The company’s strategic procurement function makes a significant contribution to overall corporate success, and yet remains under-researched in terms of digitalisation and digital maturity. This research adopts an inductive case study approach, using qualitative data from in-depth interviews with industry practitioners to develop and apply a digital maturity model for the deployment of strategic procurement analytics. The case study company is a multinational aerospace corporation with almost 150,000 employees worldwide. The research presents a snapshot of the digital maturity of the strategic procurement function of this global aircraft manufacturer and finds that the current exploitation of analytics remains constrained by a range of factors, including the need for close compliance with regulatory norms. Thematic analysis of the interview material provides the basis for the development of the maturity model, which—although geared to a specific industry context—is nevertheless of relevance in other business environments. The research thus contributes to the existing literature in this field, and will also be of interest to procurement professionals. However, the research clearly has its limitations, not least in that it is based on just one industry case, and cross-industry generalisations from the findings must therefore be treated with caution. Full article

The Cyclades Islands (Aegean Sea, Greece) are part of the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot and harbor a plethora of endemic species. Plant communities on the smaller islands in this region have largely evolved in the absence of herbivory and frequently lack antiherbivore defenses. This study evaluates the short- and long-term effects of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), an herbivore that has been released on numerous islands in the region, by comparing islands that 1. have historically been rabbit-free (ungrazed); 2. are currently grazed by rabbits, and 3. have previously been grazed, but are now rabbit-free. Ecological impacts of rabbits on the Aegean Islands were investigated by assessing the abundance, composition, and diversity of plant and arthropod communities as well as soil characteristics. Our results indicate that ungrazed islands have more arthropod species, more specialized or endemic plant species, and less exposed soil than currently grazed islands. While ungrazed islands did not necessarily possess higher total plant species richness, they did harbor significantly more small-island endemic taxa relative to presently grazed islands. This study indicates that native plant communities on Mediterranean islets are not adapted to the presence of this introduced species and that the practice of intentionally releasing rabbits on islands has significant and lasting negative ecological impacts, especially on small islands. While a complete recovery of post-rabbit was not evident over the time span of our research, both arthropod and plant data indicate that partial recovery is possible once rabbits have been removed. Full article

Low-cost air quality sensors (LCSs) are becoming more ubiquitous as individuals and communities seek to reduce their exposure to poor air quality. Compact, efficient, and aesthetically designed sensor housings that do not interfere with the target air quality measurements are a necessary component of a low-cost sensing system. The selection of appropriate housing material can be an important factor in air quality applications employing LCSs. Three-dimensional printing, specifically fused deposition modeling (FDM), is a standard for prototyping and small-scale custom plastics production because of its low cost and ability for rapid iteration. However, little information exists about whether FDM-printed thermoplastics affect measurements of trace atmospheric gasses. This study investigates how five different FDM-printed thermoplastics (ABS, PETG, PLA, PC, and PVDF) affect the concentration of five common atmospheric trace gasses (CO, CO₂, NO, NO₂, and VOCs). The laboratory results show that the thermoplastics, except for PVDF, exhibit VOC off-gassing. The results also indicate no to limited interaction between all of the thermoplastics and CO and CO₂ and a small interaction between all of the thermoplastics and NO and NO₂. Full article

This paper reports a novel investigation in applying commercial Ultra High-Frequency RFID tags (UHF-RFID tags), which are widely used in logistics as sensing elements in civil engineering structures, particularly for monitoring out-of-plane displacements of brick masonry walls. Both laboratory tests and in situ experimental tests assessed the feasibility of the proposed application. Laboratory tests showed a very satisfactory response while the in situ experiments showed a weaker response. Nevertheless, the potential reliability of the proposed technique can be stated. The authors traced back the causes of the performance decrease to environmental interference, mainly due to the extensive presence of a rigid steel frame surrounding the out-of-plane loaded panels. Measurements of displacements, in fact, are obtained indirectly from the phase of UHF-RFID signals that strongly suffer from multipath generated by metallic surfaces. Despite some limitations, the proposed measurement technique permits a reliable and sustainable approach to the monitoring of structures. The use of commercial UHF-RFID wireless tags, in fact, assures easy and fast installation operations and assures the possibility of placing a large number of sensors over the structure with very low maintenance costs with respect to the more traditional monitoring techniques. Moreover, using very thin and small commercial UHR-RFID tags on cultural heritage structures can represent an opportunity for sustainable long-time monitoring with reduced costs. Overall, the results of this study are sufficiently satisfactory to be considered as the opening of new possible scenarios in wireless structural monitoring in the civil engineering field. The authors propose as future work to use UHF-RFID tags for the real-time monitoring of an existing masonry facade that, not being characterized by the presence of a steel frame, can potentially assure an adequate response and properly transmit the electromagnetic signal. Full article

