Search Results (24,568)

There is a high demand for the development of drugs against Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is related to the misfolding and aggregation of Amyloid-β (Aβ), due to the increasing number of patients with AD. In our present study, we aimed to assess the aggregation inhibitory effect of various synthetic YS-peptides on Aβ25-35 to identify an applicable peptide for clinical use for AD treatment and prevention. Suppression and aggregate resolution activities of YS-peptides against Aβ25-35 were evaluated using a Thioflavin T assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Structure–activity relationship studies revealed that YS-RD11 (RETLVYLTHLD) and YS-RE16 (RETLVYLTHLDYDDTE) showed suppression and aggregate-resolution activities. The effect of YS-peptides on phagocytosis in microglial cells (BV-2 cells) demonstrated that YS-RD11 and YS-RE16 activated the phagocytic ability of microglia. In the Aβ25-35-induced AD mouse model, YS-RD11 prevented and improved the deficits in short-term memory. In conclusion, YS-RD11 is a suitable candidate therapeutic drug against AD and uses a strategy similar to that used for antibodies. Full article

To address the challenge of image matching posed by significant modal differences in remote sensing images influenced by snow cover, this paper proposes an innovative image transformation-based matching method. Initially, the Pix2Pix-GAN conversion network is employed to transform remote sensing images with snow cover into images without snow cover, reducing the feature disparity between the images. This conversion facilitates the extraction of more discernible features for matching by transforming the problem from snow-covered to snow-free images. Subsequently, a multi-level feature extraction network is utilized to extract multi-level feature descriptors from the transformed images. Keypoints are derived from these descriptors, enabling effective feature matching. Finally, the matching results are mapped back onto the original snow-covered remote sensing images. The proposed method was compared to well-established techniques such as SIFT, RIFT2, R2D2, and ReDFeat and demonstrated outstanding performance. In terms of NCM, MP, Rep, Recall, and F1-measure, our method outperformed the state of the art by 177, 0.29, 0.22, 0.21, and 0.25, respectively. In addition, the algorithm shows robustness over a range of image rotation angles from −40° to 40°. This innovative approach offers a new perspective on the task of matching multi-temporal snow-covered remote sensing images. Full article

Background: The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze research studies focused on orthorexia nervosa (ON) as a spectrum of eating disorders, and to summarize potential risk factors in different age and social groups. ON is characterized by an obsession with healthy eating, which leads to a restrictive diet and health problems. Methods: Due to a lack of comprehensive analyses, this review re-examined studies from 2006 to 2023, initially retrieving 53,134 articles. Upon refining the criteria and risk factors for eating disorders, 34 notable records were identified. These studies employed diagnostic tools such as ORTO and BOT, focusing on risk factors for ON. Results: Results indicate that individuals suffering from eating disorders, losing weight, exercising heavily, developing relationship problems, and suffering from body dysmorphic disorder are at high risk of developing ON. A significant correlation was found between ON, BMI, and gender, but not between ON and OCD. Interestingly, ON symptoms appear to overlap with those of other eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, especially in terms of obsessive control over dieting and fear of gaining weight, indicating a close relationship between the two. Conclusions: Interestingly, orthorexia nervosa may serve as a coping mechanism for anorexia, providing a sense of control. However, further research on its long-term effects is required. Full article

This article explores the concept of landscape through the lens of performativity, challenging the traditional visual-centric understanding rooted in Western art and culture but without denying the visual and representational character of landscape. It examines the evolution of landscape representation, from its origins in linear perspective and Cartesian dualism to contemporary approaches that integrate performative practices. The analysis highlights the dialectical tension between visual representation and immersive, multisensory experiences, arguing for a more integrated view that acknowledges the performative aspects of the visual. By re-evaluating the role of distance, vision, and representation, the article advocates for a nuanced understanding of landscape that balances the visual with embodied practices, ultimately proposing that landscape should be seen as a dynamic interplay between seeing and performing. Full article

Literature on African urbanism has generally lacked insight into the significant roles of hunters and fishers as city founders. This has resulted in a knowledge gap regarding the cultural foundation of the cities that could enhance policy frameworks for sustainable urban governance. This article examines corollaries related to the complementarities of hunting and urbanism with case studies from the ethno-linguistic Yoruba region in southwestern Nigeria. Through qualitative methodologies involving ethnography and the (oral) history of landscapes of hunting from the pre-colonial and (British) colonial periods, as well as tracing the current cultural significance of hunting in selected Yoruba cities, the article reveals data that identify hunters and fishers as city founders. It shows that hunting, as a lived heritage, continues to be interlaced with cultural urban practices and Yoruba cosmology and that within this cultural imagery and belief, hunters remain key actors in nature conservation, contributing to socio-cultural capital, economic sustainability, and urban security structures. The article concludes with recommendations for strategies to reconnect with these value systems in rapidly westernizing urban Africa. These reconnections include the re-sacralization of desacralized landscapes of hunting, revival of cultural ideologies, decolonization from occidental conceptions, and re-definition of urbanism and place-making in light of African perspectives despite globalization. In doing so, the article contributes to a deeper understanding of the interconnections between the environmental and societal components of sustainability theory, agenda, and practice in urban contexts; underscores the societal value of lived heritage, cultural heritage, and cultural capital within the growing literature on urban social sustainability; and sheds more light on southern geographies within the social sustainability discourse, a field of study that still disproportionately reflects the global northwest. Full article

