Human Life Research Articles

Intragenic MFSD8 duplication and histopathological findings in a rabbit with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis.

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCL) are among the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders of early life in humans. Disease-causing variants have been described for 13 different NCL genes. In this study, a refined pathological characterization of a female rabbit with progressive neurological signs reminiscent of NCL was performed. Cytoplasmic pigment present in neurons was weakly positive with Sudan black B and autofluorescent. Immunohistology revealed astrogliosis, microgliosis and axonal degeneration. During the subsequent genetic investigation, the genome of the affected rabbit was sequenced and examined for private variants in NCL candidate genes. The analysis revealed a homozygous ~10.7 kb genomic duplication on chromosome 15 comprising parts of the MFSD8 gene, NC_013683.1:g.103,727,963_103,738,667dup. The duplication harbors two internal protein coding exons and is predicted to introduce a premature stop codon into the transcript, truncating ~50% of the wild-type MFSD8 open reading frame encoding the major facilitator superfamily domain containing protein 8, XP_002717309.2:p.(Glu235Leufs*23). Biallelic loss-of-function variants in MFSD8 have been described to cause NCL7 in human patients, dogs and a single cat. The available clinical and pathological data, together with current knowledge about MFSD8 variants and their functional impact in other species, point to the MFSD8 duplication as a likely causative defect for the observed phenotype in the affected rabbit.

Analysing LULC transformations using remote sensing data: insights from a multilayer perceptron neural network approach

ABSTRACT The study examines the complex dynamics of changes in LULC over three decades, focused on the years 1992, 2002, 2012, and 2022. The research highlights the significance of comprehending these alterations within the framework of environmental and socio-economic consequences. The changes in land use and land cover (LULC) have significant and far-reaching effects on ecosystems, biodiversity, and human livelihoods. This study offers useful information for politicians, conservationists, and urban planners by examining historical patterns and forecasting future changes. The study utilized a Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network (MLP-NN), a well-known machine learning technique that excels at collecting intricate patterns. This model’s design had three layers: input, hidden, and output. The model underwent 10,000 iterations during its training process, and a thorough statistical analysis was conducted to assess the impact of each driving component. The MLP-NN model demonstrated impressive performance, with a skill measure of 0.8724 and an accuracy rate of 89.08%. The accuracy of the LULC estimates for 2022 was verified by comparing them with observed data, ensuring the model’s reliability. Moreover, the presence of evidence likely was found to be a significant factor that had a substantial impact on the accuracy of the model. The study highlights the effectiveness of the MLP-NN model in accurately predicting changes in LULC. The model’s exceptional accuracy and proficiency make it a powerful tool for future LULC forecasts. Identifying the primary causes of model performance and understanding their implications may help to enhance land management strategies, encourage spatial planning, guide accurate decision-making, and facilitate the development of policies that align with sustainable growth and development.

The beginning of becoming a human.

According to birth certificates, the life of a child begins once their body comes out of the mother's womb. But when does their organismal life begin? Science holds a palette of answers-depending on how one defines a human life. In 1984, a commission on the regulatory framework for human embryo experimentation opted not to answer this question, instead setting a boundary, 14 days post-fertilization, beyond which any experiments were forbidden. Recently, as the reproductive technologies developed and the demand for experimentation grew stronger, this boundary may be set aside leaving the ultimate decision to local oversight committees. While science has not come closer to setting a zero point for human life, there has been significant progress in our understanding of early mammalian embryogenesis. It has become clear that the 14-day stage does in fact possess features, which make it a foundational time point for a developing human. Importantly, this stage defines the separation of soma from the germline and marks the boundary between rejuvenation and aging. We explore how different levels of life organization emerge during human development and suggest a new meaning for the 14-day stage in organismal life that is grounded in recent mechanistic advances and insights from aging studies.