Background and Objectives. Neurogenesis is an integral process in post-stroke recovery, involving the recruitment of proliferating neuroblasts from neurogenic niches of the mammal brain. However, the role of neurogenesis in the long-term restoration following ischemic stroke is fragmented. Post-stroke motor dysfunction includes challenges in the proper, coordinated use of hands and is present in roughly two-thirds of human patients. In this study, we investigated chronic behavioral and biochemical alterations after transient cerebral ischemia in adult male mice. Materials and Methods: Twelve-week-old C57BL/6N male mice were used, and fMCAo lasting 60 min was induced. At multiple timepoints after fMCAo induction, a single pellet reaching task was performed. Six months after the procedure, we immunohistochemically determined the number of proliferating neuroblasts (BrdU and DCX-positive) and the number of differentiated astrocytes (GFAP-positive) in both brain hemispheres. Results: The reaching ability of fMCAo mice was impaired from one month to six months after the induction of ischemia. Neuroblast proliferation was increased in the ipsilateral SVZ, whereas GFAP+ cell count was elevated in the hippocampal DG of both hemispheres of the fMCAo group mice. Conclusions: Our current report demonstrates the long-term effects of transient cerebral ischemia on mice functional parameters and neurogenesis progression. Our data demonstrate that transient cerebral ischemia promotes a long-lasting regenerative response in the ipsilateral brain hemisphere, specifically in the neurogenic SVZ and DG regions. Full article

This study introduces Protectbot, an innovative chatbot framework designed to improve safety in children’s online gaming environments. At its core, Protectbot incorporates DialoGPT, a conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) model rooted in Generative Pre-trained Transformer 2 (GPT-2) technology, engineered to simulate human-like interactions within gaming chat rooms. The framework is distinguished by a robust text classification strategy, rigorously trained on the Publicly Available Natural 2012 (PAN12) dataset, aimed at identifying and mitigating potential sexual predatory behaviors through chat conversation analysis. By utilizing fastText for word embeddings to vectorize sentences, we have refined a support vector machine (SVM) classifier, achieving remarkable performance metrics, with recall, accuracy, and F-scores approaching 0.99. These metrics not only demonstrate the classifier’s effectiveness, but also signify a significant advancement beyond existing methodologies in this field. The efficacy of our framework is additionally validated on a custom dataset, composed of 71 predatory chat logs from the Perverted Justice website, further establishing the reliability and robustness of our classifier. Protectbot represents a crucial innovation in enhancing child safety within online gaming communities, providing a proactive, AI-enhanced solution to detect and address predatory threats promptly. Our findings highlight the immense potential of AI-driven interventions to create safer digital spaces for young users. Full article

Plants are often exposed to multiple stresses, including heavy metals (HM) and drought, which limit the plant growth and productivity. Though biochar or plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have been widely used for alleviating HM or drought stress in plants, the study of the effects of combined treatment with biochar and PGPR under simultaneous HM and drought stress is limited. This study investigated individual and combined effects of groundnut shell biochar (GS-BC) and PGPR Bacillus pseudomycoides strain ARN7 on Zea mays growth, physiology, and HM accumulation, along with their impact on soil enzymes under HM (Ni and Zn), drought, or HM+drought stress. It was observed that even under HM+drought stress, Z. mays growth, total chlorophyll, proteins, phenolics, and relative water contents were increased in response to combined GS-BC and ARN7 treatment. Furthermore, the combined treatment positively influenced plant superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and catalase activities, while reducing electrolyte leakage and phenolics, malondialdehyde, and proline under HM, drought, or HM+drought stress. Interestingly, the combined GS-BC and ARN7 treatment decreased HM accumulation and the bioaccumulation factor in Z. mays, highlighting that the combined treatment is suitable for improving HM phytostabilization. Additionally, GS-BC increased soil enzymatic activities and ARN7 colonization irrespective of HM and drought stress. As far as we know, this study is the first to illustrate that combined biochar and PGPR treatment could lessen the adverse effects of both HM and drought, suggesting that such treatment can be used in water-deficient HM-contaminated areas to improve plant growth and reduce HM accumulation in plants. Full article

