Considering that land use and land cover (LULC) change is one of the most important challenges to biodiversity today, we used Copernicus products to analyze LULC changes at the level of the “Nordul Gorjului de Vest” Natura 2000 site (Romania) from 1990 to 2018. The interpretation of the impact of these changes on areas with very high potential for three regulating ecosystem services (ESs) (local climate regulation, regulation of waste, and water purification) was performed. Forest habitats are the major LULC class category in the “Nordul Gorjului de Vest” Natura 2000 site, with broad-leaved forest as the dominant forest class. In terms of areas lost or gained by the different LULC classes for each analyzed time interval, most transformations took place in the period 2000–2006, changes which were also reflected in the overall study period (1990–2018). During this time frame, the conversion of transitional forest shrubs into broad-leaved forest, which is the second largest transition in terms of absolute area changed, led, in terms of contribution rates, to an increase in the areas with very high potential for two of the three analyzed ESs. The conversion of transitional woodland shrub into broad-leaved forest was conductive only to synergy for all the pairwise interactions between the three ESs. Full article

Offshore wind farms on the east offshore of Korea to produce multi-GW power from floating wind platforms are being planned. The objectives of the present study are to develop a new TLP-type floating wind platform with a 15 MW turbine for the planned site and to confirm the feasibility of the TLP design under extreme typhoon environments. The concept design of the 15 MW TLP floating platform was completed for installation at a water depth of 137 m. The platform was vertically moored with highly pretensioned wire rope tendons. The platform and tendons were designed to withstand extreme conditions for up to 50 years. Additionally, a platform with an integrated turbine was designed to be wet-towable from the quayside without dedicated vessels to minimize the pre-service cost and risk. An extreme response analysis was conducted to evaluate the platform motion, acceleration, airgap and tendon tension for wave variation, intact and damaged condition of the tendon, environment heading change, and water level variation. The platform design results were validated using the design criteria from the industry standards and recommendations, and the design was verified to comply with the design requirements for the planned sites. Full article

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) represents a heterogenous and complex group of idiopathic chronic inflammatory conditions affecting the gastrointestinal tract and other extraintestinal systems with rising global incidences. The interplay of genetic predisposition and environmental factors contributes to its pathogenesis. Among the key cytokines implicated in IBD molecular alterations, IL-33 stands out for its multifaceted roles in both pathogenesis and repair mechanisms. IL-33, known for its action in initiating immune responses, is closely associated with Th2 immunity and is considered a potent inflammatory factor with dual functions, acting both as a pro-inflammatory cytokine and a transcriptional regulator. Primarily expressed by non-hematopoietic cells in the gastrointestinal tract, IL-33 interacts with its receptor, ST2, to modulate immune responses. In IBD, dysregulated IL-33 expression exacerbates mucosal inflammation, compromising barrier integrity and promoting tissue damage and fibrosis. Additionally, IL-33 plays a complex role in IBD-related colorectal cancer (CRC), affecting tumor progression and angiogenesis. This review summarizes the multifaceted roles of IL-33 in gastrointestinal health and disease, emphasizing its significance in the pathogenesis of IBD and CRC. Moreover, we thought it of interest to provide new insights into potential therapeutic avenues targeting IL-33 signaling for the management of these debilitating conditions. Full article

Background: A relationship between the geometry and symmetry of Willis’ circle and intracranial aneurysms was reported for anterior communicating and posterior communicating (PCom) aneurysms. A similar association with the middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms instead appeared weaker. Methods: We reviewed 432 patients from six Italian centers with unilateral MCA aneurysms, analyzing the relationship between the caliber and symmetry of Willis’ circle and the presence of ruptured and unruptured presentation. CT-angiograms were evaluated to assess Willis’ circle geometrical characteristics and the MCA aneurysm side, dimension and rupture status. Results: The hypoplasia of the first segment of the anterior cerebral artery (A1) was in approximately one-quarter of patients and PCom hypoplasia was in almost 40%. About 9% had a fetal PCom ipsilaterally to the aneurysm. By comparing the aneurysmal and healthy sides, only the PCom hypoplasia appeared significantly higher in the affected side. Finally, the caliber of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and the first segment of MCA (M1) caliber were significantly greater in patients with unruptured aneurysms, and PCom hypoplasia appeared related to the incidence of an ipsilateral MCA aneurysm and its risk of rupture. Conclusions: Although according to these findings asymmetries of Willis’ circle are shown to be a risk factor for MCA aneurysm formation and rupture, the indifferent association with ipsilateral or contralateral hypoplasia remains a datum of difficult hemodynamic interpretation, thereby raising the concern that this association may be more casual than causal. Full article

