Little is known about the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the persistence and degradation of DNA within soil. The goals of this study are to determine the duration of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA (nuDNA) persistence in soils enriched by surface-level human decomposition and to better understand the contribution of environmental factors. The surface-level decomposition of three human cadavers was documented over 11 weeks. Based on quantitative PCR results, we found nuDNA to persist in soils six weeks post-placement, while mtDNA was recoverable for the entire 11-week decomposition period. Principle components analyses and Spearman’s rank correlations revealed that (1) time, (2) total body score, and (3) weekly average air temperature were significantly correlated with concentrations of nuDNA and mtDNA in soil, suggesting these factors play a role in the degradation of DNA in soils. Full article

An 82-year-old male experienced severe bleeding during transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) due to an undetected prostatic arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Initial management with a catheter was followed by successful transarterial embolisation. This case highlights the effectiveness of endovascular angioembolisation for unexpected prostatic AVMs. Full article

Meloidogyne nematodes, commonly known as root-knot nematodes, pose a considerable threat to crop yields, resulting in significant economic losses due to their intricate biology and limited control methods. In line with the European Union’s focus on promoting organic farming and soil health to encourage sustainable agricultural practices, this study explores the efficacy of two characterized bacterial communities obtained from compost against M. javanica in tomato plants. Through pot experiments, it was demonstrated that both bacterial communities, namely SC1 and SC2, effectively suppressed nematode reproduction and root invasion, which was reflected by a reduction in the number of egg masses per root (by 63% and 28%, respectively) and a reduction in the total progeny population (by 68% and 28%, respectively), with various simultaneously enhanced growth parameters in tomatoes, i.e., aerial part fresh weight increased by 74% and 58%, aerial part dry weight increased by 90% and 55%, and plant height increased by 86% and 53%, respectively. These findings underscore the potential of compost bacterial communities as promising tools for organic or integrated pest management, thereby supporting sustainable agricultural practices and contributing to improved crop yields. Full article

Indigenous groups across Africa mobilized Indigenous Knowledge (IK) practices, albeit not without challenges, to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) continue to be sidelined in formal healthcare policies and programmes. This underscores the urgency to liberate Africa’s epistemologies. Employing the decoloniality lens, this paper examined the colonial influences inherent in African responses to COVID-19 while also exploring the role of IKS in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality (UKDM). The argument is made that, in the case of the UKDM, the efficacy of IKS was demonstrated in the response to and fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the basis for the call to embrace and recognize that IKS is a legitimate body of knowledge comparable to Western science. Such recognition paves the way for more equitable, contextually relevant, and sustainable health strategies that can better address the complexities of current and future pandemics. Full article

Management of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) is determined by patient age, risk of rupture, and comorbid conditions. While endovascular and microsurgical interventions offer solutions to mitigate the risk of rupture, pharmacological management strategies may complement these approaches or serve as alternatives in appropriate cases. The pathophysiology of IAs allows for the targeting of inflammation to prevent the development and rupture of IAs. The aim of this review is to provide an updated summary of different pharmaceutical management strategies for IAs. Acetylsalicylic acid and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitor antihypertensives have some evidence supporting their protective effect. Studies of selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, statins, ADP inhibitors, and other metabolism-affecting drugs have demonstrated inconclusive findings regarding their association with aneurysm growth or rupture. In this manuscript, we highlight the evidence supporting each drug’s effectiveness. Full article

We analyzed antimicrobial resistance and virulence traits in multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli isolates obtained from imported shrimp using whole-genome sequences (WGSs). Antibiotic resistance profiles were determined phenotypically. WGSs identified key characteristics, including their multilocus sequence type (MLST), serotype, virulence factors, antibiotic resistance genes, and mobile elements. Most of the isolates exhibited resistance to gentamicin, streptomycin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Multilocus sequence type (MLST), serotype, average nucleotide identity (ANI), and pangenome analysis showed high genomic similarity among isolates, except for EC15 and ECV01. The EC119 plasmid contained a variety of efflux pump genes, including those encoding the acid resistance transcriptional activators (gadE, gadW, and gadX), resistance-nodulation-division-type efflux pumps (mdtE and mdtF), and a metabolite, H1 symporter (MHS) family major facilitator superfamily transporter (MNZ41_23075). Virulence genes displayed diversity, particularly EC15, whose plasmids carried genes for adherence (faeA and faeC-I), invasion (ipaH and virB), and capsule (caf1A and caf1M). This comprehensive analysis illuminates antimicrobial resistance, virulence, and plasmid dynamics in E. coli from imported shrimp and has profound implications for public health, emphasizing the need for continued surveillance and research into the evolution of these important bacterial pathogens. Full article