This article explores the effects of outdoor PM_2.5 concentration, venue airtightness and the distribution of indoor PM_2.5 concentration on the curling venue of the National Aquatics Center. Research has found that when the filtration efficiency of the fresh air system is 60%, the outdoor PM_2.5 concentration increases by 20 μg/m³, an average increase of 6 μg/m³ in indoor PM_2.5 concentration. When the venue air tightness is good, the outdoor air quality has no significant impact on the average indoor PM_2.5 concentration. But as the number of infiltration air changes increases, the indoor PM_2.5 concentration in each region shows an upward trend. The end of the air conditioning system in the competition area adopts bag air duct supply mode, which can reduce the concentration of PM_2.5 in the competition area by 93%, and the moisture content is reduced to 2–2.5 g/kg, better meeting the requirements of curling competitions. Full article

Background: Linezolid is used for Gram-positive bacterial infections. Thrombocytopenia is one of its main adverse effects resulting from myelosuppression. Several studies have assessed risk factors that may increase the risk of this adverse effect. However, most studies included patients with hemato-oncologic diseases, which may confound such assessments. This study aimed to investigate risk factors for linezolid-associated thrombocytopenia in patients without hemato-oncologic diseases. Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective case-control study of adult patients treated with linezolid twice daily for ≥3 days. Patients with hemato-oncologic diseases, active dengue fever, active COVID-19, baseline platelet count <100 × 10³/mm³, concurrent therapy with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or valproic acid, and a recent platelet transfusion within 7 days were excluded. Thrombocytopenia was defined as a drop in platelet count below 100 × 10³/mm³. Results: Out of 158 evaluated patients, 33 developed thrombocytopenia, indicating an incidence rate of 20.9%. Of all the risk factors assessed, creatinine clearance of <60 mL/min and bacteremia/infective endocarditis were significantly associated with linezolid-associated thrombocytopenia (adjusted odds ratios, 3.25 and 5.95; 95% CI 1.12–9.45 and 1.23–28.66; p = 0.031 and 0.026, respectively). End of therapy platelet counts were significantly lower in the cases than in the controls (79 vs. 243 × 10³/mm³; p < 0.001). Similarly, the percentage of platelet count change was significantly different (−55.1% vs. −10.2%; p < 0.001). Conclusions: In our study, the incidence rate of linezolid-associated thrombocytopenia was 20.9%, and we found that patients with renal impairment and bacteremia may need close monitoring of platelet counts. Prospective studies are warranted to evaluate the potential need for renal dose adjustment. Full article

SO₂ plays an important role in wine fermentation, and its effects on wine aroma are complex and diverse. In order to investigate the effects of different SO₂ additions on the fermentation process, quality, and flavor of ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine, we fermented ‘Beibinghong’ picked in 2019. We examined the fermentation rate, basic physicochemical properties, and volatile aroma compound concentrations of ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine under different SO₂ additions and constructed a fingerprint of volatile compounds in ice wine. The results showed that 44 typical volatile compounds in ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine were identified and quantified. The OAV and VIP values were calculated using the threshold values of each volatile compound, and t the effect of SO₂ on the volatile compounds of ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine might be related to five aroma compounds: ethyl butyrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl 3-methyl butyrate-M, ethyl 3-methyl butyrate-D, and 3-methyl butyraldehyde. Tasting of ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine at different SO₂ additions revealed that the overall flavor of ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine was the highest at an SO₂ addition level of 30 mg/L. An SO₂ addition level of 30 mg/L was the optimal addition level. The results of this study are of great significance for understanding the effect of SO₂ on the fermentation of ‘Beibinghong’ ice wine. Full article

Despite breakthroughs in modern medical care, the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is even more prevalent globally. Increasing epidemiologic evidence indicates that emerging cardiovascular risk factors arising from the modern lifestyle, including psychosocial stress, sleep problems, unhealthy diet patterns, physical inactivity/sedentary behavior, alcohol consumption, and tobacco smoking, contribute significantly to this worldwide epidemic, while its underpinning mechanisms are enigmatic. Hematological and immune systems were recently demonstrated to play integrative roles in linking lifestyle to cardiovascular health. In particular, alterations in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) homeostasis, which is usually characterized by proliferation, expansion, mobilization, megakaryocyte/myeloid-biased differentiation, and/or the pro-inflammatory priming of HSCs, have been shown to be involved in the persistent overproduction of pro-inflammatory myeloid leukocytes and platelets, the cellular protagonists of cardiovascular inflammation and thrombosis, respectively. Furthermore, certain lifestyle factors, such as a healthy diet pattern and physical exercise, have been documented to exert cardiovascular protective effects through promoting quiescence, bone marrow retention, balanced differentiation, and/or the anti-inflammatory priming of HSCs. Here, we review the current understanding of and progression in research on the mechanistic interrelationships among lifestyle, HSC homeostasis, and cardiovascular health. Given that adhering to a healthy lifestyle has become a mainstream primary preventative approach to lowering the cardiovascular burden, unmasking the causal links between lifestyle and cardiovascular health from the perspective of hematopoiesis would open new opportunities to prevent and treat CVD in the present age. Full article

