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Nationwide investigation of eukaryotic pathogens in ticks from cattle and sheep in Kyrgyzstan using metabarcoding
Ticks are significant vectors of bacterial, viral, and protozoan pathogens, impacting both public health and agriculture. In Kyrgyzstan, tick-borne diseases are a growing concern for livestock and human health. While bacterial and viral pathogens are widely studied, and limited previous investigations have focused on specific Babesia and Theileria species in certain host animals, comprehensive data on tick eukaryotic microbiota and potential pathogens across diverse hosts nationwide is scarce. To address this gap, our study provides the comprehensive nationwide assessment of the potential protozoan pathogens in ticks from cattle and sheep, analyzing data of Babesia and Theileria at the genus level. We collected 472 tick samples from cattle and sheep across seven regions of Kyrgyzstan (March-July 2022). Tick species were identified via microscope and Sanger sequencing (mitochondrial COI gene). Eukaryotic microbiota was analyzed using 18S rRNA V9 NGS. Sanger sequencing identified five genera and 11 tick species. NGS analysis revealed Babesia (13.3%) and Theileria (12.7%) as among the most prevalent protozoa detected at the genus level. Babesia was significantly more prevalent in nymph-stage ticks and those collected from sheep, whereas Theileria was detected across a broader range of tick species and host animals, showing less variation across life stages. No significant differences in prevalence were observed based on tick sex or the number of hosts in the tick life cycle. Regionally, Babesia detection was highest in the Osh region, particularly in ticks collected from both cattle and sheep. This is the first comprehensive nationwide analysis of tick eukaryotic metabarcoding study in Kyrgyzstan focusing on pathogenic protozoa detected at the genus level. Findings provide crucial baseline data on Babesia and Theileria geographic and host-specific prevalence. Understanding these information is essential for advancing future research and supporting the development of effective surveillance and control strategies against babesiosis and theileriosis in regional livestock.
Correction for Ferraro et al., Outdated reproductive norms, the naturalistic fallacy, and misunderstandings of welfare in recent call for zoo breed-and-feed programs
VR-based gamma sensory stimulation: a pilot feasibility study
Strategic forecasting of renewable energy production for sustainable electricity supply: A machine learning approach considering environmental, economic, and oil factors in Türkiye
Providing electricity needs from renewable energy sources is an important issue in the energy policies of countries. Especially changes in energy usage rates make it necessary to use renewable energy resources to be sustainable. The electricity usage rate must be estimated accurately to make reliable decisions in strategic planning and future investments in renewable energy. This study aims to accurately estimate the renewable energy production rate to meet Türkiye’s electricity needs from renewable energy sources. For this purpose, well-known Machine Learning (ML) algorithms such as Random Forest (RF), Adaptive Boosting (AB), and Gradient Boosting (GB) were utilized. In obtaining forecast data, 15 variables were considered under the oil resources, environmental parameters, and economic factors which are the main parameters affecting renewable energy usage rates. The RF algorithm performed best with the lowest mean absolute percentage error (MAPE, 0.084%), mean absolute error (MAE, 0.035), root mean square error (RMSE, 0.063), and mean squared error (MSE, 0.004) values in the test dataset. The R2 value of this model is 0.996% and the MAPE value is calculated lower than 10%. The AB model, on the other hand, has the highest error values in the test data set, but still provides an acceptable prediction accuracy. The R2 value was 0.792% and the MAPE value (0.371%) of this model was calculated to be in the range of 20% < MAPE≤50%. This study, with its proposed forecasting models, makes significant contributions to energy policies to develop appropriate policies only for planning the amount of electricity usage needed in the future. In this context, this study emphasizes that renewable energy-based electricity generation transformation should be considered as an important strategic goal in terms of both environmental sustainability and energy security.