With the wide application of deep learning, power inspection technology has made great progress. However, substation inspection videos often present challenges such as complex backgrounds, uneven lighting distribution, variations in the appearance of power equipment targets, and occlusions, which increase the difficulty of object segmentation and tracking, thereby adversely affecting the accuracy and reliability of power equipment condition monitoring. In this paper, a pixel-level equalized memory matching network (PEMMN) for power intelligent inspection segmentation and tracking is proposed. Firstly, an equalized memory matching network is designed to collect historical information about the target using a memory bank, in which a pixel-level equalized matching method is used to ensure that the reference frame information can be transferred to the current frame reliably, guiding the segmentation tracker to focus on the most informative region in the current frame. Then, to prevent memory explosion and the accumulation of segmentation template errors, a mask quality evaluation module is introduced to obtain the confidence level of the current segmentation result so as to selectively store the frames with high segmentation quality to ensure the reliability of the memory update. Finally, the synthetic feature map generated by the PEMMN and the mask quality assessment strategy are unified into the segmentation tracking framework to achieve accurate segmentation and robust tracking. Experimental results show that the method performs excellently on real substation inspection scenarios and three generalized datasets and has high practical value. Full article

Saponin-mediated endosomal escape is a mechanism that increases the cytotoxicity of type I ribosome-inactivating proteins (type I RIPs). In order to actualize their cytotoxicity, type I RIPs must be released into the cytosol after endocytosis. Without release from the endosomes, type I RIPs are largely degraded and cannot exert their cytotoxic effects. Certain triterpene saponins are able to induce the endosomal escape of these type I RIPs, thus increasing their cytotoxicity. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the endosomal escape enhancement of type I RIPs by triterpene saponins has not been fully elucidated. In this report, we investigate the involvement of the basic amino acid residues of dianthin-30, a type I RIP isolated from the plant Dianthus caryophyllus L., in endosomal escape enhancement using alanine scanning. Therefore, we designed 19 alanine mutants of dianthin-30. Each mutant was combined with SO1861, a triterpene saponin isolated from the roots of Saponaria officinalis L., and subjected to a cytotoxicity screening in Neuro-2A cells. Cytotoxic screening revealed that dianthin-30 mutants with lysine substitutions did not impair the endosomal escape enhancement. There was one particular mutant dianthin, Arg24Ala, that exhibited significantly reduced synergistic cytotoxicity in three mammalian cell lines. However, this reduction was not based on an altered interaction with SO1861. It was, rather, due to the impaired endocytosis of dianthin Arg24Ala into the cells. Full article

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the association between Cathepsin B and Parkinson’s Disease (PD), with a particular focus on determining the role of N-acetylaspartate as a potential mediator. Methods: We used summary-level data from Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) for a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis, exploring the association between Cathepsin B (3301 cases) and PD (4681 cases). A sequential two-step MR approach was applied (8148 cases) to study the role of N-acetylaspartate. Results: The MR analysis yielded that genetically predicted elevated Cathepsin B levels correlated with a reduced risk of developing PD (p = 0.0133, OR: 0.9171, 95% CI: 0.8563–0.9821). On the other hand, the analysis provided insufficient evidence to determine that PD affected Cathepsin B levels (p = 0.8567, OR: 1.0035, 95% CI: 0.9666–1.0418). The estimated effect of N-acetylaspartate in this process was 7.52% (95% CI = −3.65% to 18.69%). Conclusions: This study suggested that elevated Cathepsin B levels decreased the risk of developing PD, with the mediation effect of N-acetylaspartate. Further research is needed to better understand this relationship. Full article