Delay of Transmitted Data in the Remote Patient Monitoring System through AMQP and CoAP

Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is a healthcare solution that uses technology to monitor patients outside conventional healthcare settings. It is especially useful for people with chronic conditions or needing regular monitoring. One of the main reasons for the increase in the number of deaths each year is the increase in cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension. Online blood pressure monitoring offers many advantages but also potential challenges. This work reviews the key communication technologies and research challenges in the real-time transmission of measured blood pressure data. Delay in these systems is not tolerated as it involves human lives. To conduct the experimental studies, a prototype of an experimental intelligent system was created to study the delay and processor load of the RPI4 gateway. The measured blood pressure data is sent to the Things Board cloud using the AMQP and CoAP protocols. The experimental results are particularly useful for RPM system designers. The results of this research facilitate an informed decision on the choice of protocol that transmits the data from the gateway to the cloud in the process of designing remote patient monitoring systems.

In-depth Mechanism, Challenges, and Opportunities of Delivering Therapeutics in Brain Using Intranasal Route.

Central nervous system-related disorders have become a continuing threat to human life and the current statistic indicates an increasing trend of such disorders worldwide. The primary therapeutic challenge, despite the availability of therapies for these disorders, is to sustain the drug's effective concentration in the brain while limiting its accumulation in non-targeted areas. This is attributed to the presence of the blood-brain barrier and first-pass metabolism which limits the transportation of drugs to the brain irrespective of popular and conventional routes of drug administration. Therefore, there is a demand to practice alternative routes for predictable drug delivery using advanced drug delivery carriers to overcome the said obstacles. Recent research attracted attention to intranasal-to-brain drug delivery for promising targeting therapeutics in the brain. This review emphasizes the mechanisms to deliver therapeutics via different pathways for nose-to-brain drug delivery with recent advancements in delivery and formulation aspects. Concurrently, for the benefit of future studies, the difficulties in administering medications by intranasal pathway have also been highlighted.

Ship Operation Analysis and Optimization via Mobile Application

This paper is devoted to studying the structure and prospects of ship operations analysis and optimization via mobile applications, focusing on integrating multiple existing onboard monitoring and control systems. The main parts of the paper describe the current state of the most essential components of future overall shipping and ship design optimization using onboard and cloud-based monitoring systems from a dual transition point of view. Special attention is paid to the ship’s and its equipment’s efficiency improvements, fuel consumption and emissions reduction, cost-effectiveness enhancement, metrological accuracy, and compliance with current regulations. Timely development and deployment of the proposed onboard monitoring systems, in combination with up-to-date mobile applications and cloud computing, should play a crucial role in promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly shipping practices, improving operational performance, and reducing risks to human life at sea and the environmental impact of shipping. Another objective of this research is to review the current state of infrastructure used for fuel control, focusing on measurement systems and related analytics using appropriate mobile applications. The recommendations for integrating new and adopting existing monitoring systems and equipment for promising alternative fuels must be given to meet current regulations and provide required safety levels and measurement quality.

Enhancing tuberculosis vaccine development: a deconvolution neural network approach for multi-epitope prediction

Tuberculosis (TB) a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) poses a significant threat to human life, and current BCG vaccinations only provide sporadic protection, therefore there is a need for developing efficient vaccines. Numerous immunoinformatic methods have been utilized previously, here for the first time a deep learning framework based on Deconvolutional Neural Networks (DCNN) and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (DCNN-BiLSTM) was used to predict Mtb Multiepitope vaccine (MtbMEV) subunits against six Mtb H37Rv proteins. The trained model was used to design MEV within a few minutes against TB better than other machine learning models with 99.5% accuracy. The MEV has good antigenicity, and physiochemical properties, and is thermostable, soluble, and hydrophilic. The vaccine's BLAST search ruled out the possibility of autoimmune reactions. The secondary structure analysis revealed 87% coil, 10% beta, and 2% alpha helix, while the tertiary structure was highly upgraded after refinement. Molecular docking with TLR3 and TLR4 receptors showed good binding, indicating high immune reactions. Immune response simulation confirmed the generation of innate and adaptive responses. In-silico cloning revealed the vaccine is highly expressed in E. coli. The results can be further experimentally verified using various analyses to establish a candidate vaccine for future clinical trials.

