This study assesses the effectiveness of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) in mitigating urban flooding and enhancing stormwater management in Machala, Ecuador. The implementation of SuDS resulted in a 57.64% reduction in flood volume and a decrease in peak flow from 10.50 m 3s -1 to 5.91 m 3s -1. Infiltration capacity improved from 0.75 mm to 2.43 mm, while average surface runoff was nearly halved from 19.27 mm to 10.48 mm. A specially designed porous concrete with approximately 30% porosity showed optimal performance. These findings indicate that SuDS can significantly contribute to urban planning and flood management in coastal developing cities. The study recommends prioritizing rain gardens and porous pavements, creating local SuDS guidelines, integrating these systems into urban planning, establishing long-term monitoring, and involving local communities. The insights gained here offer valuable guidance for other coastal cities in Ecuador and similar regions, demonstrating a sustainable approach to managing urban flooding and enhancing water resilience.

There is a sizeable body of scholarship on health inequalities and morality. What is less well covered in the literature is research which considers health inequalities and morbidity. This article specifically examines the issue of long-term illness (LTI) in the United Kingdom, which may or may not limit people’s daily activities and the work they are able to do. It poses the research question, was the propensity of LTI aggravated by the Covid pandemic? The evidence suggests that existing health inequalities associated with LTI have worsened since the pandemic. Using a multinomial logit model, the paper then computes the probability of working-age respondents to the UK-LFS having a long-term illness and, if they do, further computing the probability of this illness being limiting in either moderate or severe form. Following this, the paper computes the likelihood of a person with a LTLI having various health conditions. Lastly, the paper compares the probabilities of persons having a LTLI between 2019 and 2022 and tests whether the pandemic significantly altered these probabilities both in aggregate and for the narrower categories of population subgroups.

To define the optimistic multiple-granulation(OMG) supra interior operator i n t R A and the OMG-supra closure operator c l R A associated with a set A in a multiple-granulation approximation space, we used the concepts of the OMG-lower set O L Σ m i = 1 R i ( A ) and the OMG-upper set O U Σ m i = 1 R i ( A ) . These operators establish an approximate topological space referred to as optimistic multiple-granulation supra topological spaces. Additionally, we introduce the concepts of OMG-supra-open and OMG-supra-closed approximation sets, as well as OMG-supra-continuous and OMG-irresolute approximations.

Pathogens utilize a diverse set of signal transduction mechanisms to respond to host-derived stresses, with phosphotransfer-mediated two component systems (TCS) playing key roles in virulence factor regulation. Staphylococcus aureus encodes an alternative protease-mediated TCS prototype known as BlaRI involved in inducible β-lactam resistance. BlaR senses extracellular β-lactams, leading to activation of a cytoplasmic protease domain able to cleave DNA-bound BlaI dimers, de-repressing blaRI and blaZ (β-lactamase). The two known mycobacterial BlaRI-type systems in M. tuberculosis (Mtb) and M. abscessus ( Mab) are characterized by BlaR orthologs with conserved zinc metalloprotease domain but lacking an extracellular β-lactam binding domain. BlaIR Mtb and BlaIR Mab (renamed BlaIR to reflect inverted genomic organization) regulate β-lactamase expression ( Mtb only) and respiration (both Mtb and Mab). In this study, we have identified a second BlaRI-type system in Mab, MAB_4287-4288 (BlaIR2). Using RT-PCR and EMSA, we established that BlaIR2 Mab is encoded within a five gene operon, a unique characteristic in BlaRI-type systems, and is auto-regulatory. Identification of putative BlaI2 Mab binding motifs revealed a predicted regulon comprised of several genes involved in respiration, with some overlap with the BlaI1 Mab regulon. Finally, our data demonstrated that BlaIR2 Mab was also induced by the respiration inhibitor clofazimine (CFZ) similarly to BlaIR1 Mab, with evidence of possible crosstalk between BlaRI systems. Overall, this study established MAB_4287-4288 (BlaIR2 Mab) as a second BlaRI-type system in Mab, whose role may overlap or intersect that of BlaRI1 Mab. However, the activation mechanism and full role of BlaIR2 Mab in Mab stress responses and pathogenesis remains to be elucidated.

Introduction: Intramural ventricular tachycardia (VT) remains a challenge because of the difficulty in accurately localizing its focus from the surface of the myocardium. Methods and Results: An 83-year-old man with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy experienced unstable sustained monomorphic VT. Suboptimal pacemaps in the epi/endocardium and the absence of diastolic or presystolic local electrograms indicated the intramural focus. Despite the very short recording time, the live activation directional mapping (AD) showed a centrifugal activation pattern at the possible exit site of the epicardium. Based on these findings, bipolar ablation was performed between the epi- and endocardium and successfully eliminated the unstable intramural VT. Conclusions: AD is a time-agnostic live directional mapping application that may provide the information of intramural activation apart from the myocardial surface.

