Potential of water sediments in construction materials: Current approaches and critical consideration of future challenges.

Human activities result in sediment accumulation, so the reservoirs gradually lose their functionality, impacting their ability to manage large flood inflows, supply water, and generate hydroelectric power. Therefore, periodic removal of sediments from water reservoirs is essential to maintain functionality. Notwithstanding, the management of dredged sediments is a multifaceted process that involves careful consideration of environmental, regulatory, and economic factors to ensure their responsibility and sustainable handling.

Establishing reference values for tensiomyography-derived parameters in soccer players: insights from a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.

This systematic literature review (SLR) aimed to comprehensively synthesize existing studies that have reported on TMG-derived parameters of lower extremities in soccer players. The PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCOHost (including MEDLINE, SPORTDiscuss, ERIC, DOAJ, and SCOPUS) databases were searched from inception to the 31 of August, 2023. Reports were eligible if they satisfied the following criteria: recruited active soccer players, with no restriction on race, sex, age, level of expertise, or health status; studies utilizing TMG for measuring muscle contractile properties.

Effects of 6 weeks of complex training on athletic performance and post-activation performance enhancement effect magnitude in soccer players: a cross-sectional randomized study.

This study aimed to determine the effect of complex training (CT) on post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) effect magnitude, 5- and 30-m linear sprint, 5-0-5 change-of-direction (COD), back squat (BS) and hip thrust (HT) one-repetition maximum [1RM], and jumping performance (countermovement jump [CMJ], drop jump [DJ], and broad jump [BJ]). The PAPE effect was elicited before and after each intervention by 3 BS repetitions at 90% 1RM and verified by CMJ performance. Twenty-four soccer players were randomly and equally assigned to 6 weeks of either medium (MED; [65-70%1RM]) or high-intensity (HIGH; [80-85%1RM]) CT performed twice a week.

Analysis of serum concentrations of metoprolol and its metabolite α-hydroxymetoprolol in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: a pilot study in routine health care.

Background: The cardioselective β-1 receptor antagonist metoprolol is used to treat heart failure. It is metabolized in the liver, primarily by cytochrome 2D6.

Research Design And Methods: In this study, trough serum concentrations of metoprolol and its metabolite α-hydroxymetoprolol were measured in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Polyaniline-Boron Doped Diamond Electrode for Supercapacitor Applications.

Understanding how to tune the properties of electroactive materials is a key parameter for their applications in energy storage systems. This work presents a comprehensive study in tailoring polyaniline (PANI) suspensions by acid-assisted polymerization method and their subsequent deposition on boron-doped diamond (BDD) supports with low/high B concentrations. The porous or densely packed morphology of PANI is successfully controlled by varying the monomer-to-initiator ratio.

Gut microbiota and bilirubin metabolism: unveiling new pathways in health and disease.

Bilirubin reductase (BilR), a gut microbiota-derived enzyme that reduces bilirubin to urobilinogen, was recently identified. Given the role of bilirubin in preventing modern diseases, understanding the link between the gut microbiota and health via modulation of bilirubin metabolism marks a major advance in medical research and potential treatments.

Correction of aberrant splicing of ELP1 pre-mRNA by kinetin derivatives - A structure activity relationship study.

Familial dysautonomia is a debilitating congenital neurodegenerative disorder with no causative therapy. It is caused by a homozygous mutation in ELP1 gene, resulting in the production of the transcript lacking exon 20. The compounds studied as potential treatments include the clinical candidate kinetin, a plant hormone from the cytokinin family.

Impact of galectin-1's redox state on its lectin activity and monomer-dimer equilibrium. Focusing on oxidized Gal-1.

Galectin-1 (Gal-1) displays unique sensitivity to oxidative inactivation which appears critical in regulating its spatial and temporal activity. The two physicochemical states, i.e.

Cholesterol metabolites modulate ionotropic P2X4 and P2X7 receptor current in microglia cells.

The central nervous system is a well-known steroidogenic tissue producing, among others, cholesterol metabolites such as neuroactive steroids, oxysterols and steroid hormones. It is well known that these endogenous molecules affect several receptor classes, including ionotropic GABAergic and NMDA glutamatergic receptors in neurons. It has been shown that also ionotropic purinergic (P2X) receptors are cholesterol metabolites' targets.

Transduction enhancing EF-C peptide nanofibrils are endocytosed by macropinocytosis and subsequently degraded.

Retroviral gene transfer is the preferred method for stable, long-term integration of genetic material into cellular genomes, commonly used to generate chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells designed to target tumor antigens. However, the efficiency of retroviral gene transfer is often limited by low transduction rates due to low vector titers and electrostatic repulsion between viral particles and cellular membranes. To overcome these limitations, peptide nanofibrils (PNFs) can be applied as transduction enhancers.

Evolution of competitive ability and the response to nutrient availability: a resurrection study with the calcareous grassland herb, Leontodon hispidus.

Rapid environmental changes across Europe include warmer and increasingly variable temperatures, changes in soil nutrient availability, and pollinator decline. These abiotic and biotic changes can affect natural plant populations and force them to optimize resource use against competitors. To date, the evolution of competitive ability in the context of changes in nutrient availability remains understudied.

End-Point Affinity Estimation of Galectin Ligands by Classical and Semiempirical Quantum Mechanical Potentials.