Nexus between climate change and mitigation approaches for sustainable development: a bibliometric review

Purpose Today’s world is struggling with the hardship of climate change that has drastically disturbed human life, wildlife and the earth’s biological system. This study aims to show how implementing climate change mitigation strategies and environmental protection measures can ensure sustainable development through collaborative efforts between governmental authorities and the nation’s populace. Design/methodology/approach An extensive literature review of studies is conducted from across the world concentrating on holistic, sustainable development, enabling a showcase of various conferences, action plans initiated and resolutions passed. VOSviewer software is used to quantify the results of bibliometric analysis and cluster analysis. A total of 260 research studies released between 1993 and 2022 on the Scopus platform are quantified in terms of topmost publications, collaborations among authors, citations index and year-wise publication. The search string has keywords including “climate change,” “sustainable development” and “environment protection.” Findings The study results revealed a steep increase in research publications in the last three years, from 2017 to 2021, which serves as the basis of the emergence of high-impact articles. The most cited document in this context throws light on assessing vulnerability to climatic risk and building adaptive capacity. It also draws attention to voluntary carbon markets’ rationale while condemning emission trading systems for climate change due to structural flaws, negative consequences and questionable emission-cutting effectiveness. Low energy demand, zero energy buildings and shared socioeconomic pathways should be implemented as strategies for sustainable development. Practical implications This study provides a significant opportunity to construct a valuable addition to mitigate climate change. Also, it shows a positive and significant correlation between mitigation and adaptation policies by analyzing publication efforts worldwide considering local climate risks and national adaptation mandates. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in its comprehensive approach, combining literature review, bibliometric analysis and cluster analysis to provide insights into current research trends, challenges and potential strategies for addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development. The study’s emphasis on the correlation between mitigation and adaptation policies adds practical significance to its findings.

Narrative strategies of transrealism: the interplay of satire, fantasy, and science in American dystopian fiction

ABSTRACT The rise of transrealism in the second half of the twentieth century embellished the literary landscape in America with a new mode of expression that offered new understanding of time, space, identity, and social values and norms. This study situates the American novelist Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano within this literary context to map out the qualities that distinguish it as a transrealistic fiction. We argue that through innovative coalescence of fantasy and realism, this postmodern novel provides a satirical commentary against the incongruities of the contemporary American society. To analyse the novel, we employ Rudy Rucker’s theorisations of the movement that delineates the transrealist manifesto as a union of realism, fantasy, and science-fiction. The findings reveal that through a satirical representation of the current advancements in technology and their inevitably negative impact on human life and society, the novel provides a dystopian picture of modern life in America. This apocalyptic sentiment is reinforced through a creative convergence of the surreal features of science-fiction, the tropes of naturalistic realism, and the elements of satire that together help to accentuate the deficiencies and ironies of the modern American society as well as the rampant misuse of technology by both individuals and authorities.

TRANSITION FROM MATERNAL CHRONIC RENAL FAILURE TO PERITONEAL DIALYSIS TREATMENT

Chronic kidney failure (CKF) has become an increasingly important public health issue in our country and worldwide. According to data systems in our country, as of the end of 2022, there were a total of 86,665 patients with chronic kidney failure, and 4.1% of these patients undergo peritoneal dialysis treatment. Peritoneal dialysis requires active participation of the patient in the treatment, and it can lead to negative effects on body image, self-esteem, and sexual relations due to the peritoneal dialysis catheter, causing anxiety and depression in patients and negatively affecting their quality of life. Throughout human life, individuals undergo changes in identity, roles, responsibilities, abilities, and behaviors due to various reasons (illness, pregnancy, death, birth). One of the fundamental duties of nurses is to assist individuals undergoing various transitions in their lives, to support healthy transitions, and to minimize unhealthy transitions. In this study, the process of transition experienced by a healthy woman transitioning to the role of motherhood due to health problems during pregnancy, and transitioning to chronic kidney failure and peritoneal dialysis treatment, is examined based on Meleis' Transition Theory

