Browse Articles

Publisher Correction: Metabarcoding identifies macroalgal composition as a driver of benthic invertebrate assemblages in restored habitats

Identification of Large Japanese field mouse Apodemus speciosus food plant resources in an industrial green space using DNA metabarcoding

DNA metabarcoding was employed to identify the food plant resources of the Large Japanese field mouse Apodemus speciosus inhabiting an artificial green space on reclaimed land on the Chita Peninsula in Aichi Prefecture, Central Japan, from 2012 to 2014. DNA metabarcoding was performed using high-throughput sequencing of partial rbcL sequences extracted from fecal samples collected in the study area. The obtained sequences, which were analyzed using a constructed local database, revealed that a total of 72 plant taxa were utilized as food plant resources by A. speciosus. Of these plant taxa, 43 could be assigned to species (59.7%), 16 to genus (22.2%), and 13 to family (18.1%). Of the 72 plant taxa identified in this study, the dominant families throughout all collection periods were Lauraceae (81.0% of 100 fecal samples), followed by Fagaceae (70.0%), Rosaceae (68.0%), and Oleaceae (48.0%). Fifty of the 72 plant taxa identified as food plant resources were woody plants. The findings showed that DNA metabarcoding using a local database constructed from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database and field surveys was effective for identifying the dominant food plants in the diet of A. speciosus. The results of this study provided basic information that can be applied to the formulation and implementation of management and conservation strategies for local wildlife.

Toxicogenomic profiling of endocrine disruptor 4-Nonylphenol in male catfish Heteropneustes fossilis with respect to gonads

Adaptive lift chiller units fault diagnosis model based on machine learning

The early minor faults generated by the chiller in operation are not easy to perceive, and the severity will gradually increase with time. The traditional fault diagnosis method has low accuracy and poor stability for early fault diagnosis. In this paper, a fault diagnosis model of Chiller is designed by combining least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) optimized by hybrid improved northern goshawk optimization algorithm (HINGO) and improved IAdaBoost ensemble learning algorithm. HINGO enhances the uniformity of the initial population distribution by means of refraction opposition-based learning strategy in initialization, and improves the local and global search ability of the algorithm by means of sine and cosine strategy, Lévy flight and nonlinear decreasing factor in the search stage. The HINGO-LSSVM-IAdaBoost model is trained and validated on the typical air conditioning fault samples of ASHRAE RP-1043. Compared with the traditional methods, the HINGO-LSSVM-IAdaBoost model shows obvious advantages for the early fault diagnosis of chiller units.

Preclinical validation of TGFβ inhibitors as a novel therapeutic strategy for post-traumatic heterotopic ossification

Well-being and emotional labor for preschool teachers: The mediation of career commitment and the moderation of social support

Background According to the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, well-being is a protective factor against emotional labor. However, it is unclear whether and how well-being contributes to emotional labor for preschool teachers. To investigate the influence of well-being on emotional labor, this study aimed to examine the mediating effect of career commitment between preschool teachers' well-being and emotional labor and whether this effect is moderated by social support. Method This study included 363 preschool teachers (M = 30.17 years, SD = 5.94) in a Chinese province. All participants completed the General Well-Being Schedule, the Emotional Labor Strategy, the Career Commitment Scale, and the Social Support Rating Scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0. Results Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between well-being, career commitment, social support, and emotional labor. The results of path analysis show that career commitment plays a completely mediating role in the relationship between well-being and emotional labor, which is moderated by social support. The mediating effect of career commitment was significantly greater for individuals with high social support than for those with low social support. Conclusion Well-being can promote the emotional labor of preschool teachers by bolstering career commitment, while this process is influenced by social support.

