Background/Objectives: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a constellation of several cardiometabolic risk factors. We investigated sex disparity in the associations between MS and cognitive impairment using cross-sectional data from Taiwan Biobank. Methods: We determined the associations of MS and its five components with cognitive impairment (mini-mental state examination, MMSE < 24) and the five domains of MMSE using logistic regression analyses. Results: A total of 7399 men and 11,546 women were included, and MS was significantly associated with cognitive impairment only in women (adjusted OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.29–1.71, p = 0.001) (p for interaction 0.005). In women, the association with MS was significant in orientation (adjusted OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.07–1.37, p = 0.003), memory (adjusted OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01–1.25, p = 0.034) and design copying (adjusted OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.23–1.62, p = 0.001) (p value for interaction 0.039, 0.023, and 0.093, respectively). Among the components of MS, a large waist circumference (adjusted OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.08–1.46, p = 0.003), high fasting glucose (adjusted OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.00–1.34, p = 0.046), and low HDL cholesterol (adjusted OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.00–1.34, p = 0.049) were significantly associated with cognitive impairment in women. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that sex has a significant influence on the association between MS and cognitive dysfunction, especially in orientation and memory. Full article

Sustainable construction plays a significant role in developing countries. However, the adoption of sustainable buildings has faced diverse challenges. Therefore, this research investigates the benefits and challenges of adopting the Green Mark in green building projects. After a literature review and a pilot study with construction experts, an industry-wide survey was conducted to collect 148 valid responses. The data were analyzed in depth, with 24 barriers and 10 benefits, using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) software. After this, the collected data were analyzed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to prioritize critical factors. The preliminary findings revealed significant practical implications and offered valuable insights to support the adoption of Green Mark criteria for construction management sustainability. Furthermore, practical solutions were proposed to foster the widespread adoption of green buildings toward sustainable construction in the future. Full article

Different combustion reaction process models were used to numerically study the behavior of the temperature, velocity, and turbulence fields, as well as to gain a better understanding of the differences between the reaction products obtained with each model. Transient-state simulations were conducted for a gasifier under specific operating conditions. The standard K-epsilon (2eq) turbulence model was utilized, along with the incorporation of species transport, volumetric responses, and eddy dissipation. In this study, the impacts of one-, two-, and four-step reaction mechanisms on the mass fraction of the products of the reactions, as well as the maximum values of velocity, turbulence, and temperature, were examined. The findings demonstrated that for all mechanisms, the greater maximum values of velocity and turbulence are attained at early time steps and decrease with subsequent time steps. The temperature rises as much in the early time steps and nearly stays the same in the late time steps. In all situations examined, the species’ fraction mass varies slightly in the early time steps but becomes nearly constant in the latter time stages. Similar species mass fraction values were found for both one-step and four-step methods. The results also suggest that the lower half of the gasifier is where the highest mass fraction values are found. Full article

Heavy metal copper (Cu) will inevitably impact the marine macroalgae Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis (G. lemaneiformis), which is a culture of economic importance along China’s coastline. In this study, the detoxification mechanism of Cu stress on G. lemaneiformis was revealed by assessing physiological indicators in conjunction with transcriptome and metabolome analyses at 1 d after Cu stress. Our findings revealed that 25 μM Cu stimulated ROS synthesis and led to the enzymatic oxidation of arachidonic acid residues. This process subsequently impeded G. lemaneiformis growth by suppressing photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism, protein synthesis, etc. The entry of Cu ions into the algae was facilitated by ZIPs and IRT transporters, presenting as Cu²⁺. Furthermore, there was an up-regulation of Cu efflux transporters HMA5 and ABC family transporters to achieve compartmentation to mitigate the toxicity. The results revealed that G. lemaneiformis elevated the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase and ascorbate-glutathione cycle to maintain ROS homeostasis. Additionally, metabolites such as flavonoids, 3-O-methylgallic acid, 3-hydroxy-4-keto-gama-carotene, and eicosapentaenoic acid were up-regulated compared with the control, indicating that they might play roles in response to Cu stress. In summary, this study offers a comprehensive insight into the detoxification mechanisms driving the responses of G. lemaneiformis to Cu exposure. Full article