Hypertension reduces the bioavailability of vascular nitric oxide (NO) and contributes to the onset of vascular dementia (VaD). A loss of NO bioavailability increases inflammation and oxidative stress. 2-(4-Methylthiazol-5-yl) ethyl nitrate hydrochloride (W1302) is a novel nitric oxide donor (NOD) which is undergoing phase I clinical trials in China for the treatment of VaD. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of W1302 in VaD rats induced by the permanent occlusion of a bilateral common carotid arteries model related to spontaneous hypertension (SHR-2VO), and we further explored the underlying mechanisms. Nimodipine was used as a positive control. Our results showed that W1302 treatment for 4 weeks (10 mg/Kg/day) exhibited stronger improvement in the spatial learning and memory deficits in SHR-2VO rats compared with nimodipine with slightly lower systolic blood pressure (SBP). Meanwhile, W1302 treatment significantly increased NO and cGMP production, restored mitochondrial membrane potential and attenuated oxidative stress as evidenced by increasing ATP production and reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the brain. Furthermore, W1302 treatment markedly inhibited the iNOS activity and decreased TNF-α expression via inhibiting the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Nimodipine treatment also restored these aberrant changes, but its ATP production was weaker than that of W1302, and there was no significant effect on NO release. Taken together, W1302 exhibited beneficial effects on complications in VaD with hypertension, which is involved in suppressing oxidative damage, and the inflammatory reaction might be mediated by an increase in NO release. Therefore, W1302 has therapeutic potential for the treatment of VaD caused by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion-associated spontaneous hypertension. Full article

The olive oil industry recently introduced a novel multi-phase decanter with the “Leopard DMF” series, which gives a by-product called pâté, made up of pulp and olive wastewater with a high content of phenolic substances and without pits. This study aims to create a new culture medium, the Olive Juice Broth (OJB), from DMF pâté, and apply it to select bacteria strains able to survive and degrade the bitter substances normally present in the olive fruit. Thirty-five different bacterial strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum from the CREA-IT.PE Collection of Microorganisms were tested. Seven strains characterized by ≥50% growth in OJB (B31, B137, B28, B39, B124, B130, and B51) showed a degradation of the total phenolic content of OJB ≥ 30%. From this set, L. plantarum B51 strain was selected as a starter for table olive production vs. spontaneous fermentation. The selected inoculant effectively reduced the debittering time compared to spontaneous fermentation. Hydroxytyrosol, derived from oleuropein and verbascoside degradation, and tyrosol, derived from ligstroside degradation, were produced faster than during spontaneous fermentation. The OJB medium is confirmed to be useful in selecting bacterial strains resistant to the complex phenolic environment of the olive fruit. Full article

The emergence of polarization image sensors presents both opportunities and challenges for real-time full-polarization reconstruction in scene imaging. This paper presents an innovative three-stage interpolation method specifically tailored for monochrome polarization image demosaicking, emphasizing both precision and processing speed. The method introduces a novel linear interpolation model based on polarization channel difference priors in the initial two stages. To enhance results through bidirectional interpolation, a continuous adaptive edge detection method based on variance differences is employed for weighted averaging. In the third stage, a total intensity map, derived from the previous two stages, is integrated into a residual interpolation process, thereby further elevating estimation precision. The proposed method undergoes validation using publicly available advanced datasets, showcasing superior performance in both global parameter evaluations and local visual details when compared with existing state-of-the-art techniques. Full article

High directional emission and high radiative quantum efficiency are strongly needed when moving a single optical nano-emitter (such as a quantum dot) into the practical realm. However, a typical optical nano-emitter struggles to meet the requirements above, which limits its practical applications in next-generation nano-photonic devices such as single-photon sources. Here, to achieve these features simultaneously, we propose and theoretically investigate a composite plasmonic antenna consisting of a hemispherical solid immersion lens (SIL) and a bowtie plasmonic nano-antenna, wherein a high directional emission of 10° and 2.5 × 10³ of Purcell factor have both been enabled. Moreover, we find that directionality and the Purcell factor can be manipulated independently in our antenna, which provides a novel platform for the optimization of single-photon sources. Full article

Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is recognized as a major risk factor for cervical cancer. Women with persistent HPV and negative cytology are at greater risk of CIN2+ than women with negative infection. The diagnosis becomes more complicated when the woman has a type 3 transformation zone at colposcopy. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of CIN2+ in women with persistent HPV, negative cytology and TZ3; how to stratify the risk of CIN2+; and what the best diagnostic strategy is, given TZ3. Methods: In a multicenter retrospective cohort study, we enrolled women with negative cytology and TZ3 among the 213 women referred for colposcopy for persistent HPV. The average age of the women was 53 years; in particular, 83% were postmenopausal women. In the presence of a TZ3, the entire transformation zone cannot be explored, making colposcopy and targeted biopsy useless and inadequate, with great risks of underdiagnosis or missed diagnosis. Women with TZ3 underwent diagnostic LEEP to ensure correct diagnoses. Results: The study highlighted 19% (16/84) of CIN2+ lesions, a higher frequency of non-HPV 16/18 genotypes (76.2%), and 50% of CIN2+ lesions being due to non-HPV 16/18 genotypes. Furthermore, more than half of the women (80.9%) had normal histopathological results in the LEEP sample. Conclusion. Women with viral persistence, negative cytology, and TZ3 have a 19% risk of CIN2+; genotyping helps stratify risk, but extensive genotyping is necessary instead of partial genotyping (16/18), referring to a population of women over 50 years old in which the prevalence of genotypes 16,18 decreases and the prevalence of other genotypes increases; diagnostic LEEP is excessive (only 16 cases of CIN2+ out of 48 cases treated), even though 83% of women had viral clearance after LEEP; p16/Ki67 double staining could be a potential risk marker, which would only highlight women at risk of CIN2+ to undergo LEEP. To individualize the diagnostic workup and treatment and minimize the risk of under diagnosis and overtreatment, future studies should explore the use of extended genotyping and new biomarkers for individual risk stratification. Full article

