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Earliest millet cultivation reflects steppe connections, dietary flexibility, and resilience in Bronze Age northern Greece
This paper explores early broomcorn millet (hereafter millet) cultivation in Greece during the Bronze Age. The primary archaeobotanical data for this study derive from the site of Skala Sotiros on the island of Thasos in northern Greece. The site provides unique insights into localized Bronze Age agricultural practices, revealing both divergence from southern Greece agricultural systems and potential influences from exchange networks that linked northern Greece to the southern Balkans and the Pontic steppe–Black Sea region. Systematic sampling of the Bronze Age layers at Skala Sotiros has yielded a diverse assemblage with a notable abundance of millet ( Panicum miliaceum ), a crop almost absent from contemporary southern Greece. Recent radiocarbon dates on millet grains from Skala Sotiros contribute new evidence toward understanding the routes through which millet could have been introduced into the region during the Bronze Age. This study explores the interplay of environmental and cultural factors in the dispersal of millet in Greece, considering environmental stress, cultural dynamics, population movements, and interaction networks. The extensive review of archaeobotanical data across Greece demonstrates how the cultivation of millet may have served as a culinary identity signifier, providing further evidence of differences between northern and southern Greece.
Long-COVID: assessment of circulating markers suggests no cerebral neuronal damage, neuroinflammation or systemic inflammation–a controlled study
Abstract Long-COVID remains incompletely understood, particularly regarding the roles of peripheral systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation. The persistence and extent of these processes remain debated. We conducted a single-center, age- and sex-matched case–control study at Stavanger University Hospital, Norway, recruiting participants from the general population. Forty-eight long-COVID patients and 48 recovered controls were included at a median of 69 weeks post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. Exclusion criteria included autoimmune or chronic inflammatory diseases, cancer, and other conditions affecting fatigue. Plasma levels of neurofilament light (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2), C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured using ultrasensitive NULISA™ technology. CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6 were additionally assessed by a standard hospital laboratory method (CRP) and MSD S-Plex chemiluminescence immunoassay (TNF-α and IL-6 MSD). No significant differences in NfL or GFAP were observed between groups, suggesting no ongoing neuronal injury or neuroinflammation. Routine immunoassays showed no differences for inflammatory markers. In unadjusted analyses using ultrasensitive assays, long-COVID patients showed nominally elevated levels of CRP ( p = 0.04), TNF-α ( p = 0.01), IL-6 ( p = 0.02), and TREM2 ( p = 0.02). However, these differences did not survive correction for multiple comparisons (all false discovery rate-adjusted p > 0.05). The absence of neuroinflammation markers is consistent with the hypothesis that persistent long-COVID symptoms are unlikely due to ongoing neuronal injury or central nervous system inflammation. Alternatively, persisting long-COVID symptoms may reflect a chronic, extremely low-level immune activation, that contributes to fatigue, pain, and other sickness phenomena through mechanisms such as pro-inflammatory signaling in the brain, or epigenetic mechanisms underlying the sickness behavior response. These findings should be considered preliminary and warrant validation in larger, longitudinal cohorts.
A filtering-enhanced MIMO antenna architecture for next-generation multi-user satellite communication
Slope stability prediction via TrAdaBoost transfer learning: integrating physics and data into a double-driven framework
My relationship with my PhD supervisor has become toxic — what do I do?
Eye movement dynamics are a key factor for intra-saccadic motion perception
Evaluation of photobioreactor designs for potential application as microalgal façade systems
Hybrid feature selection and classification model using high-dimensional data based on a metaheuristic algorithm for brain cancer diagnosis
Data-driven machine learning modelling in wire EDM of TiNiCo shape memory alloy
Nano-enabled plant fortification: green-synthesized SiO2 and emamectin benzoate nanoparticles synergistically boost maize defense and agronomic performance against Spodoptera frugiperda infestation
Abstract Zea mays L., a globally vital C₄ cereal, is increasingly threatened by fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), a destructive and insecticide-resistant pest. This study developed a nano-enabled strategy integrating green-synthesized SiO 2 nanoparticles (GS-SiNPs) for plant fortification with nano-formulated emamectin benzoate (EMB-NPs) for enhanced insecticidal activity. Laboratory bioassays on 4 th -instar FAW larvae evaluated acute toxicity (LC 50 and LC 90 ) and detoxification enzyme activity. A field experiment in Egypt, autumn 2024 used a randomized complete block design to test two foliar sprays on maize in ten treatments with four replicates. Larval counts, leaf damage, anatomy, photosynthesis, leaf area (LA) plant −1 , Si content, and yield were assessed. Laboratorially, LC 90 (ppm) values were 93.6 (EMB-NPs), and 122.7 (EMB bulk), with GS-SiNPs exhibiting the steepest (5.18). GS-SiNPs with EMB bulk or EMB-NPs exhibited LC 50 values of 102.0 and 71.8 ppm, respectively, indicating a synergistic effect of both mixtures. EMB bulk + GS-SiNPs and EMB-NPs + GS-SiNPs suppressed larval detoxification enzymes. Field results revealed 100% initial larval mortality. The ½EMB-NPs + GS-SiNPs reduced leaf damage by 64.2% after the 1 st spray, while ¾EMB-NPs + GS-SiNPs achieved 86.4% after the 2 nd spray. This treatment also induced significant anatomical modification, increasing blade, midvein, and vascular bundle thickness. It enhanced photosynthesis, leaf Si, and LA plant −1 , and boosted yield by 54.5% vis-à-vis control. Combining GS-SiNPs with EMB-NPs, particularly ¾EMB-NPs + GS-SiNPs, enhanced EMB bioefficacy and suppressed FAW detoxification while improving maize’s physio-anatomical resilience. This nano-enabled sustainable strategy offers a dose-efficient and eco-friendly approach for FAW management and maize productivity.
Daily briefing: Galileo’s notes discovered in the margins of an ancient book
AI fragmentation-based optimization of Sorafenib derivatives targeting VEGFR2 for angiogenesis-related pathologies: a structure-based in-silico study
Intrusion detection with HACDT-Net and TRBM-Net using a hybrid deep learning framework with enhanced sampling techniques
Experimental evaluation and accuracy analysis of inductive current transformers under realistic nonlinear and harmonic-rich load conditions
From the first telephone to videoconferencing in 100 years
Unlocking the therapeutic potential of Origanum majorana through GC-MS and computational analysis to identify EGFR inhibitors for breast cancer
Associations between metabolic syndrome and allergic diseases a nationwide study in Korea and literature review
Abstract Atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic rhinitis (AR), and asthma are typical allergic diseases, with a common pathogenesis involving increased type 2 immunity. Despite numerous studies, the association between these diseases and metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains controversial. This study aimed to explore relationships between AD, AR, and asthma both to MetS and to each of its components. Population-based, cross-sectional data were obtained from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2019 to 2020. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the association between allergic diseases and MetS. The results were compared with those of previous studies of the association between MetS and allergic diseases, identified in a literature review following a search of PubMed and the Cochrane Library. Based on assessments of 1,329, 4,824, and 1,172 patients with AD, AR, and asthma, respectively, negative associations between both AD and AR and MetS were determined, after adjusting for confounding factors. By contrast, asthma was positively associated with MetS (odds ratio [OR] 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.50–0.67; OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.67–0.78; OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.51–1.92, respectively). The heterogeneous findings highlight the need for further investigation of associations between the studied allergic diseases and MetS as well as each of its components.