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Y-Chromosome Short Tandem Repeats: A Review
Since the early 1990s, the effective development of forensic Y-chromosome examination has led to its widespread use as a standard procedure in labs handling cases involving crime worldwide. The Y-chromosome is a powerful tool in forensic genetics since it can spot the masculine DNA through the most likely to vary genomic sequence the so called STRs. These sequences could be considered to be an irreplaceable asset to the generally worldwide used array of non-sex chromosomal loci used in the study of genetics with respect to forensics. The focus on the masculine part of the chromosome makes it specically of huge regardincases of the lumping up of feminine and masculine cell, such as in scenarios of delement in sexual aspect. However, single set stature of chromosome andthefather to son passover of the masculine genetic material can make the detection and study of the short tandem repeats spotted on the male chromosomal gene difcult when males have the exact same Y-chromosomal make up for nnumber of generations. This may complicate the very understanding of the fact that whether a DNA prole belongs to a suspect or a paternal relative. On the other hand, Y-chromosome research can be used to study the very formation of a DNAprolein a given population which further enables us to study population genetics. As it is also evident that the people falling in the same patrilineal line generally do stay in the same place they were born indicating that there could not be much of a change in their culture and habitat, study of the masculine genetic material thus could be of great signicance in understanding the habitat andcultureof an entire population. The study of forensic Y-chromosome analysis includes the disciplines of application of Y-genome haplotyping, the evaluation of outcomes, making a track of data of new projects and efforts. Thiseld has played ritical role in criminal investigations, and its continued development promises to bring even greater benets to forensic genetics.
Study on the relationship between viral inactivation and alkyl chain length of benzalkonium chloride
Alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (BAC), a quaternary ammonium salt surfactant, is commonly utilized as a sanitizer and disinfectant. Concerns have emerged regarding the increasing global exposure to BAC, emphasizing the need for strategies to maximize its efficacy while minimizing its usage. Therefore, it is crucial to understand BAC’s effects on bacteria and viruses, and its mechanism of action. Our previous research demonstrated that BAC micelles solubilizes the lipid bilayer of viruses, significantly enhancing virus inactivation efficacy at concentrations exceeding the critical micelle concentration (CMC). We focused on the alkyl chain length of BAC to elucidate how variations in CMC, driven by differences in alkyl chain length, influence virus inactivation activity. We measured CMC and assessed influenza virus inactivation for benzyldodecyldimethylammonium chloride (C12BAC), benzyltetradecyldimethylammonium chloride (C14BAC), benzylhexadecyldimethylammonium chloride (C16BAC), and their mixtures. The results showed that both BACs with a single alkyl chain length and mixed BACs exhibited significantly enhanced inactivation activity at concentrations of the CMC or above. Notably, BAC mixtures with comparable CMC values showed similar virucidal activity, suggesting that CMC can serve as a useful indicator in designing BAC mixtures aimed at virus inactivation, leading to the development of compositions with enhanced virus inactivation at lower doses. However, when the bactericidal activity of each BAC mixture against E. coli was tested under the same conditions, a significant bactericidal effect, of at least 3 Log10, was observed even at concentrations below CMC. This suggests that the bactericidal activity of BAC is not due to the micellization at CMC, but rather to the contribution of BAC monomers, indicating a distinct difference in the mechanism of action of BAC against viruses and bacteria. Therefore, when formulating BAC-based disinfectants, it is essential to assess the inactivation efficacy against both bacteria and viruses to ensure sufficient virus inactivation.
