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Ecuadorian Holstein-Friesian cattle paternal lineages: Demographic structure, inbreeding evolution, and genetic diversity
Holstein-Friesian cattle are the most important dairy breed worldwide. The main objective was to carry out a detailed pedigree evaluation of the Ecuadorian Holstein-Friesian cattle to investigate the demographic structure, inbreeding evolution, and genetic diversity of the official paternal lineages to determine the potential GD loss after the inclusion of modern Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs). Official pedigree information from 28,893 Holstein-Friesian sires born between 1950 and 2021 and enrolled with the Ecuadorian Holstein-Friesian Association (AHFE, Ecuador) were recorded and evaluated from USA and Canada genetic official databases. After multiple-trait across-country genetic analyses the total population was divided into four subpopulations; i) 1950–1969: natural mating (NM) period; ii) 1970–1989: NM + artificial insemination (AI) period; iii) 1990–2009: AI + embryo transfer (ET) period; and iv) 2010–2021: AI + ET + genomic selection (GS) period. Demographic parameters [number of males, pedigree integrity (PI), and generation interval (GI)] were analysed. PI was analysed using known ancestors up to 4 generations considering the number of complete (GCom), maximum (GMax) and equivalent (GEqu) generations. Moreover, Inbreeding parameters [inbreeding coefficient (F), average relatedness (AR), coancestry (C), effective size (Ne), genetic conservation index (GCI)] and parameters related to the gene origin probability (number of founders (f), effective number of founders (fe), genetic conservation index (GCI), among others] were also analysed, together with the fe/f ratio, fge/fe ratio, genetic contributions, and genetic diversity loss (GD-loss) derived parameters. The results indicated that nearly all imported sires used in Ecuador born in the beginning of 1990s could be traced to just three countries, who together account for > 90% of paternal lineages. This fact indicates that GD has undergone a dramatic decrease during the past 30 years. The PCI for the three last periods were > 55%, and the trend was enhanced in the fourth chronological period till > 92%. The estimated proportion of random genetic drift in GD loss increased over time as well as the Ne that decreased by the time. In conclusion, the occurrence of AI + ET + GS period led to the major GD loss. Therefore, due to the extremely limited number of paternal lineages the strategy for recovering the minimal GD on the current and future Ecuadorian Holstein-Friesian cattle should reduce the inbreeding values by increasing the Ne using alternately the foreign genetic material and the national breeding stock.
Cascading quantum walks with Chebyshev map for designing a robust medical image encryption algorithm
Do LLMs write like humans? Variation in grammatical and rhetorical styles
Large language models (LLMs) are capable of writing grammatical text that follows instructions, answers questions, and solves problems. As they have advanced, it has become difficult to distinguish their output from human-written text. While past research has found some differences in features such as word choice and punctuation and developed classifiers to detect LLM output, none has studied the rhetorical styles of LLMs. Using several variants of Llama 3 and GPT-4o, we construct two parallel corpora of human- and LLM-written texts from common prompts. Using Douglas Biber’s set of lexical, grammatical, and rhetorical features, we identify systematic differences between LLMs and humans and between different LLMs. These differences persist when moving from smaller models to larger ones and are larger for instruction-tuned models than base models. This observation of differences demonstrates that despite their advanced abilities, LLMs struggle to match human stylistic variation. Attention to more advanced linguistic features can hence detect patterns in their behavior not previously recognized.