This article highlights a dilemma that we face when we turn to new tools that promise to improve on law’s imperfect governance. On the one hand, our discontent with law’s governance is both broad and deep, and much of it is rooted in the human nature of the legal enterprise. Yet, we remain attached to the essentially human nature of law’s governance. On the other hand, we recognise the potential benefits in technological governance but not without some displacement of the human element. Caught on the horns of this dilemma, we attempt to limit the loss of the human element by insisting that governance must be compatible with human rights or human dignity, or, more directly, that governance must limit the applications of technology so that they remain human-centric. Given a demand for human-centric applications of technologies, we consider how far humans might, and should, go in deploying new tools with a view to improving law’s imperfect governance. Should these tools be limited to assisting humans? Or, might they replace humans? Or might we even govern by technological management of places, products, and processes so that reliance on both humans and rules is reduced? It is concluded that, in all spheres of governance and in all human communities, the one thing that is essential is that the applications of new technologies are controlled so that they do not undermine the generic conditions which are presupposed by viable groups of human agents. Full article

This paper proposes a multi-perspective adaptive examination cheating behavior detection method to meet the demand for automated monitoring throughout the entire process in paperless online exams. Unlike current dual-perspective cheating behavior detection methods, we expand the monitoring field of view by using three cameras with different perspectives: the overhead perspective, the horizontal perspective, and the face perspective. This effectively covers areas where cheating may occur. An adaptive cheating behavior detection system based on three perspectives is proposed, including a gaze direction recognition model based on Swin Transformer, a cheating tool detection model based on Lightweight-YOLOv5-Coordinate Attention, and a cheating behavior determination model based on Multilayer Perceptron. To reduce computational complexity and ensure efficient processing while expanding the monitoring field of view, the system uses the results of the gaze direction recognition model to adaptively select the cheating behavior detection model from different perspectives, reducing the three-perspective system to dual-perspective. In online simulation tests, our method achieves cheating behavior determination at 35 frames per second, with an average recognition rate of 95%. It has good real-time performance, accuracy, and a large monitoring range. Full article

Northwestern Morocco is characterized by highly anthropized landscapes under the combined effect of agricultural intensification, resource overexploitation, urbanization, and tourism, but also local reforestation. Reconstructing the recent changes in vegetation in the region of the lower valley of the Loukkos river near Larache and their relationship to the settlement history are particularly helpful for understanding the processes at work within the landscape construction. The geohistorical approach combines paleoenvironmental, documentary, and historical data. The last few centuries have seen the emergence of wooded stands, in which cork oaks are a structural element. As forests were retreating, parklands intended for agriculture, agroforestry, and herding, like the Spanish dehesa and Portuguese montado, began to emerge. Nearly all of them have disappeared today, but we can identify their legacy and evaluate their cultural significance through comparing them with their counterparts in the Iberian Peninsula, but also in other areas of Morocco. Their deep historical roots give this landscape an evolving heritage character that is directly linked to the communities’ lifestyles, culture, and history. Full article

Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) of the H5 subtype rank among the most serious pathogens, leading to significant economic losses in the global poultry industry and posing risks to human health. Therefore, rapid and accurate virus detection is crucial for the prevention and control of H5 AIVs. In this study, we established a novel detection method for H5 viruses by utilizing the precision of CRISPR/Cas12a and the efficiency of RT-RPA technologies. This assay facilitates the direct visualization of detection results through blue light and lateral flow strips, accurately identifying H5 viruses with high specificity and without cross-reactivity against other AIV subtypes, NDV, IBV, and IBDV. With detection thresholds of 1.9 copies/μL (blue light) and 1.9 × 10³ copies/μL (lateral flow strips), our method not only competes with but also slightly surpasses RT-qPCR, demonstrating an 80.70% positive detection rate across 81 clinical samples. The RT-RPA/CRISPR-based detection method is characterized by high sensitivity, specificity, and independence from specialized equipment. The immediate field applicability of the RT-RPA/CRISPR approach underscores its importance as an effective tool for the early detection and management of outbreaks caused by the H5 subtype of AIVs. Full article