Background: Nutritional deficiencies are frequently observed in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing radiation therapy. microRNAs (miRNAs) were found to play an important role in the development of metabolic disorders throughout regulation of genes involved in inflammatory responses. This study aimed to explore the correlation between pre-treatment miR-5682 expression and parameters reflecting nutritional deficits in laryngeal cancer (LC) patients subjected to radiotherapy (RT). Methods: Expression of miR-5682 was analyzed in plasma samples of 56 male LC individuals. Nutritional status of LC patients was assessed using anthropometric and laboratory parameters, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and clinical questionnaires. Results: A high expression of miR-5682 was associated with significantly lower values of BMI, fat mass, fat-free mass and plasma albumin at selected periods of RT course. miR-5682 allowed us to distinguish between patients classified with both SGA-C and low albumin level from other LC patients with 100% sensitivity and 69.6% specificity (AUC = 0.820; p < 0.0001). Higher expression of studied miRNA was significantly associated with shorter median overall survival (OS) in LC patients (HR = 2.26; p = 0.008). Conclusions: analysis of miR-5682 expression demonstrates a potential clinical utility in selection of LC patients suffering from nutritional deficiencies developing as a consequence of RT-based therapy. Full article

Anti-signal recognition particle myopathy (anti-SRP myopathy) is a rare subtype of immune-mediated inflammatory myopathy characterized by muscle weakness and anti-SRP autoantibodies. Although plasma exchange (PE) is used in severe cases, its role remains unclear. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, identifying 23 patients with anti-SRP myopathy treated with PE. Data on demographics, clinical features, laboratory findings, treatments, and outcomes were analyzed combining individual patient data if available. Sixteen (69.6%) patients were male, with muscle weakness as the predominant symptom in 100% of cases. After PE, most patients showed improvement in symptoms, and the proportion of patients with muscle weakness was reduced (p = 0.001). Relapse occurred in 17.4% of the cases. The incidence of adverse events was low (8.7%). Despite limitations, including a small sample size and heterogeneous data, our systematic review suggests that PE may be effective in inducing remission and controlling symptoms in anti-SRP myopathy, particularly in severe cases. Since evidence on PE in anti-SRP myopathy is limited, further research, including prospective multicenter studies, is warranted to understand better its efficacy and safety and establish its role in treatment algorithms. Full article

In the landscape of software development, the selection of compilation tools and settings plays a pivotal role in the creation of executable binaries. This diversity, while beneficial, introduces significant challenges for reverse engineers and security analysts in deciphering the compilation provenance of binary code. To this end, we present MulCPI, short for Multi-representation Fusion-based Compilation Provenance Identification, which integrates the features collected from multiple distinct intermediate representations of the binary code for better discernment of the fine-grained function-level compilation details. In particular, we devise a novel graph-oriented neural encoder improved upon the gated graph neural network by subtly introducing an attention mechanism into the neighborhood nodes’ information aggregation computation, in order to better distill the more informative features from the attributed control flow graph. By further integrating the features collected from the normalized assembly sequence with an advanced Transformer encoder, MulCPI is capable of capturing a more comprehensive set of features manifesting the multi-faceted lexical, syntactic, and structural insights of the binary code. Extensive evaluation on a public dataset comprising 854,858 unique functions demonstrates that MulCPI exceeds the performance of current leading methods in identifying the compiler family, optimization level, compiler version, and the combination of compilation settings. It achieves average accuracy rates of 99.3%, 96.4%, 90.7%, and 85.3% on these tasks, respectively. Additionally, an ablation study highlights the significance of MulCPI’s core designs, validating the efficiency of the proposed attention-enhanced gated graph neural network encoder and the advantages of incorporating multiple code representations. Full article