Acute and sub-acute toxicity of ethanol extracts of Hagenia abyssinica and Rumex abyssinicus flowers in Swiss albino mice
Background Hagenia abyssinica (Bruce) J.F. Gmel (Family: Rosaceae) and Rumex abyssinicus Jacq (Family: Polygonaceae) are valuable medicinal plants traditionally used in Ethiopia to treat various diseases. Recent studies have also demonstrated that solvent extracts of these plants exhibit molluscicidal activities under laboratory conditions, highlighting their potential for snail control. However, limited information is available regarding their safety profiles. Objective This study aimed to evaluate acute, and sub-acute toxicity of 70% ethanol extracts of H. abyssinica and R. abyssinicus flowers in Swiss albino mice, following the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines 423 and 407. Methods In the acute toxicity study, both extracts were administered orally to experimental groups at varying concentrations (mg/kg bodyweight): 5, 50, 300, and 2000. For the sub-acute toxicity study, both extracts were given to the experimental groups at doses (mg/kg) of 125, 250, and 500 daily for 28 days. Blood samples were collected from each mouse and analyzed for hematological and biochemical parameters. Additionally, the heart, liver, and kidneys were excised, stained, and examined for potential histopathological effects. Results The acute toxicity study revealed no noticeable changes in behavior at the highest oral dosage of 2000 mg/kg. In the sub-acute toxicity study, no statistically significant changes were observed in hematological and biochemical parameters compared to the control group. Similarly, no abnormal histological findings were noted in the examined organs in comparison to the control group. Conclusion These findings indicate that flower extracts of both plants did not show significant toxicity to laboratory mammals at an oral dosage of 2000 mg/kg.
A network analysis of the heterogeneity and associated risk and protective factors of depression and anxiety among college students
Gene duplication captures morph-specific promoter usage in the evolution of aphid wing dimorphisms
Understanding how morphology evolves requires identifying the types of mutations that contribute to changes in development. We integrated comparative genomics and transcriptomics to reconstruct the evolution and regulation of follistatin paralogs in relation to the evolution of aphid winged and wingless morphs. We find that different pea aphid follistatin duplicates play an essential molecular role in both the male and female wing dimorphisms, linking the genetic and environmental control of morph determination in each sex, respectively. We also find that an ancestral follistatin gene likely had multiple promoters and that the follistatin duplicates that evolved wingless-specific expression retained only the ancestral wingless-specific promoter. Our work provides a roadmap for how alternative promoter usage and subsequent gene duplication can enable the evolution of animal form.
Dietary patterns and their associations with the occurrence and severity of early childhood caries among 1–5-year-olds in Iran: A multicenter cluster randomized survey
Aim A health-promoting and tooth-friendly diet can reduce the risk factors associated with early childhood caries (ECC) and promote overall health in children. This study aimed to identify dietary habits and feeding practices and their associations with ECC among 1–5-year-olds in Iran. Methods This analytical cross-sectional study utilized data from a survey conducted from August 1, 2020, to January 20, 2021. A three-stage stratified cluster sampling method was employed to recruit participants. Parents provided written informed consent in Persian before enrollment and were then interviewed via a valid and reliable questionnaire inquiring about background information, feeding practices, and dietary habits. Each child underwent a dental examination by one of four trained and calibrated dentists to assess dental plaque and ECC. After appropriate weightings were applied, associations between key covariates and outcome measures were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression modeling and multivariate generalized negative binomial regression modeling. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS V25 and Stata V14.2 software. Results The mean age of the study population was 45.0 (±0.5) months, and 53% (±5%) had ECC. Visible dental plaque was present on the tooth surfaces of 39% ( ± 3%) of the toddlers and 66% ( ± 4%) of the preschoolers. The majority of the children had been breastfed for over 18 months (65%). Most children consumed sugar between meals once a day or less (66%) and fruits once (39%) or twice (37%) a day. ECC experience increased with age and poor oral hygiene across all age groups. Toddlers with a higher frequency of sugar intake between meals had higher dmft and ECC prevalence. The consumption of four to five servings of grain products per day was associated with a five-fold reduction in ECC occurrence (p = 0.047, OR = 0.2). In contrast, the consumption of two servings of fruits per day was associated with a doubling of the dmft score in toddlers (p = 0.015, IRR = 2.0). Conclusions This study identified possible dietary risk factors for ECC in Iranian children, such as increased sugar intake and fruit consumption, while balancing diet with grain consumption played a protective role. Considering the role of oral hygiene and the multifactorial nature of the disease may highlight a route toward developing future targeted and effective preventive strategies.