Background: Despite the implementation of various preventive measures, India continues to experience an alarmingly high under-five mortality rate (U5MR). The most recent nationwide data on U5MRs has provided an opportunity to re-examine the associated factors of U5MRs using advanced techniques. This study attempted to identify the associated determinants of U5MRs via the generalised additive Cox proportional hazards method. Methods: This study analysed the fifth round of unit-level data for 213,612 children from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) to identify the risk factors associated with U5MRs, employing a generalised additive Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Results: The children who had a length of pregnancy of less than 9 months had a 2.621 (95% CI: 2.494, 2.755) times greater hazard of U5MRs than the children who had a gestational period of 9 months or more. The non-linear association with U5MRs was highest in the mother’s age, followed by the mother’s haemoglobin, the mother’s education, and household wealth score. The relationships between the mother’s age and the mother’s haemoglobin level with the U5MR were found to be U-shaped. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of addressing maternal and socioeconomic factors while improving access to healthcare services in order to reduce U5MRs in India. Furthermore, the findings underscore the necessity for more sophisticated approaches to healthcare delivery that consider the non-linear relationships between predictor variables and U5MRs. Full article

Weeds have a detrimental effect on crop yield. However, the prevailing chemical weed control methods cause pollution of the ecosystem and land. Therefore, it has become a trend to reduce dependence on herbicides; realize a sustainable, intelligent weed control method; and protect the land. In order to realize intelligent weeding, efficient and accurate crop and weed recognition is necessary. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are widely applied for weed and crop recognition due to their high speed and efficiency. In this paper, a multi-path input skip-residual network (SkipResNet) was put forward to upgrade the classification function of weeds and crops. It improved the residual block in the ResNet model and combined three different path selection algorithms. Experiments showed that on the plant seedling dataset, our proposed network achieved an accuracy of 95.07%, which is 0.73%, 0.37%, and 4.75% better than that of ResNet18, VGG19, and MobileNetV2, respectively. The validation results on the weed–corn dataset also showed that the algorithm can provide more accurate identification of weeds and crops, thereby reducing land contamination during the weeding process. In addition, the algorithm is generalizable and can be used in image classification in agriculture and other fields. Full article

Some respiratory viruses, such as Human Rhinovirus, SARS-CoV-2, and Enterovirus D-68 (EV-D68), share the feature of hijacking host lipids in order to generate specialised replication organelles (ROs) with unique lipid compositions to enable viral replication. We have recently uncovered a novel non-canonical function of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway, as a critical factor in the formation of ROs in response to HRV infection. The STING pathway is the main DNA virus sensing system of the innate immune system controlling the type I IFN machinery. Although it is well-characterised as part of the DNA sensor machinery, the STING function in RNA viral infections is largely unexplored. In the current study, we investigated whether other RO-forming RNA viruses, such as EV-D68 and SARS-CoV-2, can also utilise STING for their replication. Using genetic and pharmacological inhibition, we demonstrate that STING is hijacked by these viruses and is utilised as part of the viral replication machinery. STING also co-localises with glycolytic enzymes needed to fuel the energy for replication. The inhibition of STING leads to the modulation of glucose metabolism in EV-D68-infected cells, suggesting that it might also manipulate immunometabolism. Therefore, for RO-generating RNA viruses, STING seems to have non-canonical functions in membrane lipid re-modelling, and the formation of replication vesicles, as well as immunometabolism. Full article