Smart Waste Management System Using IoT

Waste collection and management are integrated parts of both city and village life. Lack of an optimized and efficient waste collection system vastly affects public health and costs more. The prevailing traditional waste collection system is neither optimized nor efficient. The Internet of Things (IoT) has been playing a great role in making human life easier by making systems smart, adequate, and self-sufficient. Thus, this paper proposes an IoT-based, efficient waste collection system with smart bins. India generates tons of waste annually. Conventional garbage collection is not efficient since the authorities are not notified until the waste bin is full, and this leads to an overflow of waste material. Efficient waste disposal and collection are essential for a sustainable and clean India. A smart waste management system uses an IoT-based waste bin for collection and monitoring the level of waste inside the bin. The system does real-time monitoring of the waste bins and determines which are to be emptied. The system is implemented using two ultrasonic sensors. One of the ultrasonic sensors detects the level of waste in the bin, and the other detects the person approaching the bin to dispose of the waste. This detection helps with the automatic opening and closing of the lid. A servo motor is connected to the lid, which serves the action of closing and opening the lid. In this system, the level of waste in the bin will be sent to the concerned authorities. Thus, it reduces fuel costs and human labor, making the system optimized and efficient by enabling real-time monitoring and enhanced navigation.

Islamic Fintech Research Worldwide: A Bibliometric Analysis

Islamic Fintech continues to grow as innovation in the field of technology accelerates human life. Although relatively new, research on Islamic Fintech continues to grow and has been quite attractive to researchers in recent years. Seeing this phenomenon, it is necessary to anticipate the increasing interest of academics in researching Islamic Fintech. This paper aims to facilitate researchers in finding out the development of Islamic Fintech research, find topics that can be developed, and know the main contributors and sources that shape research in the field of Islamic Fintech. This research analysis is a Bibliometric analysis with Biblioshiny and VOSviewer software, using metadata consisting of 98 Scopus-indexed data published in 10 years, namely 2013-2022. The results of the study found that the potential for developing research on the theme of Islamic Finance is huge, topics that can be developed for further research include "Crowdfunding" and "Crowdsourcing.” Meanwhile, Muslim-majority countries dominate Islamic Finance research, including with their authors and affiliations.

Smart Vehicle Load Management with Arduino Sensors

In the context of road safety, vehicle overloading remains a persistent concern, posing a risk of accidents, infrastructure damage, and potential harm to human life. This project introduces an innovative solution for mitigating this issue through an Arduino-based smart vehicle load management The system incorporates load cell, Ultrasonic sensor, an LCD display, and a buzzer to effectively detect and prevent vehicle overloading, contributing to improved road safety. The smart vehicle load management with arduino sensors is designed to monitor the weight distribution on a vehicle using strategically placed load cells and detect variations in vehicle obstacle detection through Ultrasonic sensors. Upon detecting an overload condition, the system promptly triggers a response by stopping the motor, which prevents further loading, and immediately displays a warning on the LCD screen. Simultaneously, it activates an audible alert through the buzzer. This rapid reaction not only averts potential accidents resulting from overloading but also extends the vehicle's operational life by minimizing wear and tear. The Arduino-based Vehicle Overload Detection System represents a cost-effective and efficient approach to addressing the critical issue of vehicle overloading. Its monitoring capabilities, coupled with instant warnings and alerts, establish it as a valuable tool in enhancing road safety and reducing the risks associated with overloading.

Slower-decaying tropical cyclones produce heavier precipitation over China

The post-landfall decay of tropical cyclones (TC) is often closely linked to the magnitude of damage to the environment, properties, and the loss of human lives. Despite growing interest in how climate change affects TC decay, data uncertainties still prevent a consensus on changes in TC decay rates and related precipitation. Here, after strict data-quality control, we show that the rate of decay of TCs after making landfall in China has significantly slowed down by 45% from 1967 to 2018. We find that, except the warmer sea surface temperature, the eastward shift of TC landfall locations also contributes to the slowdown of TC decay over China. That is TCs making landfall in eastern mainland China (EC) decay slower than that in southern mainland China (SC), and the eastward shift of TCs landfall locations causes more TCs landfalling in EC with slower decay rate. TCs making landfall in EC last longer at sea, carry more moisture upon landfall, and have more favorable dynamic and thermodynamic conditions sustaining them after landfall. Observational evidence shows that the decay of TC-induced precipitation amount and intensity within 48 h of landfall is positively related to the decay rate of landfalling TCs. The significant increase in TC-induced precipitation over the long term, due to the slower decay of landfalling TCs, increases flood risks in China’s coastal areas. Our results highlight evidence of a slowdown in TC decay rates at the regional scale. These findings provide scientific support for the need for better flood management and adaptation strategies in coastal areas under the threat of greater TC-induced precipitation.