Through the lens of preclinical research on substance use disorders (SUD), I propose a reflection aimed at reevaluating animal models in neuroscience, with a focus on ecological relevance. While rodent models have provided valuable insights into the neurobiology of SUD, the field currently faces a validation crisis, with findings often failing to translate into effective human treatments. Originally designed to address the lack of reproducibility in animal studies, the current global gold standard of rigorous standardization has led to increasingly controlled environments. This growing disconnection between laboratory settings and real-world scenarios exacerbates the validation crisis. Rodent models have also revealed various environmental influences on drug use and its neural mechanisms, highlighting parallels with human behavior and underscoring the importance of ecological relevance in behavioral research. Drawing inspiration from inquiries in ethology and evolutionary biology, I advocate for incorporating greater environmental complexity into animal models. In line with this idea, the neuroethological approach involves studying spontaneous behaviors in semi-natural habitats while utilizing advanced technologies to monitor neural activity. Although this framework offers new insights into human neuroscience, it does not adequately capture the complex human conditions that lead to neuropsychiatric diseases. Therefore, preclinical research should prioritize understanding the environmental factors that shape human behavior and neural architecture, integrating these insights into animal models. By emphasizing ecological relevance, we can achieve deeper insights into neuropsychiatric disorders and develop more effective treatment strategies. This approach highlights significant benefits for both scientific inquiry and ethical considerations.

Ecologists increasingly use complex models to predict and understand ecological systems and their responses to external drivers or anthropogenic pressures. A persistent challenge in this context is quantifying and reducing uncertainty in model inputs, parameters and structure, and understanding their implications for model predictions. Three major methodological fields have emerged in this context: sensitivity analysis, uncertainty analysis and model calibration. These three methods are a integral part of any modelling or forecasting process, but the corresponding literature is often scattered, and distinct terminology and definitions are used in different methodological and scientific contexts. Here, we review and connect these three fields and discuss best practices for their practical implementation with a focus on complex ecological models. We classify relevant types of uncertainty, discuss the complementary roles of sensitivity and uncertainty analyses, give an overview of available calibration methods, and emphasise the importance of effective communication of uncertainty. We conclude that using state-of-the-art methods for understanding model behaviour as well as consistently accounting for all uncertainties is essential for correctly understanding model predictions and thus forms the basis for a responsible use of models in ecological decision making.

The ripple-based constant on-time (RBCOT) buck converter with small equivalent series resistance (ESR) of the output capacitor has the potential issue of instability. The conventional fixed-ramp and adaptive-ramp ripple compensation cannot keep the system stable under different operational parameters (inductor, output capacitor, input voltage, output voltage and on time). In this paper, a fully adaptive-ramp ripple compensation technique is proposed which is based on the finding that there is an inherent proportional relationship between the slope of the critical stability compensation and the slope of the output voltage at the beginning of on-time. This technique makes the converter has robust adaptability and portability. A simple analog circuitry, which can be easily integrated into an integrated circuit, is provided to implement this technique. Experimental results are provided to verify the proposed concept.

EOSINOPHILIC GRANULOMATOSIS WITH POLYANGIITIS WITH AN ABNORMALLY SIZED NASAL POLYPOSIS IN A 24-YEAR OLD MALE FROM NEPAL: A CASE REPORT

Background: Although various biomarkers exist for chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), their use is limited, particularly in children. Periostin is produced by dermal cells during skin barrier damage and allergic inflammation. Methods: This cross-sectional study aimed to compare serum periostin levels (SPL) between children with CSU and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). The secondary objective was to investigate the association between SPL and disease severity using the Urticaria Activity Score-7 (UAS-7) questionnaire. Results: Overall, 84 participants (CSU, 45; HC, 39) were included in the study. There was no significant correlation between SPL and UAS-7 scores of the patients. Patients receiving leukotriene receptor antagonist plus antihistaminic had significantly lower SPL than those receiving antihistaminic only (44.32 ± 20.18 vs. 61.33 ± 18.50; p=0.009). The mean SPL was significantly lower in the patient group than in the control group (56.41 ± 20.32 ng/mL vs. 71.68 ± 20.36 ng/mL; p=0.001; Cohen’s d=0.750) (aOR: 0.964, 95% C.I.: 0.942-0.987, p=0.002). The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve of the SPL was determined to be significant ( p = 0.001), and the area under curve (AUC) of the ROC curve was 0.705 (95% C.I.: 0.593–0.817). Conclusion: Our study is the first to measure SPL in children with CSU. The results indicated that children with CSU had significantly lower SPL than the healthy controls. Although no correlation was found between UAS-7 and SPL, those on more advanced treatments showed significantly lower SPL. Hence, SPL may serve as a promising biomarker for diagnosing and monitoring CSU in children.