Social implications of coexistence of CAVs and human drivers in the context of route choice
Abstract Suppose in a stable urban traffic system populated only by human driven vehicles (HDVs), a given proportion (e.g. $$10\%$$ ) is replaced by a fleet of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs), which share information and pursue a collective goal. Suppose these vehicles are centrally coordinated and differ from HDVs only by their collective capacities allowing them to make more efficient routing decisions before the travel on a given day begins. Suppose there is a choice between two routes and every day each driver makes a decision which route to take. Human drivers maximize their utility. CAVs might optimize different goals, such as the total travel time of the fleet. We show that in this plausible futuristic setting, the strategy CAVs are allowed to adopt may result in human drivers either benefitting or being systematically disadvantaged and urban networks becoming more or less optimal. Consequently, some regulatory measures might become indispensable.
GABAergic synapses between auditory efferent neurons and type II spiral ganglion afferent neurons in the mouse cochlea
Cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs) are electromotile and implicated in amplification of responses to sound that enhance sound sensitivity and frequency tuning. They send afferent information through glutamatergic synapses onto type II spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). These synapses are weaker than those from cochlear inner hair cells onto type I SGN, suggesting that type II SGNs respond only to intense sound levels. OHCs also receive efferent innervation from medial olivocochlear (MOC) neurons. MOC neurons are cholinergic yet inhibit OHCs due to the functional coupling of alpha9/alpha10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) to calcium-activated SK potassium channels. The resulting hyperpolarization reduces OHC activity-evoked electromotility and is implicated in cochlear gain control, protection against acoustic trauma, and attention. MOC neurons also label for markers of GABA and GABA synthesis. GABA B autoreceptor (GABA B R) activation on MOC terminals has been demonstrated to reduce ACh release, confirming important negative feedback roles. However, the full complement of GABAergic activity in the cochlea is not currently understood, including mechanisms of GABA release from MOC axons, whether GABA diffuses from MOC axons to other postsynaptic cells, and the location and function of GABA A receptors (GABA A Rs). We used optical neurotransmitter detection, immunohistochemistry, and patch-clamp electrophysiology to demonstrate that in addition to presynaptic GABA B autoreceptor activation, MOC efferent terminals release GABA onto type II SGN afferent dendrites with postsynaptic activity mediated by GABA A Rs. This synapse may have roles including developmental regulation of cochlear innervation, fine-tuning of OHC activity, or providing feedback to the brain about MOC and OHC activity.
Social and nutritional factors controlling the growth of honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens
The honey bee queen is essential for colony function, laying hundreds of eggs daily and determining the colony’s genetic composition. Beekeepers cultivate and trade queens to enhance colony health and productivity. Despite its significance, artificial queen rearing in foster queenless colonies has remained largely unchanged for over a century, offering limited control over the environmental conditions influencing larval development. In this study, we developed a laboratory-based method for queen bee rearing, establishing a protocol for rearing queens in cages by nurse bees in the lab under controlled environmental conditions. We first investigated the minimal number of worker bees required to rear a single queen and found that groups of 200 workers raise queens with comparable success and weight to those reared in foster colony. As a proof of concept, we examined the impact of larval age on rearing success in our new system. We found that younger larvae developed into heavier and larger queens than older larvae, as recorded in the past using the traditional rearing method. Additionally, we assessed the influence of pollen nutrition on queen-rearing success, finding that a high pollen concentration is crucial for optimal queen development. These findings and the new method provide a foundation for studying queen bee-rearing behavior and development in the lab. We expect that it will be used to uncover factors that impact this important process in honey bee biology.