Conformational eyelid disorders in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK - Epidemiology and clinical management
Introduction Natural eyelid conformation is essential for normal function and health of the ocular surface. However, many modern dog types are deliberately bred for abnormal eyelid conformation associated with severe health and welfare issues. This study aimed to report the prevalence, demographic risk factors and clinical management under primary veterinary care for conformational eyelid disorders in dogs. Methods The study explored the anonymised clinical records of all dogs under UK primary veterinary care within the VetCompass Programme during 2019. Risk factor analysis used multivariable logistic regression modelling. Results From 2,250,417 dogs under primary veterinary care in 2019, the analysis included a random sample of 3,029 confirmed conformational eyelid disorder cases that included 2,752 (90.86%) entropion and 344 (11.36%) ectropion cases. After accounting for the subsampling process, the annual prevalence for overall conformational eyelid disorder in dogs was 0.36% (95% CI: 0.35–0.37). The annual prevalence for entropion in dogs overall was 0.33% (95% CI: 0.32–0.34). Breeds with highest annual prevalence for entropion were Shar-Pei (15.41%, 95% CI 14.00–16.91), Chow Chow (9.28%, 95% CI 7.64–11.14) and Neapolitan Mastiff (6.88%, 95% CI 3.02–13.14). The estimated annual prevalence for ectropion in dogs overall was 0.04% (95% CI: 0.04–0.05). Breeds with the highest annual prevalence for ectropion were Neapolitan Mastiff (4.30%, 95% CI 1.41–9.77), Saint Bernard (1.72%, 95% CI 0.86–3.05) and Basset Hound (1.59%, 95% CI 0.94–2.49). Surgical management was carried out for 414/2275 (18.20%) of the incident (2019) entropion cases and 12/305 (3.93%) of the incident (2019) ectropion cases. Conclusions Normalisation of conformation-related health issues in certain high profile dog breeds have been discussed as a canine welfare priority for over half a century. The current results suggest that substantial work remains to be done to ensure good innate health for all dogs.
Crystal structures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium thermoresistibile glycyl-tRNA synthetases in various liganded states
Glycyl tRNA synthetases (GlyRSs) are prospective drug targets for combating Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and cancer in humans. These synthetases are of the α2-subtype, with the ortholog in humans being dual targeted to the cytosol and mitochondria. Whereas the human enzyme has been structurally characterized previously in several liganded states, no structures of MtbGlyRS have thus far been reported. Here, we describe our recent work with MtbGlyRS and the closely-related Mycobacterium thermoresitibile GlyRS (MtrGlyRS), which progressed through all phases of the structural genomics pipeline, for the purpose of facilitating structure-based drug discovery. MtbGlyRS was expressed in Mycobacterium smegmatis and MtrGlyRS in Escherichia coli. Crystal structures are described for complexes of the two enzymes with adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and glycyl-sulfamoyl-adenylate (glycyl-AMS) at resolutions of 1.65/2.90 and 2.25/1.95 Å, respectively, and for MtrGlyRS in its apo state at 2.85 Å. Despite crystallizing in the dimeric state characteristic of many class II synthetases, the two enzymes elute predominantly as monomers during size exclusion chromatography. Strikingly, significant portions of the dimer interface and active site are unstructured in the MtrGlyRS apoenzyme crystal. AMP orders two tRNA recognition loops and a section of the insertion domain, and glycyl-AMS further stabilizes the structure, including the closure of a lid motif. Both the active and anticodon binding sites display structural differences with the human GlyRS and thus the collection of crystal structures should be useful for guiding drug development efforts targeting the various characterized structural states.
MHS-VIT: Mamba hybrid self-attention vision transformers for traffic image detection
With the rapid development of intelligent transportation systems, especially in traffic image detection tasks, the introduction of the transformer architecture greatly promotes the improvement of model performance. However, traditional transformer models have high computational costs during training and deployment due to the quadratic complexity of their self-attention mechanism, which limits their application in resource-constrained environments. To overcome this limitation, this paper proposes a novel hybrid architecture, Mamba Hybrid Self-Attention Vision Transformers (MHS-VIT), which combines the advantages of Mamba state-space model (SSM) and transformer to improve the modeling efficiency and performance of visual tasks and to enhance the modeling efficiency and accuracy of the model in processing traffic images. Mamba, as a linear time complexity SSM, can effectively reduce the computational burden without sacrificing performance. The self-attention mechanism of the transformer is good at capturing long-distance spatial dependencies in images, which is crucial for understanding complex traffic scenes. Experimental results showed that MHS-VIT exhibited excellent performances in traffic image detection tasks. Whether it is vehicle detection, pedestrian detection, or traffic sign recognition tasks, this model could accurately and quickly identify target objects. Compared with backbone networks of the same scale, MHS-VIT achieved significant improvements in accuracy and model parameter quantity.