Optimizing feasibility and reproducibility of pacing-induced heart failure model in pigs

Abstract Heart failure (HF) is a major health problem worldwide, where gene therapy could provide promising new approaches for effective treatments. Pacing-induced tachycardiomyopathy in large animals is a well-established HF model but it suffers from poor tolerability and variable outcomes. In this study, we developed a reproducible, feasible, and tolerable pacing protocol for HF gene therapy studies. Single-chamber pacemakers were implanted in pigs. HF development was monitored with trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE), invasive left-ventricular (LV) pressure measurements, and a treadmill exercise stress test. Four weeks of rapid right-ventricular pacing at over 200 bpm produced a significant impairment of cardiac function (LV stroke volume index 11.8 ± 1.22 (mL/m2) at day 28 vs 18.1 ± 0.99 (mL/m2) at day 0, p < 0.01, mean ± SEM, paired t-test), and reduced exercise capacity (− 14 ± 3.19% change in 15-min treadmill exercise stress test at day 28 compared to day 0, p = 0.02, mean ± SEM, paired t-test). Further pacing at 150 bpm was a well-tolerated way to prevent functional recovery. Good tolerability and reproducibility of the pacing were achieved by a gradual increase in the pacing rate, no higher than 200 bpm. Global left ventricular adenoviral (Ad) gene transfer via cardiac veins was performed after three weeks of rapid pacing and found well-tolerated and feasible. In this study, the protocols of pacemaker implantation and TTE in pigs were also optimized. In conclusion, the optimized pacing protocol considerably increases the feasibility and reproducibility of the pacing-induced HF for testing of new therapeutic applications.

Primary care physicians’ perceptions of hypertension management in Qatar: A qualitative study using the theoretical domains framework

Antihypertensive medications are known to reduce the incidence of hypertension complications. While the benefits of these medications are recognized, the factors influencing the prescribing practices of primary care physicians in Qatar have not been assessed. This study investigated Qatar primary care physicians’ experiences, practices, and perceptions regarding hypertension management. The study further evaluated the factors that influence their prescribing behaviors and identified strategies for improving hypertension management in primary healthcare settings. A qualitative case study was conducted through one-to-one semi-structured interviews with physicians practicing at the 31 Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) centers in Qatar. Due to the small population size, there was no need for sample size calculation and whole population sampling was used (N=179). Physician leads at each PHCC center helped identify eligible participants. Study information were shared via email and interested candidates were contacted to arrange for interviews at their convenience. The interview guide questions were designed based on the 14 domains of the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) of behavior change. Interviews were conducted virtually and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was undertaken using inductive and deductive approaches. Twelve themes emerged, including physicians’ knowledge, skills, goals and role in hypertension management, confidence about prescribing decisions, optimism that prescriptions yield positive results, methods to ensure the appropriateness of prescriptions, emotions, and experiences when prescribing antihypertensives, perceived barriers, and facilitators when prescribing and social influences. Strategies for improving hypertension management were also suggested. In conclusion, multiple factors were identified that affect participants’ antihypertensive prescribing. Further research is needed to evaluate the suggested strategies’ effectiveness and to explore other improvements.

Ensemble learning approach for prediction of early complications after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer using CT and MRI radiomic features

The impact of the rural digital economy on China’s new-type urbanization

The Chinese government is vigorously implementing the rural revitalization strategy and accelerating the process of new-type urbanization. The rapid development of the rural digital economy has emerged as a new driving force for new-type urbanization. This study aims to explore how the rural digital economy impacts China’s new-type urbanization from direct, heterogeneous, and indirect perspectives. Using the provincial-level panel data in China from 2014 to 2022, a mixed-methods approach is employed for the empirical research. The CRITIC and Entropy TOPSIS are used to assess the comprehensive development level and temporal characteristics of the rural digital economy and new-type urbanization. Moreover, a global-local auto-correlation analysis is carried out to depict the spatial distribution of the two variables. Subsequently, a two-way fixed effects model is constructed to verify the direct impact of the rural digital economy on new-type urbanization, as well as its structural and spatial heterogeneity characteristics. Finally, an mediating effect model is established to explore the impact paths through which the rural digital economy impacts new-type urbanization. The results show that the rural digital economy has significantly promoted new-type urbanization. Specifically, rural digital infrastructure, digital transformation of agriculture, agricultural production service informatization have a significant positive effect, while the role of rural life digitization is not significant. The rural digital economy has more significant positive impact on population agglomeration and economic growth, followed by social public service, but has no significant impact on ecological environmental protection and urban-rural coordination. Additionally, the qualitative analysis identifies geographical region, poverty, demographic structure and social equality as notable influencing factors in this impact. Further mechanism analysis result indicates that the rural digital economy impacts new-type urbanization through rural human capital improvement, agricultural economic growth and rural industrial structure upgrading. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing the practical path of rural development to promote new-type urbanization in the context of the digital economy, also clarifies the weak points and key links in this process. It also highlights the need for further research into the institutional factors that influence this relationship to enhances the policy applicability.