Title Page:Article Type: Letter to the EditorTitle: Anaphylaxis to a blood feeding leechAuthors: Carmen H. Li MSc1,2*, Maggie Jiang MD3*, Gabriele Gadermaier PhD4, Sebastian Kvist PhD5,6,7 Julia E. M. Upton MD8,9, Xiaojun Yin PhD1, Jennifer A. Hoang MSc MDS1,10, Mikhail Monteiro BSc1, Lisa Hung PhD1,10, Akash Kothari MSc1,2, Theo J. Moraes MD PhD1,9, Peter Vadas MD PhD3,10**, Thomas Eiwegger MD1,10,11,12***Co-first author**Co-senior author(1) Translational Medicine Program, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada(2) Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada(3) Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, St. Michael’s Hospital(4) Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria(5) Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, ON, Canada(6) Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada(7) Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden(8) Division of Immunology and Allergy, Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Program, The Hospital for Sick Children(9) Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada(10) Department of Immunology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Toronto, Canada(11) Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems, Austria(12) Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Hospital St. Pölten, St. Pölten, AustriaCorrespondence:  Thomas Eiwegger, MDChair, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent MedicineUniversity Hospital St. PöltenDunant-Platz 1, 3100 St. Pölten, AustriaEmail: [email protected].: +43 2742-9004-11740

The Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) is a key eco-environmental protection barrier and economic engine in China. Understanding the characteristics of its eco-environmental spatiotemporal evolution and mechanisms driving these changes is important for revealing shifts in ecosystem structure and function. However, the governing elements of the ecological environment and how these components interact remain unclear due to the strong coupling impact of urbanization and climate change. This paper constructed a long-term series remote sensing based ecological index (RSEI) to evaluate the characteristics of eco-environmental variation of YREB since 2000. Subsequently, the fundamental reasons of the eco-environmental evolution were quantitatively analyzed using optimal parameters-based geographical detector (OPGD). Results indicated: 1) The average RSEI of YREB was 0.68, indicating a rather high overall eco-environmental quality (EEQ), with 73% of the region having RSEI values more than 0.60. The regions with excellent conditions were concentrated in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guizhou, and Hunan, while the poorer areas were in northwestern Yunnan, southwestern Sichuan, and western Hubei. 2) The EEQ of YREB mainly showed a degradation trend, with degraded areas exceeding 80% over the past 25 years. In the future, most areas might face higher risks of ecological degradation. 3) DEM, temperature (Tem), and population (POP) were key driving factors of the ecological environment. There were significant interactions between certain factors, with the interaction between DEM and potential evapotranspiration (Pet) explaining 62.2% of the ecological quality distribution. The findings assisted the creation of an ecological civilization by offering policy proposals for managing and conserving ecological environments.

Hardware-in-loop can be used to verify the effectiveness of simulations conducted in computer. This work proposes a Control scheme for the wind turbine model employing a permanent magnet synchronous generator. A Linear Feedback Controller(LFC) is applied to the non-linear plant with full-state feedback. Then, a reduced order Luenberger Observer(LO) was designed to estimate the states of the plant. The system and the controller model were simulated in MATLAB Simulink and tested in real-time environment using Hardware-in-the-Loop Opal-RT. The results obtained prove the performance of the proposed control scheme.

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to unprecedented restrictions on movement potentially affecting daily physical activity levels, raising concerns about possible negative health outcomes associated with physical inactivity. This study aimed to assess physical activity levels among adults in Kuwait during the COVID-19 pandemic. 679 adults residing in Kuwait completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form (IPAQ) online between June and July of 2020. Participants were recruited via social media. Results show that of the total sample, 28.9% were in the high category, 35.8% were moderate, and 35.3% were in the low physical activity category. Moreover, no significant differences between genders were detected (P=0.460), but physical activity was significantly associated with age (P=0.022), among adults in Kuwait. Physical activity was significantly reduced with increasing age. Therefore, targeted public health initiatives in Kuwait are required to encourage physical activity during viral pandemics and specifically adults of over 45 years old.