Contemporary living is continuously leading to poor everyday choices resulting in the manifestation of various diseases. The benefits of plant-based nutrition are undeniable and research on the topic is rising. Modern man is now aware of the possibilities that plant nutrition can provide and is seeking ways to benefit from it. Dietary phenolic compounds are among the easily accessible beneficial substances that can exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic, analgesic, anti-diabetic, anti-atherogenic, antiproliferative, as well as cardio-and neuroprotective activities. Several industries are exploring ways to incorporate biologically active substances in their produce. This review is concentrated on presenting current information about the dietary phenolic compounds and their contribution to maintaining good health. Additionally, this content will demonstrate the importance and prosperity of natural compounds for various fields, i.e., food industry, cosmetology, and biotechnology, among others. Full article

Redox balance plays an important role in testicular homeostasis. While lots of antioxidant molecules have been identified as widely expressed, the understanding of the critical mechanisms for redox management in male germ cells is inadequate. This study identified LanCL2 as a major male germ cell-specific antioxidant gene that is important for testicular homeostasis. Highly expressed in the brain and testis, LanCL2 expression correlates with testicular maturation and brain development. LanCL2 is enriched in spermatocytes and round spermatids of the testis. By examining LanCL2 knockout mice, we found that LanCL2 deletion did not affect postnatal brain development but injured the sperm parameters of adult mice. With histopathological analysis, we noticed that LanCL2 KO caused a pre-maturation and accelerated the self-renewal of spermatogonial stem cells in the early stage of spermatogenesis. In contrast, at the adult stage, LanCL2 KO damaged the acrosomal maturation in spermiogenesis, resulting in spermatogenic defects with a reduced number and motility of spermatozoa. Furthermore, we show that this disruption of testicular homeostasis in the LanCL2 KO testis was due to dysbalanced testicular redox homeostasis. This study demonstrates the critical role of LanCL2 in testicular homeostasis and redox balance. Full article

Blood count is crucial for assessing bone marrow’s cell production and differentiation during infections, gaging disease severity, and monitoring therapeutic responses. The profile of blood count in chronic forms of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) has been insufficiently explored. To better understand the changes in hematological cells in different stages of the PCM chronic form, we evaluated the blood count, including immature blood cells in automated equipment, before and during the treatment follow-up of 62 chronic PCM patients. Predominantly male (96.8%) with an average age of 54.3 (standard deviation SD 6.9) years, participants exhibited pre-treatment conditions such as anemia (45.2%), monocytosis (38.7%), and leukocytosis (17.7%), which became less frequent after clinical cure. Anemia was more prevalent in severe cases. Notably, hemoglobin and reticulocyte hemoglobin content increased, while leukocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, immature granulocytes, and platelets decreased. Chronic PCM induced manageable hematological abnormalities, mainly in the red blood series. Monocytosis, indicating monocytes’ role in PCM’s immune response, was frequent. Post-treatment, especially after achieving clinical cure, significant improvements were observed in various hematological indices, including immature granulocytes and reticulocyte hemoglobin content, underscoring the impact of infection on these parameters. Full article

Objectives: Recent reports have highlighted myocardial infarction (MI) patients without standard modifiable risk factors (SMRF), noting them to be surprisingly common and to have a substantial risk of adverse outcomes. The objective of this study was to address the challenge of identifying at-risk patients without SMRF and providing preventive therapy. Methods: Patients presenting between 2001 and 2021 to Intermountain Health catheterization laboratories with a diagnosis of MI were included if they also had a coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan by computed tomography within 2 years. SMRF were defined as a clinical diagnosis or treatment of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, or smoking. The co-primary endpoints in SMRF-less patients were: (1) proportion of patients with an elevated (>50%ile) CAC score, and (2) an indication for statin therapy (i.e., CAC ≥ 100 AU or ≥75%ile). The 60-day and long-term major adverse cardiovascular events were determined. A comparison set included MI patients with SMRF. Results: We identified 429 MI patients with a concurrent CAC scan, of which 60 had no SMRF. SMRF status did not distinguish most risk factors or interventions. No-SMRF patients had a high CAC prevalence and percentile (82% ≥ 50%ile; median, 80%ile), and 77% met criteria for preventive therapy. As expected, patients with SMRF had high CAC scores and percentiles. Outcomes were more favorable for No-SMRF status and for lower CAC scores. Conclusions: Patients without SMRF presenting with an MI have a high prevalence and percentile of CAC. Wider application of CAC scans, including in those without SMRF, is promising as a method to identify an additional at-risk population for MI and to provide primary preventive therapy. Full article