Investigation of heavy metals adsorbed on microplastics in drinking water and water resources of Zabol

Investigating omega-3 fatty acids’ neuroprotective effects in repetitive subconcussive neural injury: Study protocol for a randomized placebo-controlled trial

Soccer (football) is the most popular sport globally, with 265 million players across all ages and sexes. Repetitive subconcussive head impacts due to heading of the soccer ball can pose threats to healthy brain development and aging. Omega-3 fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), may have neuroprotective effects, but it remains unclear what aspects of neural health benefit from DHA+EPA when faced with subconcussive head impacts. In a randomized placebo-controlled trial, 208 soccer players will complete baseline measures including demographics, blood sampling, dietary recalls, and psychological assessment. Participants will be randomly assigned to ingest DHA+EPA [3.4g/d: DHA 2.4g+EPA 1.0g] or placebo daily for 8 weeks followed by a subconcussion intervention phase. During the subconcussion intervention, participants will perform a session of 20 controlled soccer headings, with a second session 24 hours later. Blood samples, neuroimaging data, autonomic reactivity, and clinical measures (symptoms, oculomotor, cognition) will be collected pre-heading and 24-hour post-1st session, 24-hour post-2nd session, and 7-day post-2nd session. The primary hypothesis is that DHA+EPA pretreatment will promote neuronal and astrocyte resiliency to subconcussive head impacts, as assessed by blood biomarkers of brain injury, axonal microstructure measured by diffusion tensor imaging, and whole-brain resting-state connectivity. It is proposed that pretreatment will preserve autonomic function, as assessed by the cold pressor test (CPT), as well as oculomotor and cognitive function, even after head impacts. Data from this trial will help clarify the combined effect of DHA+EPA on brain molecular, cellular, and physiological health in response to subconcussive head impacts. If the hypotheses are confirmed, the findings will support a highly practical intervention for mitigating the neurodegenerative cascade triggered by head impacts. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06736925

Attack resilient IoT security framework using multi head attention based representation learning with improved white shark optimization algorithm

‘Mind blowing’: quantum computer untangles the mathematics of knots

TIR1-produced cAMP as a second messenger in transcriptional auxin signalling

Abstract The phytohormone auxin (Aux) is a principal endogenous developmental signal in plants. It mediates transcriptional reprogramming by a well-established canonical signalling mechanism. TIR1/AFB auxin receptors are F-box subunits of an ubiquitin ligase complex; after auxin perception, they associate with Aux/IAA transcriptional repressors and ubiquitinate them for degradation, thus enabling the activation of auxin response factor (ARF) transcription factors1–3. Here we revise this paradigm by showing that without TIR1 adenylate cyclase (AC) activity4, auxin-induced degradation of Aux/IAAs is not sufficient to mediate the transcriptional auxin response. Abolishing the TIR1 AC activity does not affect auxin-induced degradation of Aux/IAAs but renders TIR1 non-functional in mediating transcriptional reprogramming and auxin-regulated development, including shoot, root, root hair growth and lateral root formation. Transgenic plants show that local cAMP production in the vicinity of the Aux/IAA–ARF complex by unrelated AC enzymes bypasses the need for auxin perception and is sufficient to induce ARF-mediated transcription. These discoveries revise the canonical model of auxin signalling and establish TIR1/AFB-produced cAMP as a second messenger essential for transcriptional reprograming.

