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Respiratory symptoms and lung function impairment among bakery employees exposed to flour dust in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
Identification of cross-stage, cross-species malaria CD8+ T cell antigens
Impact of W-OH spraying on pore structure of two typical erodible soils in southern China
Assessment of indoor radon exposure risks in residential buildings using corentium home radon gas detector in Masha, South Wollo, Ethiopia
Publisher Correction: Novel T-ring-based probes for thermal ablation of tumors in different organs
Transcriptional regulation of the main olfactory epithelium by environmental olfactory exposures
Applications of a novel probabilistic hesitant fuzzy correlation coefficient in medical diagnosis and students’ performance assessment
Influence of personality traits and clinical role models on changes in medical students’ attitudes toward psychiatry: a prospective moderation analysis
Abstract Oman faces a critical shortage of psychiatrists, highlighting the need to better understand determinants of medical students’ career attitudes toward psychiatry. Utilizing Social Learning Theory and Situational Strength Theory, this study examined how attitudes toward psychiatry evolve during clinical training through the interaction between individual characteristics (personality traits) and contextual influences (clinical learning environment and role models). The study aimed to determine whether personality traits and exposure to clinical role models moderate changes in students’ attitudes during the psychiatry clerkship. A prospective single-group quasi-experimental pre-post study was conducted among 180 undergraduate medical students at Sultan Qaboos University during an eight-week psychiatry clerkship. Attitudes toward psychiatry and personality traits were assessed using the Attitudes Toward Psychiatry-30 (ATP-30) and Big Five Inventory-44 (BFI-44) scales. Moderation analyses were performed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro to evaluate interaction effects between baseline attitudes, personality traits, and perceived role-model influence. Attitudes toward psychiatry improved significantly following clerkship exposure (mean ATP-30 score increased from 105.66 to 110.38; p < .001). Personality traits did not significantly moderate attitude change. However, perceived resident role-model quality demonstrated a significant interaction with baseline attitudes (b = − 0.953, p = .004), with the greatest improvement observed among students with initially less favorable attitudes toward psychiatry. Prior personal contact with mental health services was independently associated with lower post-clerkship attitude scores (b = − 4.553, p = .047). Psychiatry clerkships were associated with improved student attitudes, with role-model mentorship appearing more consequential than stable personality characteristics. As improved attitudes do not consistently translate into specialty recruitment, workforce strategies should move beyond passive clinical exposure toward structured mentorship, targeted career engagement, and culturally responsive psychiatric training models.
Attenuation without protective immunogenicity: effects of codon-pair deoptimization on foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype O in swine
Abstract Foot-and-mouth-disease (FMD), caused by the FMD virus, is a contagious disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals. Since outbreaks often cause significant economic impact, control and prevention measures against FMDV, such as vaccines, are urgently needed especially in endemic regions. The use of inactivated whole-virus vaccines has led to the eradication of FMD in many industrialized nations. Nonetheless, recent outbreaks in Europe have highlighted the virus’s potential for rapid spread and its capacity to inflict substantial economic losses. Codon pair deoptimization is a novel strategy for viral attenuation. In this study, we report the first application of this approach to the P1 capsid coding region of FMDV serotype O. A recombinant virus carrying the deoptimized P1 region was attenuated in vitro, as evidenced by reduced replication capacity in porcine LFBK-αvβ6 cells. In vivo evaluations further demonstrated that a substantially higher dose was required to induce clinical disease in pigs than with wild-type viruses. However, immunization with lower and innocuous doses did not result in protective immunity. These findings underscore both the potential and the challenges of utilizing codon pair deoptimization for developing safe and effective FMDV vaccine candidates, emphasizing that further optimization is necessary to achieve a desirable balance between attenuation and immunogenicity.
Integrated metabolomic and histopathological analysis of renal alterations in mice following chronic bisphenol A (BPA) exposure
Schema for regional evaluation supporting class VI well applications in the Arbuckle Group of Kansas
Abstract An integrated, basin-scale methodology was developed to screen areas for geologic carbon storage in Kansas, focusing on the Arbuckle Group – the principal candidate for large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the U.S. Midcontinent. This approach is fit-for-purpose at the pre-Class VI stage, providing a defensible, regional framework to support early decision-making before undertaking more detailed site-specific characterization. The methodology integrates a faulted framework geocellular property model with spatial chance-of-adequacy (COA) evaluation for four fundamental CCS play elements: reservoir presence, reservoir quality, reservoir seal, and CO 2 phase state. By combining elements at the basin scale, the workflow identifies areas with favorable geologic conditions and estimates effective storage resource ranges at the formation scale. Legacy data spanning a century were evaluated for confidence, enabling differentiation between areas with robust screening results and those where additional data could materially change CCS potential. Results support significant CO 2 storage potential across Kansas, with effective storage resource estimates ranging from ~ 24–75 Gt statewide with a best estimate of ~ 39 Gt. Areas with high aggregate COA values align with previous Kansas Geological Survey CCS assessments, reinforcing confidence in the statewide screening outcomes. Importantly, this regional evaluation establishes the regional geologic framework and trends that can support Class VI site selection, where detailed stratigraphic, structural, geochemical, and geomechanical analyses are mandatory. State-led, publicly accessible regional subsurface evaluations provide a neutral, basin-wide framework that frames subsurface uncertainty, improves technical communication, can be leveraged for Class VI applications, and may accelerate CCS project development and enable long-term carbon storage planning.
