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Casimir interaction is an intriguing phenomenon that is induced by electromagnetic quantum fluctuations, which dominates the interaction between microstructures at small separations and is essential for micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS). However, Casimir interaction driven by hyperbolic polaritons remains an unexplored frontier. In this work, we investigate the Casimir interaction between natural hyperbolic material hexagonal boron nitride from the perspective of force distribution with different optical axis orientations for the first time. The attractive Casimir force is remarkably enhanced due to the excitation of volume-confined hyperbolic polaritons (HPs). Furthermore, distinct repulsive contributions to the force are observed due to surface-confined HPs that only exist when the optical axis is in-plane. The HPs are associated with a striking thickness dependence of spectral force properties, suggesting that the discrete volume-confined HPs lead to the attractive-repulsive transition of Casimir force. This work sheds light on the relation between HPs and the vacuum fluctuation-induced force, which could offer new opportunities for the development of the MEMS and NEMS.

Background Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare though often fatal hyperinflammatory syndrome mimicking sepsis in the critically ill. Diagnosis relies on the HLH-2004 criteria and HScore, both of which have been developed in pediatric or adult non-critically ill patients, respectively. Therefore, we aimed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of HLH-2004 criteria and HScore in a cohort of adult critically ill patients. Methods In this further analysis of a retrospective observational study, patients ≥ 18 years admitted to at least one adult ICU at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin between January 2006 and August 2018 with hyperferritinemia of ≥ 500 μg/L were included. Patients’ charts were reviewed for clinically diagnosed or suspected HLH. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was performed to determine prediction accuracy. Results In total, 2623 patients with hyperferritinemia were included, of whom 40 patients had HLH. We found the best prediction accuracy of HLH diagnosis for a cutoff of 4 fulfilled HLH-2004 criteria (95.0% sensitivity and 93.6% specificity) and HScore cutoff of 168 (100% sensitivity and 94.1% specificity). By adjusting HLH-2004 criteria cutoffs of both hyperferritinemia to 3000 μg/L and fever to 38.2 °C, sensitivity and specificity increased to 97.5% and 96.1%, respectively. Both a higher number of fulfilled HLH-2004 criteria [OR 1.513 (95% CI 1.372–1.667); p  <  0.001] and a higher HScore [OR 1.011 (95% CI 1.009–1.013); p  <  0.001] were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. Conclusions An HScore cutoff of 168 revealed a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 94.1%, thereby providing slightly superior diagnostic accuracy compared to HLH-2004 criteria. Both HLH-2004 criteria and HScore proved to be of good diagnostic accuracy and consequently might be used for HLH diagnosis in critically ill patients. Clinical trial registration The study was registered with www.ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT02854943 ) on August 1, 2016.

Multi-purpose solutions (MPSs) are designed to clean, disinfect, and condition contact lenses (CLs) to reduce the risk of contact lens-related adverse events, such as corneal infiltrative events (CIEs) that are often associated with opportunistic bacteria from contaminated CLs or CL cases. This study evaluated the disinfection efficacies of six MPSs and one hydrogen peroxide solution (HPS) comparator against three lens case CIE-associated organisms. The solutions in this study were evaluated against commonly isolated Gram-negative lens case CIE-associated organisms in the presence of organic soil, according to the International Organization for Standardization 14729 (ISO) stand-alone test protocol. Challenge organisms ( and ) were inoculated into the solutions in conical tubes (for MPS) or CL cases (for HPS), and plated for organism quantification after the manufacturer-recommended minimum soak times. Disinfection efficacy for each solution is presented as mean log reduction per organism and overall disinfection across three challenge organisms (post hoc analysis). Stand-alone testing against the challenge organisms demonstrated that PAPB/Alexidine/PQ-1, Alexidine/PQ-1, and PHMB-containing MPSs, as well as HPS were significantly superior versus MAPD/PQ-1-based MPSs (all p < 0.05). While there is no ISO criteria for reduction of CIE-associated organisms, all solutions containing PAPB/Alexidine/PQ-1, Alexidine/PQ-1, and PHMB, as well as HPS, achieved greater than 3-log reductions (the primary criteria for ISO 14729 compendial bacterial organisms) for all challenge organisms. The three MAPD/PQ-1-containing MPSs achieved between 0.6 and 1.7 log reduction across the MPS/test organism combinations. The PAPB, PHMB, and Alexidine-based MPSs demonstrated significantly greater disinfection efficacy than MAPD-based MPSs, and comparable disinfection efficacy to HPS, against commonly isolated Gram-negative CL case CIE-associated organisms.