Effects of unilateral and bilateral complex-contrast training on lower limb strength and jump performance in collegiate female volleyball players
The concurrent development of strength and power is considered effective for improving jump performance in athletes.Although previous studies have examined the effects of unilateral and bilateral training, there is a lack of systematic research comparing the impact of these two training modes within the framework of Complex-Contrast Training (CCT) on female volleyball players. This study aimed to compare the effects of Unilateral Complex-Contrast Training (UCCT) and Bilateral Complex-Contrast Training (BCCT) on lower limb strength and jump performance in collegiate female volleyball athletes. A total of 16 female volleyball players were randomly assigned to either the UCCT group (n = 8) or the BCCT group (n = 8) using a random number-based randomization method. The training intervention consisted of 2 sessions per week for 8 weeks.Before and after the intervention, participants underwent a series of standardized tests, including Countermovement Jump (CMJ), Squat Jump (SJ), Drop Jump (DJ), Eccentric Utilization Rate (EUR), Standing Long Jump (SLJ), and one-repetition maximum (1-RM) squat. Statistical analysis was conducted using JASP version 0.18.3.0 with a 2 (group) × 2 (time) two-way repeated measures ANOVA. The results showed significant main effects of time (p < 0.001) for CMJ, DJ, SLJ, and 1-RM squat, while SJ and EUR did not exhibit significant improvements. A significant time × group interaction was found for CMJ (p = 0.009), and simple effects analysis indicated that the UCCT group showed a more pronounced improvement. No significant main effects of group or time × group interaction effects were observed for the other variables. Overall, UCCT demonstrated similar effects to BCCT in improving horizontal jump performance and maximal lower limb strength, but showed a greater advantage in enhancing vertical jump performance.
Preferences for on-demand/intermittent/event-driven and long-acting injectable (LAI) HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among HIV-negative Black gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority men in the United States: A qualitative study
Background Black sexual minority men (SMM) are disproportionately affected by HIV. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication that reduces HIV acquisition. There is a gap in our understanding of the acceptability of and preference for on-demand and long-acting injectable (LAI)-PrEP among PrEP-eligible Black SMM. This study aimed to explore preference for on-demand and LAI-PrEP and reasons for those preferences among HIV-negative Black SMM of different PrEP use profiles (current PrEP users, current non-PrEP users, and PrEP discontinuers). Methods Between March 2022 and April 2023, we conducted 17 focus group discussions (FGDs) with a total of 58 HIV-negative (current PrEP users, non-PrEP users, and PrEP discontinuers) Black SMM residing in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. We explored acceptability and interest in on-demand and LAI-PrEP and anticipated barriers and facilitators to uptake. Results Two key themes emerged around interest and preferences for on-demand PrEP and LAI-PrEP: 1) lack of interest in on-demand PrEP, and 2) high acceptability of LAI-PrEP. The reasons for lack of interest in on-demand PrEP were: 1) inability to accurately anticipate and plan for sexual activity in advance, 2) uncertainty about effectiveness of on-demand PrEP, and 3) potential for unnecessary medication use, especially when anticipated sexual activity doesn’t occur. Most participants finding LAI-PrEP to be highly acceptable can be attributable to: 1) LAI-PrEP being convenient, and 2) LAI-PrEP being a potential solution to suboptimal adherence to daily oral PrEP due to forgetfulness. Discussion While daily oral PrEP is the most utilized PrEP modality, some SMM—who might not be acceptable to oral PrEP—are capable of accurately identifying specific periods and circumstances for HIV infection. It is important that healthcare providers present on-demand PrEP as an option to individuals who fall into these categories. Programs to increase awareness and knowledge of LAI-PrEP among Black SMM and HCP that serve them are needed. Additionally, it is imperative that HCP who provide PrEP services receive proper training on the administration of LAI-PrEP and that there is dedicated staff to help clients navigate the insurance coverage process.