Mica is a harmful substance in sand and occurs frequently. The application of super standard mica sand is a difficult problem in large-scale engineering. In this work, the effects of an interface modifier, mineral admixture, and a curing system on the properties of cement-based materials with super standard mica sand were studied. The strength of cement-based materials linearly decreases with the mica content in sand. When the mica content in sand exceeds 6%, the compressive strength of mortar and concrete at 28 d decreases by more than 22.3% and 33.5%, respectively. By adding the silane coupling agent (SCA) of 50% mica mass and curing in natural conditions, the compressive strength of mortar increases by 10.9%. The cement-based materials with the SCA are more suitable for curing in natural conditions, and the performance of the SCA will not be affected by adding appropriate amounts of mineral admixture. The drying shrinkage strain of the concrete, with the sand containing high mica content modified by SCA, is reduced by 10.5%, and the diffusion of chloride ions in concrete is reduced. The XRD results show that the addition of the interfacial agent does not change the hydration products. The MIP and SEM results show that the SCA can form a bridge structure between the hydration products and the mica, improve the bonding strength of the interface zone, and reduce the number of harmful pores. Full article

The emergence of illegal (gambling, pornography, and attraction) websites seriously threatens the security of society. Due to the concealment of illegal websites, it is difficult to obtain labeled data with high quantity. Meanwhile, most illegal websites usually disguise themselves to avoid detection; for example, some gambling websites may visually resemble gaming websites. However, existing methods ignore the means of camouflage in a single modality. To address the above problems, this paper proposes MEDAL, a multimodality-based effective data augmentation framework for illegal website identification. First, we established an illegal website identification framework based on tri-training that combines information from different modalities (including image, text, and HTML) while making full use of numerous unlabeled data. Then, we designed a multimodal mutual assistance module that is integrated with the tri-training framework to mitigate the introduction of error information resulting from an unbalanced single-modal classifier performance in the tri-training process. Finally, the experimental results on the self-developed dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework, performing well on accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 metrics. Full article

With a growing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, innovative carbon dioxide sorbents are being sought. One of the sorbents being tested is nanoparticle ferric hydrosol (FFH). In parallel with sorbent testing, it is also necessary to test the used sorbent after carbon dioxide capture (FFHCO2) and to develop an optimal method for its processing and management. The research described in this article evaluated the potential use of FFHCO2 in dewatering, coagulation and bioleaching processes. The research results indicate that the basic strategy for dealing with waste FFHCO2 sorbent should be to minimize the amount of waste by volume reduction—dewatering. Recycling of FFHCO2 as an iron waste coagulant or its processing products by bioleaching had no technological justification. It is only proposed to recover the material—iron compounds—if it is environmentally and economically justified. Full article

Previous studies from our laboratory and others have established the dendritic cell (DC) as a key target of RSV that drives infection-induced pathology. Analysis of RSV-induced transcriptomic changes in RSV-infected DC revealed metabolic gene signatures suggestive of altered cellular metabolism. Reverse phase protein array (RPPA) data showed significantly increased PARP1 phosphorylation in RSV-infected DC. Real-time cell metabolic analysis demonstrated increased glycolysis in PARP1-/- DC after RSV infection, confirming a role for PARP1 in regulating DC metabolism. Our data show that enzymatic inhibition or genomic ablation of PARP1 resulted in increased ifnb1, il12, and il27 in RSV-infected DC which, together, promote a more appropriate anti-viral environment. PARP1-/- mice and PARP1-inhibitor-treated mice were protected against RSV-induced immunopathology including airway inflammation, Th2 cytokine production, and mucus hypersecretion. However, delayed treatment with PARP1 inhibitor in RSV-infected mice provided only partial protection, suggesting that PARP1 is most important during the earlier innate immune stage of RSV infection. Full article