This review presents recent developments in plant photobiology and lighting systems for horticultural crops, as well as potential applications for cannabis ( and ) plant production. The legal and commercial production of the cannabis plant is a relatively new, rapidly growing, and highly profitable industry in Europe and North America. However, more knowledge transfer from plant studies and horticultural communities to commercial cannabis plant growers is needed. Plant photosynthesis and photomorphogenesis are influenced by light wavelength, intensity, and photoperiod plant photoreceptors that sense light and control plant growth. Further, light properties play a critical role in plant vegetative growth and reproductive (flowering) developmental stages, as well as in biomass, secondary metabolite synthesis, and accumulation. Advantages and disadvantages of widespread greenhouse lighting systems that use high pressure sodium lamps or light emitting diode (LED) lighting are known. Some artificial plant lighting practices will require improvements for cannabis production. By manipulating LED light spectra and stimulating specific plant photoreceptors, it may be possible to minimize operation costs while maximizing cannabis biomass and cannabinoid yield, including tetrahydrocannabinol (or Δ -tetrahydrocannabinol) and cannabidiol for medicinal and recreational purposes. The basics of plant photobiology (photosynthesis and photomorphogenesis) and electrical lighting systems are discussed, with an emphasis on how the light spectrum and lighting strategies could influence cannabis production and secondary compound accumulation.

Scientific evidence attests that the epidermis receives excessive ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, triggering the generation of substantial quantities of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which disrupted the delicate equilibrium of oxidation–reduction, leading to oxidative stress and inflammation. The historical use of honeysuckle polyphenols (HPs) has garnered our attention due to their efficacy in inhibiting oxidative damage. In this study, HPs were prepared from honeysuckle flowers employing an ultrasonic-assisted extraction method and quantitatively analyzed by a LC–MS/MS, and the mechanisms underlying HPs’ antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects on a UVB-irradiated HaCaT cell model were systematically investigated. The results showed that HPs had a significant cellular repair effect on UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells (p < 0.001). The mechanism of action indicated that HPs could allow Nrf2 to enter the nucleus by regulating the dissociation of Nrf2 from Keap1, which further increases the activity of downstream proteases (SOD and CAT), increases ROS scavenging, and reduces the intracellular malondialdehyde (MDA) level. In addition, HPs could down-regulate Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and inhibit NF-κB (P65) dissociating from IκBα, resulting in a decrease in NF-κB (P65) entry into the nucleus and a decrease in inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β). In addition, four key compounds in HPs, including chlorogenic acid, quercetin, isorhamnetin, and luteolin, were selected to verify the mechanism of HPs repairing UVB damage using molecular docking techniques. The experiment suggested that four key active compounds could effectively occupy the Kelch homologue (Kelch) structural domain of Keap1, competitively bind with Nrf2, and facilitate the promotion of Nrf2 binding, ultimately enhancing the translocation of Nrf2 into the nucleus. In addition, four key active compounds could effectively interact with NF-κB (P65) through hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, and electrostatic forces to inhibit its entry into the nucleus. In summary, HPs can effectively repair the damage of HaCaT cells by UVB radiation and can be used to develop health and cosmetic products for the treatment of UV radiation-induced diseases.

To identify the prevalence of various menstrual problems in young females studying health sciences and to identify their association with academic stress. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in the health colleges of Immam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia between February 2015 and February 2016. Seven hundred and thirty-eight female students aged 18-25 years anonymously completed menstrual problem identification and perceived stress scale questionnaire. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16.0.  Results: Ninety-one percent of the students were suffering from some kind of menstrual problem. The different menstrual problems reported, and their incidences included irregular menstruation (27%), abnormal vaginal bleeding (9.3%), amenorrhea (9.2%),  menorrhagia (3.4%), dysmenorrhea (89.7%), and premenstrual symptoms (46.7%). High perceived stress (HPS) was identified in 39% of the students. A significant positive correlation was found between HPS and menstrual problems. Students with HPS had 4 times, 2 times, and 2.8 times increased odds ratio for experiencing amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and premenstrual syndrome (p less than 0.05).  Conclusion: The most prevalent menstrual problems (dysmenorrhea and premenstrual symptoms) in the target population were strongly associated with stress. Therefore, it is recommended that health science students should be provided with early psychological and gynecological counselling to prevent future complications.