In this study, a p-Si/ALD-Al₂O₃/Ti/Pt MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) device has been fabricated and used as a hydrogen sensor. The use of such a stack enables a reliable, industry-compatible CMOS fabrication process. ALD-Al₂O₃ has been chosen as it can be integrated into the back end of the line (BEOL) or in CMOS, post processing. The device response and recovery are demonstrated with good correlation between the capacitance variation and the hydrogen concentration. Detection down to 20 ppm at 140 °C was obtained and a response time of 56 s for 500 ppm was recorded. Full article

This study investigates the phase equilibria of the Al-Mo-Hf ternary system at 400 °C and 600 °C using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA/WDS) techniques. Seven three-phase and five two-phase regions were identified at 400 °C, while eight three-phase and four two-phase regions were identified at 600 °C. Despite variations in the solid solubility ranges of certain compounds, the distribution of phase zones in the isothermal cross-section remained consistent at both temperatures. Using the experimental results and logical deductions, isothermal cross-sections were constructed for the Al-Mo-Hf ternary system at 600 °C and 400 °C. Full article

Excessive blood loss could lead to pathological conditions such as tissue necrosis, organ failure, and death. The limitations of recently developed hemostatic approaches, such as their low mechanical strength, inadequate wet tissue adhesion, and weak hemostatic activity, pose challenges for their application in controlling visceral bleeding. In this study, a novel hydrogel (CT) made of collagen and tannic acid (TA) was proposed. By altering the proportions between the two materials, the mechanical properties, adhesion, and coagulation ability were evaluated. Compared to commercial hydrogels, this hydrogel has shown reduced blood loss and shorter hemostatic time in rat hepatic and cardiac bleeding models. This was explained by the hydrogel’s natural hemostatic properties and the significant benefits of wound closure in a moist environment. Better biodegradability was achieved through the non-covalent connection between tannic acid and collagen, allowing for hemostasis without hindering subsequent tissue repair. Therefore, this hydrogel is a new method for visceral hemostasis that offers significant advantages in treating acute wounds and controlling major bleeding. And the production method is simple and efficient, which facilitates its translation to clinical applications. Full article

In this study, we introduce an innovative methodology for the detection of helmet usage violations among motorcyclists, integrating the YOLOv8 object detection algorithm with deep convolutional generative adversarial networks (DCGANs). The objective of this research is to enhance the precision of existing helmet violation detection techniques, which are typically reliant on manual inspection and susceptible to inaccuracies. The proposed methodology involves model training on an extensive dataset comprising both authentic and synthetic images, and demonstrates high accuracy in identifying helmet violations, including scenarios with multiple riders. Data augmentation, in conjunction with synthetic images produced by DCGANs, is utilized to expand the training data volume, particularly focusing on imbalanced classes, thereby facilitating superior model generalization to real-world circumstances. The stand-alone YOLOv8 model exhibited an F1 score of 0.91 for all classes at a confidence level of 0.617, whereas the DCGANs + YOLOv8 model demonstrated an F1 score of 0.96 for all classes at a reduced confidence level of 0.334. These findings highlight the potential of DCGANs in enhancing the accuracy of helmet rule violation detection, thus fostering safer motorcycling practices. Full article

In order to optimize sealing performance, a novel labyrinth seal with semi-elliptical teeth (SET) structure is proposed in this paper, which includes semi-elliptical teeth and a series of cavities. The simulation results calculated by the numerical methods are compared with the experimental and theoretical results, and static and dynamic characteristics of the novel SET structure are further investigated. The numerical simulations of labyrinth seals with the SET structure demonstrate high accuracy and reliability, with a maximum relative error of less than 6% as compared to experimental results, underscoring the validity of the model. Notably, leakage rates are directly influenced by pressure drop and axial offset, with optimal sealing achieved at zero axial displacement. The direct damping coefficient increases as the pressure drop increases while the other dynamic coefficients decrease. Additionally, the stability results show that the novel SET structure exhibits higher stability for positive axial offsets. The novel model and corresponding results can provide a meaningful reference for the study of sealing structure and coupled vibration in the field of fluid machinery. Full article