Plant essential oils are important alternatives in green integrated pest management. This study examined the chemical composition, bioactivity, and control efficacy of four Lamiaceae essential oils (EOs) against Thrips flavus Schrank in laboratory conditions with the goal of exploiting plant-derived insecticides to control Thrips flavus. The four EOs tested were marjoram oil (Origanum majorana L.), clary sage oil (Salvia sclarea L.), perilla leaf oil (Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt.), and spearmint oil (Mentha spicata L.). All these EOs exhibited a certain degree of insecticidal activity against Thrips flavus. The median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) was determined after treatment by the leaf-dipping method in laboratory bioassays, and its values were 0.41 mg/mL for marjoram oil, 0.42 mg/mL for clary sage oil, 0.43 mg/mL for perilla leaf oil, and 0.54 mg/mL for spearmint oil. In the pot experiment, the number of dead insects was recorded at 1, 3, and 7 days post-application, and the control efficacy of EOs against Thrips flavus was calculated. The concentration of 900.00 g a.i.·hm⁻² of spearmint oil was 100% lethal against Thrips flavus after treating potted plants for seven days. The Y-tube olfactometer method was used to test for the attraction or repellent response of EOs against Thrips flavus. The spearmint oil significantly attracted female adults in the olfactory test. Furthermore, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used to examine the chemical composition of the EOs. Linalool (24.52%), isopropyl myristate (28.74%), (+)-limonene (32.44%), and (+)-carvone (70.3%) were their primary ingredients. The findings suggest that all four EOs are highly effective against Thrips flavus and may be a possible alternative in the management of Thrips flavus, especially when considering reducing the use of synthetic pesticides. Full article

The occurrence, distribution, and ecological risk assessment of 36 antibiotics from five groups, including macrolides (MLs), fluoroquinolones (FQs), tetracyclines (TCs), amphenicols (APs), and sulfonamides (SAs), were investigated for the first time in the Anning River, Sichuan Province, China. The results show that antibiotics were widely present in the sediments of the Anning River, with a total of 22 antibiotics detected. FQs were among the most abundant antibiotics, followed by TCs, MLs, APs, and SAs. The total concentrations of antibiotics in surface sediments varied from 0.05 to 53.35 ng/g, with an average of 8.09 ng/g. Among these groups, MLs, FQs, and TCs emerged as the predominant classes of antibiotics. The midstream sediments showed the highest residual levels of antibiotics, with lower levels observed in the downstream and upstream sediments. Anthropogenic activities, such as human clinical practices and animal breeding, might be sources of antibiotics released into the river. An ecological risk assessment revealed that trimethoprim from the SA group exhibited high risks, and MLs showed medium risks in the Anning River, whereas most antibiotics presented minimal to low risks. This study provides valuable information on antibiotic pollution in the upstream region of the Yangtze River, and future management measures are needed for the Anning River. Full article

This study presents a novel computational radio frequency identification (RFID) system designed specifically for assisting blind individuals, utilising software-defined radio (SDR) with coherent detection. The system employs battery-less ultra-high-frequency (UHF) tag arrays in Gen2 RFID systems, enhancing the transmission of sensed information beyond standard identification bits. Our method uses an SDR reader to efficiently manage multiple tags with Gen2 preambles implemented on a single transceiver card. The results highlight the system’s real-time capability to detect movements and direction of walking within a four-meter range, indicating significant advances in contactless activity monitoring. This system not only handles the complexities of multiple tag scenarios but also delineates the influence of system parameters on RFID operational efficiency. This study contributes to assistive technology, provides a platform for future advancements aimed at addressing contemporary limitations in pseudo-localisation, and offers a practical, affordable assistance system for blind individuals. Full article