Electric desalination units in the crude oil refining process are becoming increasingly important with the growing trend towards heavy and poor crude oils. The oil–water mixing effect of the static mixer plays a crucial role in the electric desalination process. The present study investigated the effect of various variables, such as mixer type, number of mixing elements, washing water consumption, and oil viscosity and density on the oil–water mixing efficiency of a static mixer. In addition, this study also analyzed the effect of these variables on the salt washing process that occurs during mixing using a kinetic equation for the dissolution of inorganic salts. The results showed that the number of mixing elements was the most significant variable, followed by the amount of washing water injected. The density of the crude oil had a negligible effect. Based on these results, the use of four mixing elements in the SMX static mixer was recommended. The injection of washing water should be controlled at about 8%, while ensuring that the interfacial tension between oil and water remains below 0.01 N/m. Under these conditions, the salt washing efficiency reached 46.3%. This study provides a theoretical basis for designing static mixers and optimizing their operation in electric desalination processes. Full article

In this paper, a critical review of the geoelectrical monitoring activities carried out in seismically active areas is presented and discussed. The electrical resistivity of rocks is one of the geophysical parameters of greatest interest in the study of possible seismic precursors, and it is strongly influenced by the presence of highly fractured zones with high permeability and fluid levels. The analysis in the present study was carried out on results obtained over the last 50 years in seismic zones in China, Japan, the USA and Russia. These past works made it possible to classify the different monitoring strategies, analyze the theoretical models for interpreting possible correlations between anomalies in resistivity signals and local seismicity, and identify the main scientific and technological gaps in the literature. In addition, great attention has been paid to some recent works on the study of the correlations between focal mechanisms and the shapes of anomalous patterns in resistivity time series. Finally, some future scenarios for the development of new activities in this field have been identified. Full article

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain a significant patient safety problem that can lead to illness and death, despite the implementation of clinical bundles to prevent HAIs. Management practices can support HAI prevention, but their role in HAI performance monitoring and feedback is not well understood. To address this knowledge gap, we previously conducted semi-structured interviews with staff at 18 hospitals to examine the role of management practices around the prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). Interview transcripts were analyzed to identify themes related to HAI performance monitoring and feedback. The current analysis focuses on 10 higher-performing hospitals that were successful in preventing CLABSIs and CAUTIs. These institutions had robust practices including timely event analysis, leadership engagement, and multidisciplinary participation in HAI reviews. Across these sites, we found common goals including investigating HAIs without blame and identifying opportunities for improvement. Management practices such as timely analysis of HAIs, collaboration between facility leadership and multidisciplinary team members, and a focus on identifying the failure of a procedure or protocol, rather than the failure of staff members, are all approaches that can support infection prevention efforts. These management practices may be especially important as hospitals attempt to address increases in CLABSI and CAUTI rates that may have occurred during the coronavirus pandemic. Full article