Expression of Concern: Multiple Low-Dose Radiation Prevents Type 2 Diabetes-Induced Renal Damage through Attenuation of Dyslipidemia and Insulin Resistance and Subsequent Renal Inflammation and Oxidative Stress
Enhancing student success prediction in higher education with swarm optimized enhanced efficientNet attention mechanism
Predicting student performance is crucial for providing personalized support and enhancing academic performance. Advanced machine-learning approaches are being used to understand student performance variables as educational data grows. A big dataset from several Chinese institutions and high schools is used to develop a credible student performance prediction technique. Moreover, the dataset includes 80 features and 200,000 records, and consequently, it represents one of the most extensive data collections available for educational research. Initially, data is passed through preprocessing to address outliers and missing values. In addition, we developed a novel hybrid feature selection model that combined correlation filtering with mutual information, Cross-Validation (CV) along with Recursive Feature Eliminatio (RFE) (R, and stability selection to identify the most impactful features. Moreover, This study develops the proposed EffiXNet, a more refined version of EfficientNet augmented with self-attention mechanisms, dynamic convolutions, improved normalization methods, and Sparrow Search Optimization Algorithm for hyperparameter optimization. The developed model was tested using an 80/20 train-test split, where 160,000 records were used for training and 40,000 for testing. The results reported, including accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score, are based on the full test dataset. However, for better visualization, the confusion matrices display only a representative subset of test results. Furthermore, the EffiXNet value of AUC amounting to 0.99, a 25% reduction of logarithmic loss relative to the baseline models, precision of 97.8%, F1-score of 98.1%, and reliable optimization of memory usage. Significantly, the developed model showed a consistently high-performance level demonstrated by various metrics, which indicates that it is proficient in capturing intricate data patterns. The key insights the current research provides are the necessity of early intervention and directed training support in the educational domain. The EffiXNet framework offers a robust, scalable, and efficient solution for predicting student performance, with potential applications in academic institutions worldwide.
Improving a data mining based diagnostic support tool for rare diseases on the example of M. Fabry: Gender differences need to be taken into account
Background Rare diseases often present with a variety of clinical symptoms and therefore are challenging to diagnose. Fabry disease is an x-linked rare metabolic disorder. The severity of symptoms is usually different in men and women. Since therapeutic options for Fabry disease exist, early diagnosis is important. An artificial intelligence (AI)-based diagnosis support algorithm for rare diseases has been developed in preliminary studies. Objective Our aim was to extend and train the questionnaire-based AI, capable of distinguishing patients with from those without rare diseases, to achieve satisfactory sensitivity for the detection of a single rare disease, Fabry disease, taking into account gender differences in disease perception. Methods We collected 33 complete datasets from patients with confirmed Fabry disease. These records contained answered AI questionnaires, general information on disease progression, demographic information and quality of life (QoL) measures. The AI was trained to distinguish patients with Fabry disease from patients with relevant differential diagnoses. Its performance was assayed using stratified eleven-fold cross-validation and ROC curve calculation. Variables influencing the performance of the AI were examined with linear regression and calculation of the coefficient of determination. Result We were able to show that a relatively small sample is sufficient to achieve a sensitivity of 88.12% for the presence of Fabry disease, taking into account gender-specific differences in the disease perception during the pre-diagnostic phase. No confounders of the tool’s performance could be found in the data collected concerning the patients’ quality of life and diagnostic history. Conclusion This study illustrates on the example of Fabry disease that differences between female and male Fabry patients, not only in the expression of symptoms, but also with regard to disease perception, might be relevant influencing variables for improving the performance of AI-based diagnostic support tools for rare diseases.
