in aluminosilicates. However, some of these precursors, which are industrial by-products, are not widely available in the world. Therefore, there is a need to explore alternative potential precursors derived from natural sources. This study investigates the viability of using natural zeolite utilization as a part of the precursor in one-part ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS)-based geopolymer mortars activated with sodium metasilicate. Geopolymer mortars were made with 0–90 wt% natural zeolite and cured at ambient and 40 ℃ temperatures. Fresh and hardened properties were evaluated. The test results showed that zeolite addition reduced the workability and setting time of the fresh mortar, significantly. Furthermore, the mechanical strength dropped with increasing zeolite content due to the microporous structure of the zeolite particles and weak reaction products. The microstructural examination showed that the mortars containing zeolite had a more porous structure compared to the pure slag mortar. Furthermore, heat-curing increased the mechanical strength in all mortars and densified the microstructure.

Energy management has emerged as a pressing concern in the planning and operation of smart cities, driven by the escalating demand for energy. Concurrently, demand response programs (DRPs) have gained significant attention in recent years, owing to their profound impact on the power system. This paper introduces an approach aimed at minimizing operational costs and environmental emissions within a smart city reliant on grid-connected power. A novel green energy scheduling for a multi-carrier energy community is presented to achieve a sustainable development. The proposed method places a premium on maximizing the utilization of renewable energy sources. Recognizing the inherent uncertainty associated with green energy resources, this approach seeks to enhance system reliability by addressing this challenge. This paper's primary objective is to tackle the intricate problem of power management in a smart city while factoring in the uncertainty stemming from green energy resources and the integration of DRPs. To address these complexities, the paper leverages the CPLEX solver embedded in the GAMS software application, while uncertainties in the system are modelled through the application of the Monte-Carlo algorithm. The results show that considering the uncertainty of green energy resources, the total cost of the system can be reduced by $504 by performing the DRPs.

We demonstrate experimentally the detection of magnetic force at optical frequencies, defined as the dipolar Lorentz force exerted on a photoinduced magnetic dipole excited by the magnetic component of light. Historically, this magnetic force has been considered elusive since, at optical frequencies, magnetic effects are usually overshadowed by the interaction of the electric component of light, making it difficult to recognize the direct magnetic force from the dominant electric forces. To overcome this challenge, we develop a photoinduced magnetic force characterization method that exploits a magnetic nanoprobe under structured light illumination. This approach enables the direct detection of the magnetic force, revealing the magnetic nearfield distribution at the nanoscale, while maximally suppressing its electric counterpart. The proposed method opens up new avenues for nanoscopy based on optical magnetic contrast, offering a research tool for all-optical spin control and optomagnetic manipulation of matter at the nanoscale.