Increasing Fire Activity in African Tropical Forests Is Associated With Deforestation and Climate Change

AbstractFires were historically rare in tropical forests of West and Central Africa, where dense vegetation, rapid decomposition, and high moisture limit available fuels. However, increasing heat and drought combined with forest degradation and fragmentation are making these areas more susceptible to wildfires. We evaluated historical patterns of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer active fires in African tropical forests from 2003 to 2021. Trends were mostly positive, particularly in the northeastern and southern Congo Basin, and were concentrated in areas with high deforestation. Year‐to‐year variation of fires was synchronized with increasing temperature and vapor pressure deficit. There was anomalously high fire activity across the region during the 2015–2016 El Niño. These results contrast with the drier African woodlands and savannas, where fire has been decreasing. Further attention to fires in African tropical forests is needed to understand their global impacts on carbon dynamics and their local implications for biodiversity and human livelihoods.

The Yogavāsiṣṭha and the Philosophy of the Absurd: A Hindu Response to the Heart’s Cry

AbstractIn this article, I call attention to the Yogavāsiṣṭha’s depiction of Rāma’s existential crisis and Vasiṣṭha’s various methods for resolving it. However, I illuminate this crisis and Rāma’s lengthy monologue by turning to an altogether different frame of reference: Albert Camus’s philosophy of the absurd as developed in his absurd-oriented works, from The Myth of Sisyphus to The Rebel. Arguing that Rāma’s existential crisis is strongly reminiscent of Camus’s awakening to life’s absurdity, and that his monologue may be considered among the most successful meditations on this predicament, I examine not only Rāma’s quandary but also what the Yogavāsiṣṭha deems the ultimate response to it. In this way, I throw into sharp relief two contrasting responses to the absurd condition in human life that effectively challenge one another. Considering some of the Indian classical works, such as the Yogavāsiṣṭha, in this light suggests that they too acknowledge the absurd as their starting point and, at least to a certain extent, develop doctrines that aid their practitioners in facing it. Nevertheless, the Yogavāsiṣṭha also enables us to develop our thinking about absurdity and expand the discussion of constructive responses to the reality of the absurd.

Soft computing machine learning applications for assessing regional-scale landslide susceptibility in the Nepal Himalaya

PurposeThis research is aimed at preparing landslide susceptibility using spatial analysis and soft computing machine learning techniques based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs), artificial neural networks (ANNs) and logistic regression (LR) models.Design/methodology/approachUsing the Geographical Information System (GIS), a spatial database including topographic, hydrologic, geological and landuse data is created for the study area. The data are randomly divided between a training set (70%), a validation (10%) and a test set (20%).FindingsThe validation findings demonstrate that the CNN model (has an 89% success rate and an 84% prediction rate). The ANN model (with an 84% success rate and an 81% prediction rate) predicts landslides better than the LR model (with a success rate of 82% and a prediction rate of 79%). In comparison, the CNN proves to be more accurate than the logistic regression and is utilized for final susceptibility.Research limitations/implicationsLand cover data and geological data are limited in largescale, making it challenging to develop accurate and comprehensive susceptibility maps.Practical implicationsIt helps to identify areas with a higher likelihood of experiencing landslides. This information is crucial for assessing the risk posed to human lives, infrastructure and properties in these areas. It allows authorities and stakeholders to prioritize risk management efforts and allocate resources more effectively.Social implicationsThe social implications of a landslide susceptibility map are profound, as it provides vital information for disaster preparedness, risk mitigation and landuse planning. Communities can utilize these maps to identify vulnerable areas, implement zoning regulations and develop evacuation plans, ultimately safeguarding lives and property. Additionally, access to such information promotes public awareness and education about landslide risks, fostering a proactive approach to disaster management. However, reliance solely on these maps may also create a false sense of security, necessitating continuous updates and integration with other risk assessment measures to ensure effective disaster resilience strategies are in place.Originality/valueLandslide susceptibility mapping provides a proactive approach to identifying areas at higher risk of landslides before any significant events occur. Researchers continually explore new data sources, modeling techniques and validation approaches, leading to a better understanding of landslide dynamics and susceptibility factors.