Estrogen plays a multifaceted function in humans via interacting with the estrogen receptors ERα, ERβ, and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1). Previous research has predominantly concentrated on elucidating the signaling route of estrogen. However, the comprehensive understanding of the expression profile and control of these estrogen receptors in various human tissues is not well known. In the present study, the RNA levels of estrogen receptors in various normal and malignant human tissues were retrieved from the human protein atlas, the cancer genome atlas (TCGA), and the genotype-tissue expression (GTEx) databases for analyzing the expression profile of estrogen receptors through gene expression profiling interactive analysis (GEPIA). The status of DNA methylation of estrogen receptor genes from TCGA were analyzed through the software Wanderer and cBioPortal. The MethSurv tool was utilized to estimate the relevance between specific cytosine–guanine (CG) methylation and tumor survival. The expression profile analysis revealed that ERα, ERβ, and GPER1 have unique expression patterns in diverse tissues and malignancies. The interesting results were the higher expression of ERβ RNA in the male testis than in females and the positive association between the RNA level of ERα and the androgen receptor in different human normal tissues. Especially, the significant changes in GPER1 expression in multiple malignancies showed a consistent decrease with no exception, which indicates the role of GPER1 in common tumor inhibition. The finding on the expression profile provides clues for exploring novel potential physiological and pathophysiological functions of estrogen. The DNA methylation analysis manifested that the expression of GPER1 and ERα showed a substantial correlation with the methylation of specific CG sites in the cis-regulating region of the gene. However, no such association was observed for ERβ. When comparing tumor tissues to normal tissues, the DNA methylation of certain CG sites of estrogen receptors showed a correlation with tumor survival but did not always correlate with the expression of that gene or with the expression of DNA methyltransferases. We proposed that the variation in DNA methylation at different CG sites in estrogen receptor genes had other functions beyond its regulatory role in its gene expression, and this might be associated with the progression and therapy efficiency of the tumor based on the modulation of the chromatin configuration. Full article

Current regulatory documents and the scientific literature lack a theoretical framework and practical guidance for calculating centrifugally compacted reinforced concrete structures, taking into account the variatropy of their structure and the material’s characteristics across the section. A problem related to this research lies in the need to form a systematized, theoretical, and practical knowledge base about variatropic concretes, the importance of which has been proven by various scientists without, to date, the creation of a unified scientific methodological base. The importance of this study is linked to the need for the world’s construction projects and processes to transition to the most economically, materially, and resource-efficient types of building structures, which, of course, include structures made of variable-type concrete. This study’s objective is to fill these scientific and engineering gaps. The purpose of this study was to systematize the existing knowledge base about the technology, structure formation, and properties of variatropic concrete, using an analytical review of previously conducted studies by ourselves and others, both in Russia and abroad. A theoretical justification for the formation of the structure of variatropic materials is presented. An analysis of the basic physical and mechanical properties of variatropic concretes is carried out and the features of their microstructures are considered. The main structures created using centrifugation technology are considered. Variatropic concrete has an increased amount of mechanical characteristics compared to traditional concrete, on average by up to 45%. The durability of variatropic concrete is improved, on average, by up to 30% compared to conventional concrete. Full article