Light is one of the most crucial parameters for enclosed cannabis (Cannabis sativa) production, as it highly influences growth, secondary metabolite production, and operational costs. The objective of this study was to investigate and evaluate the impact of six light spectra on C. sativa (‘Babbas Erkle Cookies’ accession) growth traits and secondary metabolite (cannabinoid and terpene) profiles. The light spectra evaluated included blue (430 nm), red (630 nm), rose (430 + 630 nm, ratio 1:10), purple (430 + 630 nm, ratio 2:1), and amber (595 nm) LED treatments, in addition to a high-pressure sodium (HPS, amber-rich light) treatment as a control. All the LED light treatments had lower fresh mean inflorescence mass than the control (HPS, 133.59 g plant−1), and monochromatic blue light yielded the least fresh inflorescence mass (76.39 g plant−1). Measurement of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration (%) and total yield (g plant−1) showed how inflorescence mass and THC concentration need to be analyzed conjointly. Blue treatment resulted in the highest THC concentration (10.17% m/m), yet the lowest THC concentration per plant (1.44 g plant−1). The highest THC concentration per plant was achieved with HPS (2.54 g plant−1). As with THC, blue light increased cannabigerol (CBG) and terpene concentration. Conversely, blue light had a lesser impact on cannabidiol (CBD) biosynthesis in this C. sativa chemotype. As the combined effects of the light spectrum on both growth traits and secondary metabolites have important ramifications for the industry, the inappropriate spectral design could cause a reduction in cannabinoid production (20–40%). These findings show promise in helping producers choose spectral designs that meet specific C. sativa production goals.

Recent widespread utilization of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has made it a common medium for covert communication via steganography. In order to counter these security threats, several steganalysis approaches have been developed, among which the integration of signal processing and machine learning techniques has enabled the creation of highly accurate steganalyzers. This research study proposes a hybrid method that combines speech signal processing techniques with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Data preprocessing is first applied to audio signals compressed in G.729 codec, which effectively extracts intra-frame features and inter-frame correlations. The resulting data are fed into a deep learning network for the training model to distinguish between cover data and stego data. The evaluation of the implementation findings demonstrates significant improvements in both detection accuracy and computational efficiency. The present technique is assessed for two steganography families, namely Quantization Index Modulation (QIM) and Pitch Modulation Steganography (PMS), as well as their combined application, Heterogeneous Parallel Steganography (HPS). Furthermore, all three techniques: QIM, PMS, and HPS show a superiority in accuracy when compared to conventional methods. Furthermore, during the steganalysis testing phase for 1000 ms audio files, the response test time was less than 5ms with 98.85%, 96.94% and 91.90% accuracy for QIM. PMS and HPS methods respectively. It highlights the high speed of the suggested model in the testing step which is utilized for real-time steganalysis applications.

The Zinc cobaltite (ZnCo 2 O 4 ), with its extensive redox reactions involving many ions and oxidation states, is an emerging electrode material for supercapacitors. The ZnCo 2 O 4 prepared by using easy hydrothermal method. The generated material’s structural, morphological, textural, and electrochemical behaviour were analysed using XRD, FESEM, XPS, Raman, FTIR, BET, CV, GCD, and EIS. The prepared ZnCo 2 O 4 material exhibits bundle of hexagonal plates (HPs) like structure. The prepared ZnCo 2 O 4 HPs electrode delivers high specific capacitance of 950 Fg − 1 at 5 mA. The prepared ZnCo 2 O 4 HPs electrode exhibits capacity retention of 74.2% after 6500 cycles. ZnCo 2 O 4 HPs electrode exhibits energy density of 21.1 Whkg − 1 and power density of 446.8 Wkg − 1 at 5 mA. The findings show that ZnCo 2 O 4 HPs have a great deal of promise for application as an effective supercapacitive electrode material because of their higher specific capacitance and increased cycle stability.