This review addresses the recent World Workshop Consensus Conference (WWCC) decision to eliminate Localized Aggressive Periodontitis (LAgP) in young adults as a distinct form of periodontitis. A “Consensus” implies widespread, if not unanimous, agreement among participants. However, a significant number of attendees were opposed to the elimination of the LAgP classification. The substantial evidence supporting a unique diagnosis for LAgP includes the (1) incisor/molar pattern of disease, (2) young age of onset, (3) rapid progression of attachment and bone loss, (4) familial aggregation across multiple generations, and (5) defined consortium of microbiological risk factors including Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. Distinctive clinical signs and symptoms of LAgP are presented, and the microbial subgingival consortia that precede the onset of signs and symptoms are described. Using Bradford–Hill guidelines to assess causation, well-defined longitudinal studies support the unique microbial consortia, including A. actinomycetemcomitans as causative for LAgP. To determine the effects of the WWCC elimination of LAgP on research, we searched three publication databases and discovered a clear decrease in the number of new publications addressing LAgP since the new WWCC classification. The negative effects of the WWCC guidelines on both diagnosis and treatment success are presented. For example, due to the localized nature of LAgP, the practice of averaging mean pocket depth reduction or attachment gain across all teeth masks major changes in disease recovery at high-risk tooth sites. Reinstating LAgP as a distinct disease entity is proposed, and an alternative or additional way of measuring treatment success is recommended based on an assessment of the extension of the time to relapse of subgingival re-infection. The consequences of the translocation of oral microbes to distant anatomical sites due to ignoring relapse frequency are also discussed. Additional questions and future directions are also presented. Full article

Day-ahead electricity price forecasting (DAEPF) is vital for participants in energy markets, particularly in regions with high integration of renewable energy sources (RESs), where price volatility poses significant challenges. The accurate forecasting of high and low electricity prices is particularly essential, as market participants seek to optimize their strategies by selling electricity when prices are high and purchasing when prices are low to maximize profits and minimize costs. In Japan, the increasing integration of RES has caused day-ahead electricity prices to frequently fall to almost zero JPY/kWh during periods of high RES output, creating significant profitability challenges for electricity retailers. This paper introduces novel custom loss functions and metrics specifically designed to improve the forecasting accuracy of extreme prices (high and low prices) in DAEPF, with a focus on the Japanese wholesale electricity market, addressing the unique challenges posed by the volatility of RES. To implement this, we integrate these custom loss functions into a Convolutional Neural Network–Long Short-Term Memory (CNN-LSTM) model, augmented by an ensemble learning approach and multimodal features. The proposed custom loss functions and metrics were rigorously validated, demonstrating their effectiveness in accurately predicting high and low electricity prices, thereby indicating their practical application in enhancing the economic strategies of market participants. Full article

Magnesium alloys with a high volume fraction of secondary phases exhibit inferior formability. Therefore, investigating their thermal deformation characteristics is critical for optimizing thermal processing techniques. In this work, isothermal compression experiments were performed on a Mg-15Gd-8Y-6Al-0.3Mn alloy with an elastic modulus of 51.3 GPa with a substantial volume of aluminum-rare earth (Al₂RE) phases. The rheological behavior and microstructural evolution of the material were systematically investigated at varying temperatures (350–500 °C) and strain rates (0.001–1.000 s⁻¹). The calculated thermal processing diagram indicates that the unstable region gradually enlarges with increased strain, and all unstable regions appear within the high-strain-rate, low-temperature domain. The ideal thermal processing range of the alloy is 350–500 °C at strain rates ranging from 0.001 to 0.016 s⁻¹. Particle-stimulated nucleation and discontinuous dynamic recrystallization are both verified to be responsible for the recrystallized microstructure of the alloy. The recrystallized grains exhibit a relatively random crystallographic orientation. As recrystallization proceeds, the texture gradually transitions from a typical [0001] texture in the compression direction to a random texture accompanied by decreased texture intensity. This work sheds new light on the thermo-mechanical processing of high-modulus Mg alloys, which could help design suitable processing techniques for related materials. Full article

Background: Aortic coarctation, a condition characterized by localized narrowing of the aorta, can be managed with either surgical or endovascular techniques. This study aims to compare these approaches concerning long-term outcomes, particularly re-coarctation rates and late arterial hypertension. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients with native, isolated aortic coarctation treated by surgical or endovascular methods between 2015 and 2024. Clinical and demographic data were collected from electronic health records. Blood pressure was measured using oscillometric devices, and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was performed by an experienced sonographer. The primary endpoint was to identify which treatment predicted re-coarctation during follow-up, while the secondary endpoint assessed the incidence of late arterial hypertension. Results: Sixty-nine patients were included, with a mean age of 18.14 ± 8.18 years (median 16 years; range 8 to 37 years) and a median follow-up of 3 years (range 6 months to 8 years). Of these, 67 (97.1%) underwent elective repairs. Repair techniques included endovascular treatment (24.6%), surgical end-to-end anastomosis (47.8%), and surgical patchplasty (27.5%). The endovascular group was significantly older (29.82 ± 5.9 years vs. 14.33 ± 4.25 years, p = 0.056) and had shorter procedure durations and hospital stays. One-year freedom from reintervention was significantly higher in the surgical group (98.7%) compared to the endovascular group (88.23%) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Both techniques effectively treat aortic coarctation, but surgical repair offers better long-term outcomes, while endovascular repair provides shorter recovery times. These findings should inform the choice of treatment modality based on patient-specific factors and clinical priorities. Full article