Background: Pneumonia is a ubiquitous health condition with severe outcomes. The advancement of ultrasonography techniques allows its application in evaluating pulmonary diseases, providing safer and accessible bedside therapeutic decisions compared to chest X-ray and chest computed tomography (CT) scan. Because of its aforementioned benefits, we aimed to confirm the diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound (LUS) for pneumonia in adults. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed of Medline, Cochrane and Crossref, independently by two authors. The selection of studies proceeded based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria without restrictions to particular study designs, language or publication dates and was followed by data extraction. The gold standard reference in the included studies was chest X-ray/CT scan or both. Results: Twenty-nine (29) studies containing 6702 participants were included in our meta-analysis. Pooled sensitivity, specificity and PPV were 92% (95% CI: 91–93%), 94% (95% CI: 94 to 95%) and 93% (95% CI: 89 to 96%), respectively. Pooled positive and negative likelihood ratios were 16 (95% CI: 14 to 19) and 0.08 (95% CI: 0.07 to 0.09). The area under the ROC curve of LUS was 0. 9712. Conclusions: LUS has high diagnostic accuracy in adult pneumonia. Its contribution could form an optimistic clue in future updates considering this condition. Full article

(1) Background: Peptides are appealing as pharmacological materials because they are easily produced, safe, and tolerable. Despite increasing gum-care awareness, periodontitis is still prevalent and is influenced by factors like high sugar consumption, smoking, and aging. Porphyromonas gingivalis is considered a major etiologic agent of periodontitis and activates the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) but is absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) inflammasomes, resulting in pro-inflammatory cytokine release. (2) Methods: We examined the anti-inflammatory effects of 18 peptides derived from human stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) on THP-1 macrophages. Inflammation was induced by P. gingivalis, and the anti-inflammatory effects were analyzed using molecular biological techniques. In a mouse periodontitis model, alveolar bone resorption was assessed using micro-CT. (3) Results: Of the 18 SDF-1-derived peptides, S10 notably reduced IL-1β and TNF-α secretion. S10 also diminished the P. gingivalis-induced expression of NLRP3, AIM2, ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein), caspase-1, and IL-1β. Furthermore, S10 attenuated the enhanced TLR (toll-like receptor) signaling pathway and decreased the phosphorylation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). In addition, S10 mitigated alveolar bone loss in our P. gingivalis-induced mouse model of periodontitis. (4) Conclusions: S10 suppressed TLR/NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling and the AIM2 inflammasome in our P. gingivalis-induced murine periodontitis model, which suggests that it has potential use as a therapeutic treatment for periodontitis. Full article

Trimethyl-N-oxide (TMAO) has been linked to peripheral artery disease (PAD). Taurisolo^Ⓡ is a natural, balanced phytocomplex containing resveratrol, quercetin, catechins, procianidins, gallic acid, and caffeic acid. Numerous studies have shown that Taurisolo^Ⓡ reduces the damage of TMAO and exerts a protective effect on endothelial cells (ECs). The aim of this randomized, double-blind, single-center study was to evaluate the effects of Taurisolo^Ⓡ on claudication in patients with PAD (Rutheford grade I, category II, Fontaine Classification: Stage IIA, American Medical Association Whole Person Impairment Classification: Class 0—WPI 0%) in two parallel groups of 31 patients. The primary outcomes were an increase in the pain-free walking distance and the ankle/brachial pressure index at the beginning and at the end of the treatment with Taurisolo. The secondary endpoint was the serum TMAO changes. The claudication distance improved by 14.1% in the Taurisolo group and by 2.0% in the placebo group, while the maximal distance increased by 15.8% and 0.6% only, respectively (both p < 0.05). The TMAO plasma levels decreased from 3.97 ± 2.13 micromole/L to 0.87 ± 0.48 (p < 0.0001) in the treated group. All these changes were highly significant both in univariate mixed models as well as in the adjusted model. Ultimately, Taurisolo^Ⓡ might be an effective intervention to ameliorate intermittent claudication. Full article

The retina, a tissue of the central nervous system, is vital for vision as its photoreceptors capture light and transform it into electrical signals, which are further processed before they are sent to the brain to be interpreted as images. The retina is unique in that it is continuously exposed to light and has the highest metabolic rate and demand for energy amongst all the tissues in the body. Consequently, the retina is very susceptible to oxidative stress. VDAC, a pore in the outer membrane of mitochondria, shuttles metabolites between mitochondria and the cytosol and normally protects cells from oxidative damage, but when a cell’s integrity is greatly compromised it initiates cell death. There are three isoforms of VDAC, and existing evidence indicates that all three are expressed in the retina. However, their precise localization and function in each cell type is unknown. It appears that most retinal cells express substantial amounts of VDAC2 and VDAC3, presumably to protect them from oxidative stress. Photoreceptors express VDAC2, HK2, and PKM2—key proteins in the Warburg pathway that also protect these cells. Consistent with its role in initiating cell death, VDAC is overexpressed in the retinal degenerative diseases retinitis pigmentosa, age related macular degeneration (AMD), and glaucoma. Treatment with antioxidants or inhibiting VDAC oligomerization reduced its expression and improved cell survival. Thus, VDAC may be a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of these diseases. Full article