This study evaluated the changes in microbial activity in the course of time following the joint application of the herbicides S-metolachlor, foramsulfuron, and thiencarbazone-methyl to two soils (S1 and S2) under conventional tillage (CT) and non-tillage (NT) management in field conditions. The biochemical parameters of soil respiration (RES), dehydrogenase activity (DHA), microbial biomass (BIO), and the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profile were determined at 1, 34, and 153 days during herbicide dissipation. In the absence of herbicides, all microbial activity was higher under NT than CT conditions, with higher or similar mean values for S1 compared to S2. A continuous decrease was detected for RES, while DHA and BIO recovered over time. In the presence of herbicides, a greater decrease in all microbial activity was detected, although the changes followed a similar trend to the one recorded without herbicides. In general, a greater decrease was observed in S1 than in S2, possibly due to the higher adsorption and/or lower bioavailability of herbicides in this soil with a higher organic carbon content. The decrease was also greater under CT conditions than under NT conditions because the herbicides can be intercepted by the mulch, with less reaching the soil. These changes involved evolution of the structure of the microbial community. Full article

Here, we investigate the spectral and oscillation theory for a class of fractional differential equations subject to specific boundary conditions. By transforming the problem into a modified version with a classical structure, we establish the orthogonality properties of eigenfunctions and some major comparison theorems for solutions. We also derive a new type of integration by using parts of formulas for modified fractional integrals and derivatives. Furthermore, we analyze the variational characterization of the first eigenvalue, revealing its non-zero first eigenfunction within the interior. Our findings demonstrate the potential for novel definitions of fractional derivatives to mirror the classical Sturm–Liouville theory through simple isospectral transformations. Full article

The red palm weevil (RPW) is a significant threat to date palms. Conventional pest control has been ineffective. This study aims to evaluate entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) indigenous to Saudi Arabia and commercial against RPW. We used 33 soil samples collected from four areas of Saudi Arabia. The indigenous EPNs were isolated and cultured using an insect baiting method to obtain infective juveniles. Pathogenicity bioassays were conducted against different stages of RPW, including eggs, larvae, and adults. The bioassay was performed using all the isolates at 1 × 10⁶ IJ/mL. Distilled water was used as a control. The results revealed that only 9.09% of soil samples contained positive EPNs. Through DNA sequencing analysis, the positive samples were identified as indigenous isolates belonging to Heterorhabditis indica and Steinernema carpocapsae EPN species. In pathogenicity tests, 90% mortality of RPW eggs was observed after five days. Similar mortality trends were seen in RPW larvae and adults, with 90% mortality recorded after ten days for all the EPN treatments. Mortality increased with the duration of post-EPN inoculation exposure. The 1 × 10⁶ IJ/mL concentrations of EPN effectively killed various stages of RPW in the laboratory. More research is needed to test EPNs against RPW in the field. Full article

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the common complications during pregnancy. Numerous studies have shown that GDM is associated with a series of adverse effects on both mothers and offspring. Due to the particularity of pregnancy, medical nutrition treatment is considered to be the first choice for the treatment of GDM. This contribution reviews the research progress of medical nutrition treatment in GDM, summarizes the international recommendations on the intake of various nutrients and the influence of nutrients on the prevalence of GDM, and the improvement effect of nutritional intervention on it, in order to provide references for research in related fields of GDM and the targeted development of enteral nutrition. Full article

Statistics reveal that egg production has increased in recent decades. This growth suggests there is a global rise in available eggshell biomass due to the current underutilization of this bio-waste material. A number of different applications for waste eggshells (WEGs) are known, that include their use as an additive in human/animal food, soil amendment, cosmetics, catalyst, sorbent, and filler in polymer composites. In this article, worldwide egg production and leading countries are examined, in addition to a discussion of the various applications of eggshell biomass. Eggshells are a rich supplement of calcium carbonate; therefore, they can be added as a particulate filler to polymer composites. In turn, the addition of a lower-cost filler, such as eggshell or calcium carbonate, can reduce overall material fabrication costs. Polylactic acid (PLA) is currently a high-demand biopolymer, where the fabrication of PLA composites has gained increasing attention due to its eco-friendly properties. In this review, PLA composites that contain calcium carbonate or eggshells are emphasized, and the mechanical properties of the composites (e.g., tensile strength, flexural strength, tensile elastic modulus, flexural modulus, and elongation (%) at break) are investigated. The results from this review reveal that the addition of eggshell/calcium carbonate to PLA reduces the tensile and flexural strength of PLA composites, whereas an increase in the tensile and flexural modulus, and elongation (%) at break of composites are described herein. Full article