Background and Objectives: This study aims to assess the health status and factors influencing healthy choices among children and young people in Romania, as well as the efficacy of related health education programs. Through understanding these dynamics, the study seeks to provide insights that can shape targeted interventions, policies, and educational strategies to improve this demographic’s overall health and well-being. Materials and Methods: For this study, we performed a literature review of original published papers on the health status, healthy habits, health education, predisposition to making healthy choices in the future, and accessibility to the paediatric health system of Romanian children and young people, as well as the effects of different types of educational interventions on this demographic in Romania. Results: The prevalence of dental caries is high in Romania. In terms of eating habits and nutritional status, a worrying proportion of children are overweight or obese, which can lead to a variety of future physical and psychological problems. In terms of physical activity, few adolescents demonstrate regular fitness practices. Romania presents an increase in alcohol and tobacco consumption among adolescents. The mental health of students has become a pressing public health concern, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of social networks is linked to mental health issues among young people. Romania still has one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases and faces a high incidence of cervical cancer, with a mortality rate three times higher than the EU average. High rates of teenage pregnancies are linked to limited information about sexuality and a lack of access to family planning at a young age. There are large discrepancies in the accessibility of medical services between urban and rural areas. Conclusions: Romania faces significant obstacles to providing high-quality healthcare to children and young people. Improving nutrition, immunisation rates, and access to medical services represent essential areas for enhancing the health of children and young people in Romania. Full article

This study demonstrates the capability of Raman microscopy for detecting structural differences in Giardia cells exposed to different drugs and incubation times. While metronidazole (MTZ) visibly affects the cells by inducing extracellular vesicle releases of toxic iron intermediates and modified triple-bond moieties, oseltamivir (OSM) alters the phenylalanine and lipid structures. Modifications in the heme protein environment and the transformation of iron from ferric to ferrous observed for both drug treatments are more notable for MTZ. Different contents and amounts of vesicle excretion are detected for 24 h or 48 h with MTZ incubation. At a shorter drug exposure, releases of altered proteins, glycogen, and phospholipids dominate. Agglomerates of transformed iron complexes from heme proteins and multiple-bond moieties prevail at 48 h of treatment. No such vesicle releases are present in the case of OSM usage. Drug incorporations into the cells and their impact on the plasma membrane and the dynamics of lipid raft confirmed by confocal fluorescence microscopy reveal a more destructive extent by OSM, corroborating the Raman results. Raman microscopy provides a broader understanding of the multifaceted factors and mechanisms responsible for giardiasis treatment or drug resistance by enabling a label-free, simultaneous monitoring of structural changes at the cellular and molecular levels. Full article

Face recognition has been well studied under visible light and infrared (IR) in both intra-spectral and cross-spectral cases. However, how to fuse different light bands for face recognition, i.e., hyperspectral face recognition, is still an open research problem, which has the advantages of richer information retention and all-weather functionality over single-band face recognition. Thus, in this research, we revisit the hyperspectral recognition problem and provide a deep learning-based approach. A new fusion model (named HyperFace) is proposed to address this problem. The proposed model features a pre-fusion scheme, a Siamese encoder with bi-scope residual dense learning, a feedback-style decoder, and a recognition-oriented composite loss function. Experiments demonstrate that our method yields a much higher recognition rate than face recognition using only visible light or IR data. Moreover, our fusion model is shown to be superior to other general-purpose image fusion methods that are either traditional or deep learning-based, including state-of-the-art methods, in terms of both image quality and recognition performance. Full article

Circadian clock and clock-controlled output pathways exert temporal control in diverse aspects of skeletal muscle physiology, including the maintenance of muscle mass, structure, function, and metabolism. They have emerged as significant players in understanding muscle disease etiology and potential therapeutic avenues, particularly in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This review examines the intricate interplay between circadian rhythms and muscle physiology, highlighting how disruptions of circadian regulation may contribute to muscle pathophysiology and the specific mechanisms linking circadian clock dysregulation with DMD. Moreover, we discuss recent advancements in chronobiological research that have shed light on the circadian control of muscle function and its relevance to DMD. Understanding clock output pathways involved in muscle mass and function offers novel insights into the pathogenesis of DMD and unveils promising avenues for therapeutic interventions. We further explore potential chronotherapeutic strategies targeting the circadian clock to ameliorate muscle degeneration which may inform drug development efforts for muscular dystrophy. Full article