A Macro-meso damage coupling rock mass damage model based on improved internal crack analysis
The complex geological genesis and different geological environments of rocks can lead to defects such as micropores, microcracks, and joints, resulting in the degradation of their engineering mechanical properties. In order to describe the deformation and failure mechanisms of jointed rock, a rock damage constitutive model that accounts for the geometric parameters and mechanical properties of internal joints within the rock is proposed. By leveraging the principles of damage mechanics and the Lemaitre strain equivalence hypothesis, macroscopic and microscopic damages in rock were combined, ultimately resulting in the development of a damage constitutive model that encompassed both scales of damage. The damage constitutive model was verified by uniaxial compression tests of clay-like rock under different joint dip angles and joint area combinations. The results indicated that the proposed damage constitutive model had clear physical significance and could fully reflect the process of rock failure, which was highly consistent with experimental results. The model parameter m reflected the brittleness of jointed rocks, while F₀ reflected the average strength of jointed rocks. The combination of macroscopic and microscopic analysis methods used in this study is reasonable, and the established damage constitutive model reflects the mechanical behavior of rocks and fits the experimental results well.
High-resolution analysis of red deer (Cervus elaphus) management units in a Central European region of high human population density reveals severe effects on genetic diversity and differentiation
The threat of isolation to red deer (Cervus elaphus) has been described in numerous European studies. The consequences range from reduced genetic diversity and increased inbreeding to inbreeding depression. It has been shown that the underlying factors cannot be generalised, but vary greatly in their effects depending on local conditions. The aim of this study was to analyse in detail the genetics of red deer in a large German federal state with a population density of 532 inhabitants per km2 and 23.8% settlement and traffic area, in order to generate data for future management of the region. 1199 individual samples of red deer were collected in all 20 Administrative Management Units (AMUs) and compared with existing results from the neighbouring state of Hesse (19 AMUs). All 2490 individuals from both states were clustered using Bayesian methods and connectivity between neighbouring AMUs was quantified. Overall, 30% of the AMUs were found to be highly isolated, mostly with effective population sizes (Ne) < 100. In contrast, 47.5% of the AMUs still had clear connectivity, allowing them to be merged into 4 larger red deer regions. For the small isolated areas, low genetic diversity was found in units with high homozygosity and low Ne. With high sampling density and identical methodology, detailed information on AMUs can be obtained and the degree of vulnerability of individual AMUs as part of the overall population can specifically be validated. Such data can help improve future wildlife management.
Correction: Integrative bioinformatics analysis reveals STAT1, ORC2, and GTF2B as critical biomarkers in lupus nephritis with Monkeypox virus infection
Decomposition-reconstruction-optimization framework for hog price forecasting: Integrating STL, PCA, and BWO-optimized BiLSTM
This study constructs a multi-stage hybrid forecasting model using hog price time series data and its influencing factors to improve prediction accuracy. First, seven benchmark models including Prophet, ARIMA, and LSTM were applied to raw price series, where results demonstrated that deep learning models significantly outperformed traditional methods. Subsequently, STL decomposition decoupled the series into trend, seasonal, and residual components for component-specific modeling, achieving a 22.6% reduction in average MAE compared to raw data modeling. Further integration of Spearman correlation analysis and PCA dimensionality reduction created multidimensional feature sets, revealing substantial accuracy improvements: The BiLSTM model achieved an 83.6% cumulative MAE reduction from 1.65 (raw data) to 0.27 (STL-PCA), while traditional models like Prophet showed an 82.2% MAE decrease after feature engineering optimization. Finally, the Beluga Whale Optimization (BWO)-tuned STL-PCA-BWO-BiLSTM hybrid model delivered optimal performance on test sets (RMSE = 0.22, MAE = 0.16, MAPE = 0.99%, R2=0.98), exhibiting 40.7% higher accuracy than unoptimized BiLSTM (MAE = 0.27). The research demonstrates that the synergy of temporal decomposition, feature dimensionality reduction, and intelligent optimization reduces hog price prediction errors by over 80%, with STL-PCA feature engineering contributing 67.4% of the improvement. This work establishes an innovative “decomposition-reconstruction-optimization” framework for agricultural economic time series forecasting.