Inulin promotes appetite in mice by regulating the gut microbiota under conditions of rapid entry to the plateau

The objective of this study was to examine the mechanism of inulin by regulating the gut microbiota under conditions of rapid entry to the plateau stage. Fifty 7-week-old SPF-grade C57BL/6J male mice were used as experimental subjects and analysed. This study compared the structural and functional characteristics of food intake, body weight changes, serum appetite hormone levels, and intestinal flora of mice in different doses of inulin intervention and control groups in two distinct environments: plains and the rush-into plateau. The results demonstrated that inulin influenced the functional characteristics of the gut microbiota of mice in terms of energy production, conversion, carbohydrate transport, and metabolism. Furthermore, inulin enhanced the secretion of appetite hormones, resulting in appetite promotion under acute plateau conditions by increasing the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria. In addition, inulin significantly improved the body weight of mice under plateau conditions, particularly in the mid- and high-dose groups of inulin-treated mice.

Evolutionary fingerprints of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

Midline catheter (10 cm) versus long peripheral intravenous catheter (6.4 cm): Randomized clinical trial protocol with economic analysis

Introduction Midline catheters have stood out in the last decade in Europe and North America as peripheral venous access devices with fewer complications and greater durability. However, its cost may be an obstacle to the adoption of this technology in public institutions in Brazil, which use long peripheral intravenous catheters for the same purpose. Materials and Methods This is a randomized clinical trial protocol, registered on the ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05884294 platform, which will be conducted with two parallel, controlled, single-center, blinded groups for outcome analysis, where the groups are allocated in a 1:1 ratio, with patients over 18 years of age, admitted to clinical units of a public university hospital in Brazil who have difficult venous access defined by the Adult Difficult Intra Venous Access Scale (A-DIVA). The study intervention will be the insertion of a PowerGlide ProTM Midline 20G catheter (10 cm). The control group will receive an Introcan Safety Deep Access long peripheral intravenous catheter 20G (6.4 cm). The primary outcome will be the length of stay of vascular access free of complications (infiltration, phlebitis, occlusion, accidental withdrawal, catheter-associated bloodstream infection, and deep vein thrombosis). The economic analysis will follow micro-costing. Objective To compare the use of the midline catheter (10 cm) in terms of the length of stay free of complications with the use of a long peripheral intravenous catheter (6.4 cm) during continuous or intermittent intravenous therapy for more than five days in adult clinical patients, with difficult venous access, hospitalized in a public institution in Brazil. It also aims to carry out an economic analysis based on micro-costing. Conclusion The international literature, especially in North America and Europe, has shown that the use of midline catheters and long peripheral intravenous catheters have similarities regarding greater safety and lower risk of complications. The superiority related to the midline catheter in terms of the time of uncomplicated use in patients in need of peripherally appropriate solutions, but with high cost, is highlighted. The use of these devices remains incipient in Latin America, especially in Brazilian public institutions, requiring studies to evaluate evidence on the use and costs of these technologies in this specific population. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT05884294

Transforming ceria into 2D clusters enhances catalytic activity

Time perception of attractive male faces and voices: The role of women’s menstrual cycle

Accurate time measurement is essential for organisms to synchronize their internal biological cycles with the external environment, crucial for reproductive success and survival. This study examines fluctuations in time perception across different phases of the menstrual cycle in response to visual and vocal attractiveness, building on previous research showing that women estimate longer viewing times for attractive male photos compared to unattractive ones. Forty-eight females participated in the experiment during both the menstruation and ovulation phases of their menstrual cycles, completing visual and auditory oddball tasks. Participants viewed a series of five stimuli and reproduced the duration of the last stimulus by pressing a mouse button. The final stimulus could be identical to the previous four (control trials), an attractive or unattractive male photo (visual attractiveness block), a masculinized or feminized male face (visual sexually dimorphic block), or a masculinized or feminized male voice (auditory sexually dimorphic block). Results indicated that duration estimates for masculinized male voices were significantly longer compared to feminized voices, while no differences were found for the menstruation phase. However, no differences were observed between the phases of the menstrual cycle in the visual conditions. Nevertheless, we replicate the temporal dilation effect associated with viewing attractive stimuli, suggesting an acceleration of the internal clock related to attractiveness perception. Our findings align with the literature on this phenomenon and provide initial evidence for an adaptive time perception mechanism influenced by the menstrual cycle, contributing to the understanding of the complex interactions between biological cycles and perceptual processes.