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Knowledge and attitude toward chronic kidney disease prevention and associated factors among diabetic patients in Bahir Dar city, northwest Ethiopia
Spatiotemporal epidemiology of livestock anthrax in Kazakhstan and analysis of potential contributing factors from 2015 to 2024
Pollinators support the nutrition and income of vulnerable communities
Abstract Biodiversity loss threatens human health and welfare through the degradation of ecosystem services like pollination 1–3 . However, without clear mechanistic links between ecosystems and people, these services can remain abstract and intangible. Consequently, it is challenging to predict the effects of environmental degradation on human welfare or to identify effective ecological interventions that improve human lives. Here we record individual-level diets, crop yields, farming income and crop–pollinator interactions in replicate smallholder communities in Nepal to quantify the links among insect pollinators, crop plants and nutrient intake and income of individual families. Insect pollinators were directly responsible for 44% of people’s farming income and more than 20% of their vitamin A, folate and vitamin E intake. We show how declines in local pollinator species are anticipated to exacerbate rates of poverty and micronutrient deficiency in vulnerable communities such as the ones studied here. However, our results demonstrate that management of local pollination services can improve human nutrition and household income. Indeed, abundant pollinators like native honeybees, bumblebees and hoverflies are the most important for sustaining and enhancing nutrient flows. Applied more widely, this approach of linking biodiversity to human health and livelihoods could reveal sustainable new pathways for improving the lives of millions of smallholders worldwide.
Huge study hints at risks of switching from tobacco cigarettes to vapes
Comparative effects of repeated sprint training and tempo training on repeated sprint ability and match performance in rugby players
I advise the Vatican and the UN on AI — don’t dismiss the Pope’s message as theology
Association between lifetime noise exposure and audiometric thresholds using the noise exposure structured interview
Fracture characteristics and failure mechanisms of coal-rock composites under complex true triaxial stress paths
Mechanical alterations of bitumens with different crude oil origins through polymer modification
Abstract Hot mix asphalt (HMA) performance is significantly influenced by the chemical variability of bitumen, which is closely linked to crude oil origin. These source-dependent variations also affect the response of bitumen to polymer modification. This study investigates the mechanical performance of asphalt mixtures produced using two bitumens with the same penetration grade but obtained from different refineries (Turkey–Batman and Iraq–Lanaz), modified with two styrene-based polymers: styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) and styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene (SEBS). Polymer-modified binders (2%, 3%, and 4%) were prepared and evaluated through Marshall stability, indirect tensile strength (ITS), stiffness modulus (ITSM), fatigue, and dynamic creep tests. The results demonstrated that bitumen origin plays a decisive role in both binder behavior and mixture performance. SEBS modification produced superior stability and deformation resistance in mixtures with Iraqi bitumen, whereas SBS modification provided the highest stability and stiffness improvement in mixtures with Batman bitumen. Fatigue and creep analyses indicated that SEBS-modified mixtures, particularly with 3% SEBS, achieved the longest fatigue life and highest resistance to permanent deformation. Overall, the study highlights that the interaction between binder origin and polymer type critically governs the performance of polymer-modified asphalts, and that optimal polymer dosage varies depending on the source characteristics of the bitumen.
Effect of chemical treatment on the mechanical and thermal performance of flax fiber reinforced aluminium 6082 laminate: a machine learning-enhanced investigation
METTL7A is a key regulator of hepatic lipid metabolism and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease progression
Active-reactive power coordination for DC-interconnected microgrid clusters: a small-signal stability perspective
Expanding the human proteome with microproteins and peptideins
Fruit thinning techniques incorporated with calcium boron or potassium phosphite for improving Medjool date palm fruit quality under semi-arid regions
Abstract Low fruit quality presents a significant challenge for numerous date-producing countries, including certain cultivars resulting from tissue culture. Fruit thinning alone enhances fruit quality but slightly decreases productivity. So, the aim of this experiment was to improve the quality characteristics of Medjool fruits through four different fruit thinning methods: control (12 bunches per palm), removing 1/3 bunches number, removing 1/3 strands length of the bunch, removing 1/3 strands number of the bunches, these methods were integrated with spraying 0.25% calcium boron (CaB) or 0.2% potassium phosphite (KP), as well as control (tap water), which applied once (fruit set or Kimri stage or Khalal stage) for thinning methods. At Kimri stage, removing 1/3 strands number successfully enhanced fruit weight, length, and size by 10.44%, 8.28%, and 15.68%, while incorporating CaB to removing 1/3 strands number led to increases of 43%, 26.78%, and 52.78%, while incorporating KP with removing 1/3 strands number resulted in increases of 42.67%, 26.31%, and 44.22%, compared to control, as mean of both seasons, respectively. At Khalal stage, combining removing 1/3 strands number and CaB increased fruit TSS and total sugars by 18.85% and 33.65%, while combined removing 1/3 strands number and KP increased them by 19.29% and 23.81%, respectively. In conclusion, nutrient spraying improved fruit chemical properties and the early spraying stage was more effective in improving fruit physical properties, whereas later spraying improved fruit chemical properties. Also, thinning enhances fruit physical properties and provides more nutrients for the remaining fruits. The integrated application of thinning and spraying nutrients improved fruit’s physical and chemical properties.
A study on the mixed dielectric model of red clay
Bioactivity of extracts from Gentiana dinarica (Beck.) plants collected in natural habitat and cultured in vitro
Abstract Differences in the chemical composition of extracts obtained from plants grown in natural habitats and those of the same species grown in plant tissue culture may lead to variations in extract activities. Antioxidant, antibacterial, antitumor, and immunomodulatory activities were compared for extracts from the aerial parts and roots of G. dinarica (derived from natural habitats or cultured in vitro). An increase in secoiridoid and xanthone contents in extracts from shoots cultured in vitro, compared to aerial parts of plants from natural habitats, resulted in improved antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (but reduced activity against Staphylococcus aureus ), and better selectivity and activity against tumor cell lines. An anti-inflammatory response (decreased myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17, and interferon (IFN)-γ production) was observed in spleen cells following stimulation with extract from aerial parts, whereas stimulation with shoot culture extract induced a pro-inflammatory response (increased IL-6, IL-17, and IFN-γ production). Roots cultured in vitro lack secoiridoids, which are present in roots of plants from natural habitats, and accumulate higher amounts of xanthones, resulting in differences in certain activities. Production of immune mediators was altered only in response to extract from roots of plants from a natural habitat (increased IL-6 and nitric oxide (NO)), while extracts from roots cultured in vitro exhibited the strongest free radical scavenging capacity and showed better activity against P. aeruginosa . Depending on the activity tested, potentiation, suppression, or absence of effect may be observed, indicating the need for a detailed comparison of the biological activities of extracts obtained from plants grown in natural habitats and tissue cultures that differ in chemical composition.