Bacterial swimming in porous gels exhibits intermittent run motility with active turns and mechanical trapping
Abstract While bacterial motility has been well characterized in uniform liquids, only little is known about how bacteria propagate through complex environments, such as gel-like materials or porous media that are typically encountered in tissue or soil. Here, we study bacterial swimming in polysaccharide matrices formed by different concentrations of agar. We focus on the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida (P. putida) that is known for its multimode swimming pattern, where a polar bundle of flagella may push, pull, or wrap around the cell body. In the gel matrix, P. putida cells display run-and-turn motility with exponentially distributed run times and intermittent turning phases that follow a dwell time distribution with power-law decay. An analysis of the turn angle distribution suggests that both, flagella mediated turning as well as mechanical trapping in the agar matrix are part of the overall swimming pattern. We compare these results to knockout mutants which differ from the wild-type in their swimming speed and show altered probabilities for the occurrence of the three swimming modes. Their run length distributions in the agar matrix are, however, identical demonstrating that run episodes of bacterial swimmers in a gel matrix are primarily determined by the surrounding geometry. We propose a minimal active particle model providing analytical solutions that quantitatively explain the observed time dependence of the mean squared displacement in the gel based on the experimentally observed motility pattern and the measured waiting-time distributions.
Short birth spacing and its impact on maternal and child health in India with urban-rural variation: An epidemiological study using the National Family Health Survey Data
Background Maintaining an appropriate gap between childbirths is essential for promoting the health of both the mother and the child. This practice lowers the risk of adverse maternal and child health outcomes. Inadequate birth spacing is a multifaceted issue linked to increase infant mortality and has the potential to impact the health and demographic landscape of the nation. This study aims to assess the prevalence of short birth spacing (SBS) in association with demographic and socio-economic factors in India with special reference to maternal and child health. Methods This study investigated SBS in India using a cross-sectional design and data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5). The analysis included data from 636,699 households, encompassing 724,115 women and 139,660 birth intervals. The primary outcome was SBS, and secondary outcomes included maternal undernutrition, full antenatal care (ANC), low birth weight (LBW), infant mortality, and child mortality. The analysis incorporated demographic and socio-economic variables as explanatory factors for SBS. Data analysis was conducted after checking its normality. The data characteristics were summarised and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results In India, SBS is more prevalent (50.8%) with a median of 32 months. Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have shortest spacing (27 months), while Lakshadweep has longest (63.9 months). The Central zone has highest SBS prevalence (53.8%), especially in rural areas (55.9%). SBS is significantly associated with lack of maternal education, younger maternal age, unwanted pregnancies, larger families, and poor wealth index. Additionally, it is found that the explanatory variables have a significant impact on SBS, with area under the curve (AUC) covering 68% to 71% (p < 0.001). Furthermore, SBS has a detrimental effect on maternal and child health as secondary outcomes. Conclusion This study emphasizes the substantial influence of socio-demographic factors on the practice of SBS. It is crucial to provide educational programs for mothers that focus on the importance of birth spacing and using family planning services. The study highlights the need to implement economic development initiatives within families to address the factors contributing to inadequate birth spacing. These measures enhance maternal and child health and align with the SDGs in India.
Gamma radiation shielding effectiveness of PbO2 doped borosilicate glasses
Abstract In this study, the integration of PbO2 into a borosilicate glass system was investigated for enhanced radiation shielding performance. Several glasses with varying PbO2 concentrations (31, 33, 35 and 37 mol%) were prepared using the melt-quenching method. The density of the glasses increases from 4.579 to 5.044 g/cm3 as a result of increase the PbO2 content. The radiation attenuation factors were experimentally determined at 0.059, 0.662, 1.173 and 1.333 MeV, using HPGe detector. The results indicate that increasing PbO2 content notably influences the mass attenuation coefficient and the effective atomic number. The tenth value layer (TVL) increased significantly with rising energy levels. For the glass sample containing 31 mol% PbO₂, the TVL increased from 0.177 cm at 0.059 MeV to 5.325 cm at 0.662 MeV, and to 9.094 cm at 1.333 MeV. Similarly, for the glass with 37 mol% PbO₂, the TVL increased from 0.146 cm at 0.059 MeV to 4.733 cm at 0.662 MeV, and to 8.231 cm at 1.333 MeV. The results also showed that PbO₂ has an inverse effect on the TVL, where adding more PbO₂ leads to a decrease in the TVL. At 0.662 MeV, increasing the PbO₂ content from 31 to 37 mol% reduces the TVL by approximately 11.12%. The transmission factor (TF) for the glass with a thickness of 2 cm was investigated, and results showed that the TF is nearly 0 at 0.059 MeV, indicating that the glass provides complete shielding at this low energy. The TF increases with rising energy, reaching 37.8–42.11% at 0.662 MeV, indicating that more photons penetrate the glass as the energy increases.