Assessing the relationship between landslide susceptibility and land cover change using machine learning

Landslides are natural disasters most frequent in the mountain region of Vietnam, producing critical damage to human lives and assets. Therefore, precisely identifying the landslide occurrence probability within the region is essential in supporting decision-makers or developers in establishing effective strategies for reducing the damage. This study is aimed at developing a methodology based on machine learning, namely Xgboost (XGB), lightGBM, K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), and Bagging (BA)  for assessing the connection of land cover change to landslide susceptibility in Da Lat City, Vietnam. 202 landslide locations and 13 potential drivers became input data for the model. Various statistical indices, namely the root mean square error (RMSE), the area under the curve (AUC), and mean absolute error (MAE), were used to evaluate the proposed models. Our findings indicate that the Xgboost model was better than other models, as shown by the AUC value of 0.94, followed by LightGBM (AUC=0.91), KNN (AUC=0.87), and Bagging (AUC=0.81). In addition, urban areas increased during 2017-2023 from 25 km² to 30 km² in very high landslide susceptibility areas. Our approach can be applied to test the other regions in Vietnam. Our findings might represent a necessary tool for land use planning strategies to reduce damage from natural disasters and landslides.

Korelasi Sains Dan Teknologi Dengan Alkitab Dan Iman Kristen Di Tengah Kehidupan Orang Percaya

Science and technology are often opposed to the Bible and faith, both by Christians and non-Christians. Many people think that the Bible and Christian faith have no correlation. Even more so, secular people tend to despise the values ​​contained in the Bible and the Christian faith. Various methods and methods were developed and carried out to doubt and discredit the Bible and the Christian faith. Moreover, in the current context, the Bible and the Christian faith are seen as outdated and no longer relevant to the current context of human life. They think that the Bible and the Christian faith cannot answer human needs today because they have no correlation at all. To answer the view above, the researcher attempts to show that in the real world, both in the past and in the present, the Bible and the Christian faith remain relevant to the context of human life in all times. That the Bible and Christian faith have a close correlation with science and technology. The truth of science and technology is not only supported by the Bible, but the Bible can also be used as a foundation in efforts to think and search for truth in science and technology.This research was conducted using qualitative methods and literature study, namely research with descriptive analytical presentation. Data was compiled and obtained through literature studies sourced from research results, books and journals which were then analyzed descriptively and presented in writing in the form of a scientific journal about The Correlation Of Science And Technology With The Bible And Christian Faith In The Lives Of Believers.

Taste and its receptors in human physiology: A comprehensive look

AbstractIncreasing evidence shows that food has significance beyond traditional perception (providing nutrition and energy) in maintaining normal life activities. It is indicated that the sense of taste plays a crucial part in regulating human life activities. Taste is one of the basic physiological sensations in mammals, and it is the fundamental guarantee for them to perceive, select, and ingest nutrients in order to survive. With the advances in electrophysiology, molecular biology, and structural biology, studies on the intracellular and extracellular transduction mechanisms of taste have made great progress and gradually revealed the indispensable role of taste receptors in the regulation and maintenance of normal physiological activities. Up to now, how food regulates life activities through the taste pathway remains unclear. Thus, this review comprehensively and systematically summarizes the current study about the sense of taste, the function of taste receptors, the taste–structure relationship of gustatory molecules, the cross‐talking between distinctive tastes, and the role of the gut–organ axis in the realization of taste. Moreover, we also provide forward‐looking perspectives on taste research to afford a scientific basis for revealing the scientific connotation of taste receptors regulating body health.