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is widely recognized as a robust cryptographic algorithm utilized to protect data integrity and confidentiality. When it comes to lightweight implementations of the algorithm, the literature mainly emphasizes area and power optimization, often overlooking considerations related to performance and security. This paper evaluates two of our previously proposed lightweight AES implementations using both profiled and non-profiled attacks. One is an unprotected implementation, and the other one is a protected version using Domain-Oriented Masking (DOM). The findings of this study indicate that the inclusion of DOM in the design enhances its resistance to attacks at the cost of doubling the area. Full article

Acute coronary thrombosis is a known, but rare, contributor to morbidity and mortality in patients with thermal and electrical injuries. The overall incidence of myocardial infarction among burn patients is 1%, with an in-hospital post-infarction mortality of approximately 67%, whereas the overall mortality rate of the general burn patient population is from 1.4% to 18%. As such, early detection and effective peri-operative management are essential to optimize patient outcomes. Here, we report the details of the management of an adult male patient with a 65% total body surface area severe thermal injury, who developed an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in the resuscitation period. The patient was found to have 100% occlusion of his left anterior descending coronary artery, for which prompt coronary artery stent placement with a drug-eluting stent (DES) was performed. Following stent placement, the patient required dual antiplatelet therapy. The ongoing dual antiplatelet therapy required the development of a detailed peri-operative protocol involving pooled platelets, packed red blood cells, desmopressin (DDAVP™) and intraoperative monitoring of the patient’s coagulation parameters with thromboelastography for three staged operative interventions to achieve complete debridement and skin grafting of his burn wounds. Full article

African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease affecting pigs and wild boars. It typically presents as a hemorrhagic fever but can also manifest in various forms, ranging from acute to asymptomatic. ASF has spread extensively globally, significantly impacting the swine industry. The complex and highly variable character of the ASFV genome makes vaccine development and disease surveillance extremely difficult. The overall trend in ASFV evolution is towards decreased virulence and increased transmissibility. Factors such as gene mutation, viral recombination, and the strain-specificity of virulence-associated genes facilitate viral variations. This review deeply discusses the influence of these factors on viral immune evasion, pathogenicity, and the ensuing complexities encountered in vaccine development, disease detection, and surveillance. The ultimate goal of this review is to thoroughly explore the genetic evolution patterns and variation mechanisms of ASFV, providing a theoretical foundation for advancement in vaccine and diagnostic technologies. Full article

The present paper investigates flaw strength distributions established using various flexural tests on batches of SiC bar test specimens, namely four-point bending as well as three-point bending tests with different span lengths. Flaw strength is provided by the elemental stress operating on the critical flaw at the fracture of a test specimen. Fracture-inducing flaws and their locations are identified using fractography. A single population of pores was found to dominate the fracture. The construction of diagrams of p-quantile vs. elemental strengths was aimed at assessing the Gaussian nature of flaw strengths. Then, empirical cumulative distributions of strengths were constructed using the normal distribution function. The Weibull distributions of strengths are then compared to the normal reference distributions. The parameters of the Weibull cumulative probability distributions are estimated using maximum likelihood and moment methods. The cumulative distributions of flexural strengths for the different bending tests are predicted from the flaw strength density function using the elemental strength model, and from the cumulative distribution of flexural strength using the Weibull function. Flaw strength distributions that include the weaker flaws that are potentially present in larger test pieces are extrapolated using the p-quantile diagrams. Implications are discussed regarding the pertinence of an intrinsically representative flaw strength distribution, considering failure predictions. Finally, the influence of the characteristics of fracture-inducing flaw populations expressed in terms of flaw strength interval, size, dispersion, heterogeneity, and reproducibility with volume change is examined. Full article