Despite the widespread presence of anthropogenic microparticles (AMs) in beach sediments, research on their occurrence on Moroccan Mediterranean beaches is still limited. This study is the first report on AM pollution in four sandy beaches along the Tetouan coast (Morocco Mediterranean). The findings reveal an average AM concentration of 483.12 ± 157.04 AMs/kg of beach sediment. The most common AM types were fibers (75.54%) and fragments (24.06%). AMs were predominantly black, red, and blue, measuring between 0.1 and 1 mm. The evaluation of the anthropogenic microparticles pollution index (AMPI) and the coefficient of anthropogenic microparticles impact (CAMI) for the study area indicated a “very high abundance” of AMs and an “extreme” level of impact. The polymers identified in these areas included PS, PE, PP, and PET. Tourism, fishing, domestic activities, and poor solid waste management practices are the primary sources of AM pollution in this region. To protect Moroccan beaches, the implementation of a consistent plastic waste management strategy is recommended. Full article

Nowadays, recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is an undesirable condition suffered by many patients of reproductive age. In this scenario, certain immune cell populations and molecules, involved in maternal–fetal compatibility, have emerged as factors related with the pathogenesis of RPL. Among them, uterine Natural Killer cells (uNKs) appear to be of great relevance. These cells are involved in numerous processes during pregnancy, such as the remodeling of uterine spiral arteries or the control of trophoblast invasion. These functions are regulated by the interactions that these cells establish with the extravillous trophoblast, mainly through their Killer Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIRs) and the Human Leukocyte Antigen-C (HLA-C) molecules expressed by the embryo. A high level of polymorphism has been reported for both molecules involved in this interaction, with some of the possible KIR–HLA-C combinations being associated with an increased risk of RPL. However, the complexity of the maternal–fetal interface goes beyond this, as other HLA molecules also appear to be related to this reproductive pathology. In this review, we will discuss the role of uNKs in pregnancy, as well as the polymorphisms and clinical implications of KIR–HLA-C binding. We will also address the involvement of other, different HLA molecules in RPL, and the current advice on the appropriate management of patients with ‘immunological mismatch’, thus covering the main aspects regarding the involvement of maternal–fetal compatibility in RPL. Full article

Background: Professional cycling puts significant demands on the respiratory system. Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is a common problem in professional athletes. Small airways may be affected in isolation or in combination with a reduction in forced expiratory volume at the first second (FEV₁). This study aimed to investigate isolated exercise-induced small airway dysfunction (SAD) in professional cyclists and assess the impact of this phenomenon on exercise capacity in this population. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted on professional cyclists with no history of asthma or atopy. Anthropometric characteristics were recorded, the training age was determined, and spirometry and specific markers, such as fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and immunoglobulin E (IgE), were measured for all participants. All of the cyclists underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) followed by spirometry. Results: Compared with the controls, 1-FEV₃/FVC (the fraction of the FVC that was not expired during the first 3 s of the FVC) was greater in athletes with EIB, but also in those with isolated exercise-induced SAD. The exercise capacity was lower in cyclists with isolated exercise-induced SAD than in the controls, but was similar to that in cyclists with EIB. This phenomenon appeared to be associated with a worse ventilatory reserve (VE/MVV%). Conclusions: According to our data, it appears that professional cyclists may experience no beneficial impacts on their respiratory system. Strenuous endurance exercise can induce airway injury, which is followed by a restorative process. The repeated cycle of injury and repair can trigger the release of pro-inflammatory mediators, the disruption of the airway epithelial barrier, and plasma exudation, which gradually give rise to airway hyper-responsiveness, exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, intrabronchial inflammation, peribronchial fibrosis, and respiratory symptoms. The small airways may be affected in isolation or in combination with a reduction in FEV₁. Cyclists with isolated exercise-induced SAD had lower exercise capacity than those in the control group. Full article

Stochastization of boundary-layer flow has a dramatic effect on the aerodynamic characteristics of wings, nacelles, and other objects frequently encountered in practice, resulting in higher skin-friction drag and worse aerodynamic quality. A swept-wing boundary layer encountering a transition to turbulence in the presence of two-dimensional surface reliefs is considered. The relief has the form of strips of a rectangular cross-section oriented parallel to the leading edge and located at different distances from it. The computations are performed for the angle of attack of −5° and an incoming flow velocity of 30 m/s using the ANSYS Fluent 18.0 software together with the author’s LOTRAN 3 package for predicting the laminar–turbulent transition on the basis of the $e^N$-method. New data on distributions of N factors of swept-wing cross-flow instability affected by the surface relief are presented. The data are of practical importance for engineering modeling of the transition. Also, the effectiveness of using the reliefs as a passive method of weakening the cross-flow instability up to 30% to delay the flow stochastization is shown. Full article