Introduction:Reconstructing nasal defects poses a challenge to even the most experienced plastic or skin surgeons, since the smallest change in the contouring or the symmetry of the nose is easily recognizable in daily life. Nasal defects are usually effective on the patient’s confidence due to their considerable effect on the mid-face region’s aesthetics (1, 2).These Nasal defects commonly arise from the removal of skin lesions such as cancers. Another cause of these defects may be facial traumas. Putting the etiology aside, the reconstruction of nasal defects poses a cosmetic challenge for surgeons. The reconstruction of distal nasal defects is particularly challenging due to limited skin mobility and the possibility of nasal Alar retraction (2).While there is usually not enough tissue for the reconstruction of the nasal skin and cartilage, the use of nearby skin and cartilage, such as forehead flaps or earlobe helix cartilage grafts, is common. A range of techniques can be employed, including full-thickness skin grafts, composite grafts, rhomboid flaps, bilobed flaps, dorsal nasal flaps, island flaps, and inferiorly based melolabial flaps, which are used according to the characteristics of the case such as defect size, cause of the defect and other factors (3-10).The ongoing and uninterrupted advancement and improvement in the field of surgical techniques, which involves the various procedures and methods used in the operating room, has resulted in the establishment and availability of a diverse and extensive range of different midfacial regional flaps. These flaps, characterized by their specific anatomical locations and the purpose they serve in reconstructive surgery, are closely associated and interconnected with the highly efficient and complex network of blood vessels that supply and nourish the facial region (6).In this paper, we report two cases of full-thickness Alar defects of the nose following the extraction of Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) lesions. A modified version of the paramedial composite graft was used for this patient and the result has been clinically and aesthetically impressive.

This paper introduces a novel approach for designing optimal control using data-driven Stochastic Game Theoretic Differential Dynamic Programming (SGT-DDP). The proposed method addresses unknown stochastic systems by approximating both drift and diffusion dynamics. The drift dynamics is estimated via Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) using input-output data. The diffusion dynamics is approximated from the noise data, which is extracted through subtracting the noisy output from the smoothed output. Subsequently, the binning method is combined with GPR to obtain the approximate model of the diffusion dynamics. These approximations are integrated into the SGT-DDP framework to compute optimal control policies. Simulations on benchmark nonlinear systems under unknown dynamics demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.

Billiards is a sports of a high entry barrier. According to field observations, it is difficult for novice players to learn and practice billiards techniques independently, for they struggle to imagine ball collision states and consequently find it challenging to perceive aiming directions. For this, we propose a holographic billiards learning assistance system based on Hololens 2. The system calculates shot selection and cue ball control strategies, displays the aiming position as a holographic ball in the user’s field of view, and presents cue ball control strategies. The implementation process consists of three steps: using a YOLO1 model to detect and locate billiard balls in images captured by loacatable camera, reconstructing the distribution of all balls on the table based on camera positioning data; calculating the optimal shot selection and aiming position, and inputting the table distribution into a pre-trained FCNN, which computes the optimal cue ball control strategy for the current moment; locating holographic balls at calculated aiming points to overlay with reality, and displaying cue ball control strategies. We conducted experiments with seven participants on a real billiard table and statistically validated that the system effectively guides players in aiming and executing proper cue ball control operations.

Abstract Our principal was to demonstrate the convergence of the trigeminal ganglion population from the transversal meningeal sinus and the infraorbital nerve. Recent data suggest that some trigeminal ganglion cells simultaneously send neuronal projections to craniofacial structures via the V1 and V2 trigeminal branches; however, no conclusive evidence exists. Hence, immunohistological assays using retrograde neural tracers injected at the V1 (meningeal dura mater at the transverse sinus level; true-blue, (TB) and V2 (infraorbital nerve; fluoro-gold, (FG) branches were performed to test the hypothesis regarding the convergence of different trigeminal branches to one trigeminal ganglion cell. Besides, bifurcated labeled sensory trigeminal nerves were quantified in adult (60 days old) and young rats (30 days old). The correlation between oxytocin receptor (OTR), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), and IB4 was analyzed. Cells were labeled concomitantly with FG and TB neuro tracers at the trigeminal ganglion. Interestingly, young animals showed more labeled cells than did adult rats. Triple-labeled neurons (i.e., CGRP/FG/TB and OTR/FG/TB) were found in trigeminal ganglion cells, implying that CGRPergic fibers can be modulated by OTR activation in meningeal or infraorbital nerve fibers. These data support the contention that bifurcated trigeminal ganglion cells simultaneously run via two trigeminal branches (V1 and V2). Finally, the significant decrease in labeled ganglionic cells at 60 days compared to rats 30 days old needs to be followed to understand the developmental process of the orofacial system.