Integrating network pharmacology and experimental validation to explore the mechanism of Yiqi Ziyin in treating immune thrombocytopenia
Sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics of older people with HIV in Almaty City, Kazakhstan: A cross-sectional study
Introduction Globally, there are increasing numbers of people with HIV (PWH) age ≥ 40 years (y). Despite this, there are few studies of older PWH in low- and middle-income countries, and no studies in Kazakhstan. Aging with HIV influences HIV treatment response and is associated with the occurrence of non-communicable diseases. Methods and materials A cross-sectional study of PWH ≥ 40y was conducted at the Almaty City AIDS Center in Kazakhstan. Biological, sociodemographic, health behavior, medical history, mental and cognitive health, quality of life, and HIV factors were measured and characterized. Results The study enrolled and interviewed a clinical sample of 150 PWH ≥ 40y. Males (sex at birth) comprised 54.7% (N = 82); average age 51.6y, + /-10.4y; 54.7% aged 40-49y; maximum age 75y. Females (sex at birth) were younger (47.5y) than males (56.8y) (p = 0.020). Level of education differed by sex (p = 0.001). Females with HIV were more likely than males to be unemployed (33.8% versus 24.5%, respectively, p < 0.001). Among all PWH, 4% were disabled, 8.7% retired, 37.3% were in an official or civil marriage and 60.7% lived in their own home. More males consumed alcohol than females (32.9% versus 1.3%, respectively) (p = 0.001). Drug use was higher among males (25.6%) compared to females (8.8%) (p = 0.050); 91.4% of males versus 64.7% of females smoked ≥100 cigarettes in their lifetime, and 76.8% of males versus 48.5% of females smoked cigarettes currently (p = 0.001). HIV viral load among males was higher (p = 0.050) and CD4 + count, lower among males (p = 0.004) compared to females. Physical and physiological health, environmental and social relationships among males and females were similar. Conclusions The majority of PWH were of working age, employed, and reported good quality of life, however, sex differences were observed. Future prospective studies are recommended.
Correction for Das et al., Mycobacteriophage-mediated gene transfer enables in vitro drug screening and in vivo tracking of <i>Mycobacterium leprae</i>
Numerical format integration in primary school children examined with frequency-tagged electroencephalography
Abstract Mastering the relationship between different numerical formats (i.e., digits, number words, and non-symbolic quantities) is an important foundational skill for later math competencies. However, the neurocognitive mechanisms of this relationship remain poorly understood in children. Consequently, the current study examines the integration between digits, number words, and dots in a sample of 34 primary school children (aged 7 to 14 years) with an electroencephalography paradigm tagging the frequency of stimulus presentation. In an oddball paradigm, we presented children with mixed notation sequences (i.e., dots – words, digits – dots, words – digits) at a rate of 166 ms per stimulus while manipulating the magnitude of the deviant numbers in an experimental (rule = standards < 5, deviants > 5) and control conditions (no rule). We observed deviant responses in the experimental but not in the control condition, with the strongest responses for dots – words, followed by words – digits and finally, digits – dots. These findings suggest that, in children, numerical magnitude information is automatically extracted irrespective of the format at least under implicit and rapid presentation conditions.
Open educational resources for distributed hands-on teaching in molecular biology
The urgent need to develop a more equitable bioeconomy has positioned biotechnology capacity building at the forefront of international priorities. However, in many educational institutions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, this remains a major challenge due to limited access to reagents, equipment, and technical documentation. In this work, we describe Open Educational Resources (OER) composed of locally produced biological reagents, open source hardware and free software to teach fundamental techniques in biotechnology such as LAMP DNA amplification, RT-PCR RNA detection, enzyme kinetics and fluorescence imaging. The use of locally produced reagents and devices reduces costs by up to one order of magnitude. During the pandemic lockdowns, these tools were distributed nationwide to students’ homes as a lab-in-a-box for remote teaching of molecular biology. To test their performance, a total of 93 undergraduate students tested these resources during a biochemistry practical course. 27 out of 31 groups (~87%) successfully achieved the objectives of the PCR activity, while 28 out of 31 groups (~90%) correctly identified the target using LAMP reactions. To assess the potential application in secondary school, we organized three workshops for high school teachers from different institutions across Chile and performed an anonymous questionnaire, obtaining a strong agreement on how these OER broaden teachers’ perspectives on the techniques and facilitate the teaching of molecular biology topics. This effort was made possible through a close collaboration with open source technology advocates and members of DIYbio communities, whose work is paving the way for low-cost training in biology. All the protocols and design files are available under open source licenses.