A review of 113 scientific and other publications on the smallest and most abundant deer in Lithuania, the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), is presented, along with an analysis based on compound annual population growth rates of population numbers, hunting bags, and roadkill. This review covers the species’ history in the country from the last glaciation onwards, the changes in numbers from 1934 to 2023, hunting bag changes from 1965 to 2022, roadkill numbers from 2002 to 2022, data on roe deer reproduction, habitat selection, genetic diversity, pathogens, and damage to forest stands. It also provides an overview of species management and selection for trophies. Despite the exponential increase in roe deer numbers since 1990 and the dominance of this species in roadkill, even on urban roads, the number and density of animals and the damage they cause to forest stands are relatively low compared to other European countries. Within the observed period, drops in numbers were related to harsh winters in 1969/1970 and 1995/1996. Poaching, especially coinciding with weakened enforcement during the period of political–economic transition in the early 1990s, has also had a negative impact on population numbers, as have recent increases in the number of large predators. Population growth over the recent period does not correlate with hunting mortality, which has remained stable at an average of 16.9% since 2002. Full article

Encapsulation and drying technologies allow the engineering of innovative raw materials from plant biodiversity, with potential applications in pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields. Lipid-based nanoencapsulation stands out for its efficiency, ease of production, and versatility in encapsulating substances, whether hydrophilic or lipophilic. This work aimed at encapsulating pequi oil in liposomes and freeze-dried liposomes to enhance its stability and functional benefits, such as skin hydration and anti-aging effects, for use in innovative cosmetic formulations. Pequi oil—extracted from the Caryocar brasiliense fruit pulp, a plant species from Brazilian plant biodiversity—is rich in secondary metabolites and fatty acids. Liposomes and dried liposomes offer controlled production processes and seamless integration into cosmetic formulations. The physicochemical analysis of the developed liposomes confirmed that the formulations are homogeneous and electrokinetically stable, as evidenced by consistent particle size distribution and zeta potential values, respectively. The gel-type formulations loaded with the dried liposomes exhibit enhanced skin hydration, improved barrier function, and refined microrelief, indicating improvements in skin conditions. These results highlight the potential of dried liposomes containing pequi oil for the development of innovative cosmeceutical products. This research contributes to the valorization of Brazilian biodiversity by presenting an innovative approach to leveraging the dermatological benefits of pequi oil in cosmetic applications. Full article

At present, coal mining is gradually shifting towards deep areas, and coal mines under deep mining conditions are more prone to coal and gas outburst accidents. In this research, we aim to explain the causes and mechanisms of dynamic disasters, which are caused by the combined action of static load, gas, and dynamic load on tectonic regions in complex stress field environments. Through numerical simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics software, based on the geological conditions of a mine in Jilin Province, it was found that faults lead to abnormal stress in tectonic regions. The combined action of dynamic and static loads results in excessive stress, causing the fragmentation and displacement of the coal body, leading to coal mine disasters, thus disrupting sustainability. Additionally, the coal matrix gas entering fractures raises the gas pressure and leads to the accumulation of methane near earthquake sources. Dynamic loads accelerate gas desorption in coal and increase porosity and permeability, facilitating rapid gas migration. This influx of gas into the roadways exceeds safety limits. Then, based on these findings and on-site conditions, a set of sustainable measures for coal mines has been proposed. This research offers theoretical guidance for enhancing safety, stability, and sustainability in coal mining processes. Full article

We tested the hypothesis that the loss of load-bearing capacity, as estimated by means of static load tests and from sonic tomography, is comparable. This is of practical importance for arborists when they have to assess results reported by different consultants or when they have to choose between applying one of these two methods in a specific case. A total of 59 trees, primarily Fagus sylvatica and Quercus robur, were subjected to static load tests and sonic tomography. The pulling test method yielded the residual stiffness of the stem at every position tested with a strain sensor as an intermediate quality parameter used to merely validate the actual estimations of safety against fracture. Based on the shape of the parts of the stem cross-section that are considered load bearing, sonic tomograms can be further processed in order to assess the loss of load-bearing capacity from defects like decay. We analyzed the correlation of these biomechanically equivalent parameters. This was only the case to a very limited extent. Sonic tomography and static load tests cannot replace each other, but they can complement each other. Full article