Unveiling hidden prehistoric structure via high-resolution GPR survey at Hierakonpolis, Aswan, Egypt
Abstract Hierakonpolis was a major population and political center in Upper Egypt during the Predynastic era (c. 3800–3100 BC). Its ancient remains are preserved mainly as negative archeological features (i.e., structural cuts that disrupt the natural soil), such as postholes and foundation trenches for buildings of wood. One of these constructions is a large palisade wall, of which over 50 m of its length has been uncovered by archaeologists. To trace the buried continuation of this structure without excavation, researchers conducted a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey using a high-frequency (900 MHz) antenna. Despite subtle physical contrasts between the remains and the soil, the arid conditions allowed the GPR to detect the foundation trench as a lateral discontinuity within the Nile silt layer that extends across the entire study area. GPR scans revealed that the wall continues westward along the same trajectory as its excavated segments for an additional 18 m before the signal terminated. Analysis of GPR facies suggests that repeated flooding from an ancient Nile channel compromised the site’s stability, likely resulting in the destruction of the wall in the northwestern sector. Archaeological findings indicate the wall demarcated a large ceremonial and administrative complex, while the survey results also suggest it had a broader functional role as a defensive barrier against Nile floodwaters and other natural threats.
Waste tyre pyrolysis oil–hemp biodiesel ternary blends with graphene oxide and thermal barrier coating: CI engine performance and machine learning prediction
Genomic characterization of phosphate-solubilizing Klebsiella variicola strain PSEG-1 from earthworm gut
YOLO11-guided swin transformer for molar occlusion classification
Assessment of potential nephrotoxicity biomarkers after [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-(Tyr3)-octreotate administration and effects of antioxidant α1-microglobulin
Abstract Patients with neuroendocrine tumours may receive higher total amount of [ 177 Lu]Lu-DOTA-(Tyr 3 )-octreotate and achieve better tumor control if the risk of kidney toxicity could be predicted individually for each patient. One strategy for such a prediction includes the evaluation of early responding biomarkers for kidney damage during treatment to decide the number of treatment cycles. The aims of this study were to (1) evaluate if urinary RBP4, NGAL, creatinine and cystatin C levels may serve as early responding biomarkers for kidney damage, (2) assess the expression of NGAL, KIM-1, CDKN1A, S100A6 and ADIPOQ in kidney tissue to validate their use as histological indicators of toxicity, and to (3) examine the long-term effects of the proposed radioprotector α 1 -microglobulin (A1M) in mice exposed to [ 177 Lu]Lu-DOTA-(Tyr3)-octreotate. Mice were injected with 90 or 150 MBq [ 177 Lu]Lu-DOTA-(Tyr3)-octreotate with or without A1M. Urine was collected at several time-points, and the animals were sacrificed after 9 months. Urinary RBP4 increased from day 35 after injection of 150 MBq [ 177 Lu]Lu-DOTA-(Tyr 3 )-octreotate, creatinine decreased from day 131 and cystatin C increased from day 223. KIM-1, CDKN1A and S100A6 showed a dose dependent kidney expression. Morphological signs of kidney injury were observed in mice injected with 150 MBq [ 177 Lu]Lu-DOTA-(Tyr 3 )-octreotate. No clear kidney protective effect was detected when A1M was co-administered with [ 177 Lu]Lu-DOTA-(Tyr 3 )-octreotate.
Transcription co-repressors Panky and Panky-like modulate ganglioside levels and are essential for retinal cone photoreceptor structure and survival
The biological functions and mechanisms of many cell-type-specific transcriptional cofactors remain unclear. We previously identified Panky ( Ankrd33 ) as a repressive transcriptional co-factor that suppresses Crx-mediated transactivation of photoreceptor genes; however, the biological function of Panky remains unclarified. Here, we investigated the functions of Panky and its paralog, Panky-like ( Ankrd33b ), in mice of either sex. Single knockout (KO) mouse retinas of Panky or Panky-like did not show significant alterations at both histological and functional levels compared to those of control mice. We then established and examined Panky and Panky-like double knockout ( PPL DKO) mice. PPL DKO mice exhibited decreased light-evoked activities detected by electroretinogram (ERG), impaired cone photoreceptor morphology revealed by immunohistochemistry, and structural deformity of cone outer segments and synaptic terminals indicated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), followed by cone death at a later stage. Lipidomics analysis revealed elevated ganglioside levels in PPL DKO retinas, consistent with the increased immunoreactivity of GT1b and GD3 in the outer segment layer. RNA-seq analysis was conducted in a cone-enriched context resulting from Nrl deficiency and showed that the Cerkl gene, whose mutations in humans cause retinitis pigmentosa (RP26), was upregulated in Panky/Panky-like/Nrl triple KO mice. Transcriptional assays showed that PPL suppressed Crx-mediated transactivation of Cerkl . In addition, AAV-mediated Cerkl overexpression in the mouse retina induced significant photoreceptor cell death. Taken together, these findings suggest that the repressive Panky and Panky-like co-factors, which modulate Crx transcriptional activities and thus ganglioside levels in the mouse retina, are essential for cone photoreceptor structure and maintenance. Significance statement The retina is a light-sensing neural tissue in the eye. Photoreceptor cells (PRs) in the retina receive light stimuli. Rod PRs mediate dim-light vision, whereas cone PRs are responsible for bright and color vision. The present study identified that Panky and Panky-like genes are predominantly expressed in PRs in the mouse retina. Panky and Panky-like double-knockout mice exhibit impaired cone cell morphology, cone cell death, and visual dysfunction. In addition, gangliosides, which are chemically bonded lipids and sugars essential for cell membrane stability and function, accumulate in the photoreceptor layer. This study showed that Panky and Panky-like genes regulate ganglioside levels in the retina and play essential roles in the structure and maintenance of cone photoreceptor cells.