Bioprospecting of four Beauveria bassiana strains and their potential as biological control agents for Anastrepha ludens Loew 1873 (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Anastrepha ludens (Loew) is a pest of major importance on mango and orange crops. The use of biological control agents, including entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), has been widely studied. However, one problem with the use of EPF is that the efficacy of the strains varies with environmental conditions, and thus the use of native strains is suggested. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to bioprospect Beauveria bassiana strains from Veracruz, Mexico and determine their potential as biological control agents for A. ludens. Four strains isolated from infected insects were used to calculate conidium viability percentage, growth rate mycelia, and conidium production in three different media: with rice, with empty A. ludens pupae, and with PDA. The median lethal time (LT50) and median lethal concentration (LC50) of these strains were also calculated in A. ludens adults exposed to concentrations of 105, 106, and 107 conidia/ml. The viability percentage ranged between 88%−98%, and the growth rate was higher in the rice media, with a value of 2.63 mm/day. However, conidium production was higher in the PDA and A. ludens pupae media, with values of 1.18x108 and 7.83x107 conidia/ml, respectively. At the highest concentration, the four strains caused mortality above 80%, and at the lowest concentration, only one strain caused mortality above 50%. The lowest LT50 occurred on day 5.51 at the highest concentration. The present study expands our knowledge on the effect of B. bassiana strains on A. ludens. In conclusion, the four strains used showed optimal levels for their potential use as biological control agents against A. ludens.
Unified solution of earth pressure at the end of shallow buried shield at different driving angles
Patient participant, healthcare professional, and stakeholder perspectives on the Pharmacy Homeless Outreach Engagement Non-medical Independent prescribing Rx (PHOENIx) community pharmacy pilot randomised controlled trial
Background People experiencing homelessness (PEH) face complex health and social care needs, contributing to poor health outcomes and premature mortality. The Pharmacy Homeless Outreach Engagement Non-medical Independent prescribing Rx (PHOENIx) intervention was developed to address these challenges through assertive outreach by NHS pharmacist independent prescribers working with third sector homelessness charity workers for PEH presenting to community pharmacy. This qualitative study aims to explore participant, healthcare professional, and stakeholder perceptions of the PHOENIx intervention and acceptability of trial procedures. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with trial participants, internal stakeholders (healthcare professionals/researchers), and external stakeholders (national and local) across two intervention sites (Glasgow and Birmingham) between March 2023 and February 2024. Data was analysed thematically using Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) as a conceptual framework. Results Participants (n = 26; usual care n = 7; intervention n = 19) viewed PHOENIx as distinctively comprehensive, consistent, and caring, valuing its holistic approach and the trusting relationships developed with the team. Stakeholders (n = 16; internal n = 5; external n = 11) recognised PHOENIx’s potential to fill gaps in current service provision for PEH, appreciating its flexible, outreach-based model. Challenges identified included resource constraints, integration with existing services, and concerns about long-term sustainability. Conclusions The PHOENIx intervention shows promise in providing accessible, comprehensive healthcare which was acceptable to PEH. Its success in engaging this underserved population offers valuable lessons for service development. However, addressing challenges around resources, scalability, and sustainability will be important considerations for a future trial and wider implementation and expansion.