Novel closed-form travelling wave solutions for space-time fractional coupled Boussinesq–Burger model using extended direct algebraic method
Big five personality traits and employability: The mediating role of internship attitudes among chinese vocational students
This study investigates the impact of the Big Five personality traits on the employability of vocational education students, with a focus on the mediating role of internship attitudes. Data were collected from 550 students enrolled in 11 vocational colleges in Hebei Province, China, using a structured questionnaire. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the relationships among personality traits, internship attitudes, and employability. The findings reveal that personality traits significantly influence internship attitudes, which in turn affect employability. These results provide novel theoretical insights into the psychological mechanisms underlying internship persistence and practical recommendations for optimizing vocational education and enhancing school-enterprise collaboration to better meet students’ employability and career readiness needs.
Brian Larkins, a plant science pioneer, leader, mentor, and friend
Brian Larkins died in January 2025 at the age of 78 leaving a legacy of seminal scientific contributions that were fundamental to the establishment of the field of plant molecular biology. He elucidated the key processes in maize endosperm development and delivered technical breakthroughs in isolation of polysomes and translation of associated messenger RNAs. His models for protein body structure and his work to understand the molecular basis for restoring transparency to mutant maize seeds provided fundamental insights to improving nutritional quality of maize. Brian was an inspirational, beloved, and effective mentor to students, postdocs, and colleagues, leading by example and service. His visionary efforts during challenging financial times strengthened professional societies through exceptional fund-raising to support early career scientists thus providing a pathway for continued success.
Inhibition of breast cancer resistance protein by flavonols: in vitro, in vivo, and in silico implications of the interactions
Configuration analysis on servitisation transformation of sporting goods manufacturing enterprises: The case study of 33 listed companies of China
This study explores the multifactorial and complex causal relationships affecting the performance of sporting goods manufacturing enterprises during service transformation. A fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method was applied using 33 sporting goods manufacturing enterprises listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-shares and the New Third Board in China. The study developed a model using the Technology-Organization-Environment(TOE) theoretical framework, to analyse the factors driving the servitisation transformation of China’s sporting goods manufacturers. The results revealed that (1) none of the seven secondary factors such as the degree of digital transformation, innovation capability, top management level, staff knowledge structure, organisational redundancy, government support, and degree of marketization individually contribute to enhancing the servitisation performance of sporting goods manufacturing enterprises in China. (2) The four grouping paths that drive the transformation of the servitisation of sporting goods manufacturing enterprises in China are divided into three types: “talent–resource driven”, “technology–organisation driven, and “technology–talent driven”. This study reveals the role of multiple factors behind the transformation of servitisation and the upgrading of sporting goods manufacturing enterprises and provides useful insights into the structural rationalisation and advanced development of China’s sports industry.
Correction for Clegg and Gross, Cross-feeding creates tipping points in microbiome diversity
The impact of multidirectional excitation on the stick–slip vibration characteristics of a drill string
Partial FAM19A5 deficiency in mice leads to disrupted spine maturation, hyperactivity, and an altered fear response
The FAM19A5 polypeptide, encoded by the TAFA5 gene, is evolutionarily conserved among vertebral species. This protein is predominantly expressed in the brain, highlighting its crucial role in the central nervous system. Here, we investigated the potential roles of FAM19A5 in brain development and behavior using a FAM19A5-LacZ KI mouse model. This model exhibited a partial reduction in the FAM19A5 protein level. FAM19A5-LacZ KI mice displayed no significant alterations in gross brain structure but alterations in dendritic spine distribution, with a bias toward immature forms. These mice also had lower body weights. Behavioral tests revealed that compared with their wild-type littermates, FAM19A5-LacZ KI male mice displayed hyperactivity and a delayed innate fear response. These findings suggest that FAM19A5 plays a role in regulating spine maturation and maintenance, thereby contributing to neural connectivity and behavior.