The use of quantum mechanical potentials in protein-ligand affinity prediction is becoming increasingly feasible with growing computational power. To move forward, validation of such potentials on real-world challenges is necessary. To this end, we have collated an extensive set of over a thousand galectin inhibitors with known affinities and docked them into galectin-3.

Validity and normative scores of finger flexor strength and endurance tests estimated from a large sample of female and male climbers.

Recent reviews have highlighted conflicting findings regarding the validity of finger flexor strength and endurance tests in sport climbers, often due to small sample sizes and low ecological validity of the tests used. To address these gaps, 185 male and 122 female climbers underwent maximal finger flexor strength, intermittent and continuous finger flexor endurance, and the finger hang tests in a sport-specific setting to determine the predictive and concurrent validity of these tests. The finger hang test showed the strongest relationship to climbing ability for both sexes ( ≈ 0.

Sc-doped GeTe thin films prepared by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering.

Radio frequency magnetron co-sputtering method employing GeTe and Sc targets was exploited for the deposition of Sc doped GeTe thin films. Different characterization techniques (scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, sheet resistance temperature-dependent measurements, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, and laser ablation time-of-flight mass spectrometry) were used to evaluate the properties of as-deposited (amorphous) and annealed (crystalline) Ge-Te-Sc thin films. Prepared amorphous thin films have GeTe, GeTeSc, GeTeSc, GeTeSc and GeTeSc chemical composition.

Perennial disaster patterns in Central Europe since 2000 and implications for hospital preparedness planning - a cross-sectional analysis.

The goal of this analysis is to describe seasonal disaster patterns in Central Europe in order to raise awareness and improve hospital disaster planning and resilience, particularly during peak events. Hospitals are essential pillars of a country's critical infrastructure, vital for sustaining healthcare services and supporting public well-being-a key issue of national security. Disaster planning for hospitals is crucial to ensure their functionality under special circumstances.

Demonstration of active neutron interrogation of special nuclear materials using a high-intensity short-pulse-laser-driven neutron source.

Detecting shielded special nuclear material, such as nuclear explosives, is a difficult challenge pursued by non-proliferation, anti-terrorism, and nuclear security programs worldwide. Interrogation with intense fast-neutron pulses is a promising method to characterize concealed nuclear material rapidly but is limited by suitable source availability and proven instrumentation. In this study we have pioneered a demonstration of such an interrogation method using a high-intensity, short-pulse, laser-driven neutron source that offers potential benefits compared to conventional neutron sources.

Economic preferences and cognitive abilities among teenagers in Spain.

This dataset originates from TeensLab, a consortium of Spanish Universities dedicated to behavioral research involving Spanish teenagers. The dataset contains data from 33 distinct educational institutions across Spain, accounting for a total of 5,890 students aged 10 to 23 (M = 14.10, SD = 1.

Disruption of extracellular matrix and perineuronal nets modulates extracellular space volume and geometry.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a network of macromolecules which has two forms - perineuronal nets (PNNs) and a diffuse ECM (dECM) - both influence brain development, synapse formation, neuroplasticity, CNS injury and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. ECM remodeling can influence extrasynaptic transmission, mediated by diffusion of neuroactive substances in the extracellular space (ECS). In this study we analyzed how disrupted PNNs and dECM influence brain diffusibility.

EDENT1FI Master Protocol for screening of presymptomatic early-stage type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents.

Introduction: The identification of type 1 diabetes at an early presymptomatic stage has clinical benefits. These include a reduced risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at the clinical manifestation of the disease and a significant reduction in clinical symptoms. The European action for the Diagnosis of Early Non-clinical Type 1 diabetes For disease Interception (EDENT1FI) represents a pioneering effort to advance early detection of type 1 diabetes through public health screening.

Cardiorespiratory Dynamics in the Brain: Review on the Significance of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Correlates in functional MRI signal.

Cardiorespiratory signals have long been treated as "noise" in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research, with the goal of minimizing their impact to isolate neural activity. However, there is a growing recognition that these signals, once seen as confounding variables, provide valuable insights into brain function and overall health. This shift reflects the dynamic interaction between the cardiovascular, respiratory, and neural systems, which together support brain activity.

Bacterial contamination in public transport during COVID-19 pandemic: Characterization of an unusual Staphylococcus aureus isolate tolerant to vancomycin.

Public transport represents a potential site for the transmission of resistant pathogens due to the rapid movement of large numbers of people. This study aimed to investigate the bacterial contamination of frequently touched surfaces in the public transport system operating in the proximity of the biggest Czech hospital during the coronavirus pandemic despite extensive cleaning and disinfection efforts. In June and September 2020, samples from the metro trains, ground transport and stationary objects were collected, enriched and cultured.

Gadolinium oxide nanoparticles as a multimodal contrast enhancement agent for pre-clinical proton imaging.

Orthotopic tumor models in pre-clinical translational research are becoming increasingly popular, raising the demands on accurate tumor localization prior to irradiation. This task remains challenging both in X-ray and proton computed tomography (xCT and pCT, respectively), due to the limited contrast of tumor tissue compared to the surrounding tissue. We investigate the feasibility of gadolinium oxide nanoparticles as multimodal contrast enhancement agent for both imaging modalities.