Infrasound sensing plays a critical role in the detection and analysis of bolides, offering passive, cost-effective global monitoring capabilities. Key objectives include determining the timing, location, and yield of these events. Achieving these goals requires a robust approach to detect, analyze, and interpret rapidly moving elevated sources such as bolides (also re-entry). In light of advancements in infrasonic methodologies, there is a need for a comprehensive overview of the characteristics that distinguish bolides from other infrasound sources and methodologies for bolide infrasound analysis. This paper provides a focused review of key considerations and presents a unified framework to enhance infrasound processing approaches specifically tailored for bolides. Three representative case studies are presented to demonstrate the practical application of infrasound processing methodologies and deriving source parameters while exploring challenges associated with bolide-generated infrasound. These case studies underscore the effectiveness of infrasound in determining source parameters and highlight interpretative challenges, such as variations in signal period measurements across different studies. Future research should place emphasis on improving geolocation and yield accuracy. This can be achieved through rigorous and systematic analyses of large, statistically significant samples of such events, aiming to resolve interpretative inconsistencies and explore the causes for variability in signal periods and back azimuths. The topic described here is also relevant to space exploration involving planetary bodies with atmospheres, such as Venus, Mars, and Titan. Full article

This study presents an updated interpretation of geological data collected between 1984 and 2022. The area under consideration holds significant regional importance as it is located between the Internal Nappe Zone (INZ) and the Regional Mylonitic Complex (RMC). Re-evaluation of the geological data has highlighted a more intricate structural framework than what is currently documented in the existing literature. This paper aims to illustrate, through structural analysis, that the Posada Valley Shear Zone (PVSZ) does not serve as the transitional boundary between the Inner Nappe Zone and the Regional Mylonitic Complex or High-Grade Metamorphic Complex (HGMC) as traditionally thought. Instead, the authors’ findings indicate that the transition boundary is confined to a shear band with a variable thickness ranging from 10 to 70 m at its widest points. The development of the Posada Valley Shear Zone is characterized by a series of transitions from mylonite I S-C to mylonite II S-C, extending over approximately 5 km. The formation of the Posada Valley Shear Zone is chronologically confined between the development of the East Variscan Shear Zone (EVSZ) and the emplacement of the Late Variscan granites. The differing orientations of Sm and S3 observed in the mylonitic events of the Posada Valley Shear Zone and the Regional Mylonitic Complex, respectively, are likely attributable to an anticlockwise rotation of the shortening directions during the upper Carboniferous period. Furthermore, this study proposes that the Condensed Isogrades Zone (CIZ), despite its unclear formation mechanism, should be recognized as the true transition zone between the Inner Nappe Zone and the Regional Mylonitic Complex or High-Grade Metamorphic Complex. This new interpretation challenges the previously accepted notion of increasing Variscan metamorphic zonation toward the northeast. This conclusion is supported by the identification of the same NE–SW orientation of the D2 tectonic event in both the Old Gneiss Complex (OGC in the Regional Mylonitic Complex) and the lithologies of the Inner Nappe Zone and the Condensed Isogrades Zone. The comprehensive analysis and new insights provided in this paper contribute to a refined understanding of the geological relationships and processes within this region, offering significant implications for future geological studies and interpretations. Full article

As technology advances rapidly, a diverse array of Internet of Things (IoT) devices finds widespread application across numerous fields. The intelligent nature of these devices not only gives people more convenience, but also introduces new challenges especially in security when transmitting data in fog-based cloud environments. In fog computing environments, data need to be transmitted across multiple devices, increasing the risk of data being intercepted or tampered with during transmission. To securely share cloud ciphertexts, an alleged proxy re-encryption approach is a commonly adopted solution. Without decrypting the original ciphertext, such a mechanism permits a ciphertext intended for user A to be easily converted into the one intended for user B. However, to revoke the decryption privilege of data users usually relies on the system authority to maintain a user revocation list which inevitably increases the storage space. In this research, the authors come up with a fog-based proxy re-encryption system with revocable identity. Without maintaining the traditional user revocation list, the proposed scheme introduces a time-updated key mechanism. The time-update key could be viewed as a partial private key and should be renewed with different time periods. A revoked user is unable to obtain the renewed time-update key and hence cannot share or decrypt cloud ciphertexts. We formally demonstrate that the introduced scheme satisfies the security of indistinguishability against adaptively chosen identity and chosen plaintext attacks (IND-PrID-CPA) assuming the hardness of the Decisional Bilinear Diffie–Hellman (DBDH) problem in the random oracle model. Furthermore, compared with similar systems, the proposed one also has lower computational complexity as a whole. Full article