Clinical using of innovative biodegradable stent with extension sleeve in Ta_tme for low rectal cancer with high risk of anastomotic leakage
Reply to Krefeld-Schwalb et al.: Measuring population heterogeneity requires upholding good scientific practice
Design and experiment of a bionic drag-reducing digger for tuberous crops under heavy soil conditions
Aiming at the problems of high working resistance and high energy consumption in potato crop harvesting in sticky soil, this paper designs a potato bionic drag-reducing digging shovel based on the streamline shape of catfish head. Based on the theoretical analysis and discrete element method (DEM) simulation, the main factors affecting the digging resistance are the angle of entry, forward speed and vibration frequency, and the digging resistance increases with the increase of forward speed, and decreases with the increase of vibration frequency. Through the orthogonal test in the field, the optimal working parameters of the drag reduction performance are determined with the digging resistance as the test index, and the comparative test of the different shovel shapes is carried out with this parameter. The results show that the optimal solution is to use bionic shovel, with an entry angle of 15°, an operating speed of 0.27m/s, and a vibration frequency of 6Hz. The average digging resistance of the bionic shovel is 3612.86N, and the bionic digging shovel reduces resistance by 17.76% relative to an ordinary flat shovel, and 21.09% relative to the plane triangle shovel. The effect of drag reduction is remarkable, and the structure of the digging shovel bionic is reasonable, which can satisfy the requirements of resistance reduction and consumption reduction of potato harvesting under the conditions of sticky and heavy soils.
Multi-target detection and tracking based on CRF network and spatio-temporal attention for sports videos
NPF binding to Arp2 is allosterically linked to the release of ArpC5’s N-terminal tail and conformational changes in Arp2/3 complex
Arp2/3 complex generates branched actin networks essential for numerous motile functions of the cell. It comprises seven subunits: actin-related proteins (Arps) 2 and 3 and five scaffolding subunits (ArpC1-5). The complex adopts two major conformations: inactive, with the Arps interacting end-to-end, and active, with the Arps aligned side-by-side like subunits in the actin filament. Activation involves several cofactors, including ATP, WASP-family nucleation-promoting factors (NPFs), actin monomers, and the mother actin filament. NPFs bind to two sites, one on Arp2–ArpC1 and one on Arp3, delivering actin subunits at the barbed end of the Arps to initiate branch elongation. However, the mechanisms by which each NPF drives the equilibrium toward activation remain unclear. We present two cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of Arp2/3 complex at 2.9-Å resolution: one with NPFs bound to Arp3 and ArpC1 but not Arp2 and another with NPFs bound to Arp3 and Arp2–ArpC1. The structures reveal that NPF binding to Arp2 is allosterically linked to the release of ArpC5’s N-terminal tail from Arp2 and conformational changes in Arp2, including closure of its ATP-binding cleft and partial rotation and translation toward its position in the active complex at the branch. Previous work identified another allosteric switch linking NPF binding to Arp3 with the release of its inhibitory C-terminal tail, which we also observe. In summary, both NPF-binding sites induce allosteric changes in Arp2/3 complex, collectively shifting the equilibrium toward activation.
Correction: Sensory focused exercise improves anxiety in Parkinson’s disease: A randomized controlled trial
Implementation of two-roller scheduling path planning under road construction scenarios
Short-term exposure to filter-bubble recommendation systems has limited polarization effects: Naturalistic experiments on YouTube
An enormous body of literature argues that recommendation algorithms drive political polarization by creating “filter bubbles” and “rabbit holes.” Using four experiments with nearly 9,000 participants, we show that manipulating algorithmic recommendations to create these conditions has limited effects on opinions. Our experiments employ a custom-built video platform with a naturalistic, YouTube-like interface presenting real YouTube videos and recommendations. We experimentally manipulate YouTube’s actual recommendation algorithm to simulate filter bubbles and rabbit holes by presenting ideologically balanced and slanted choices. Our design allows us to intervene in a feedback loop that has confounded the study of algorithmic polarization—the complex interplay between supply of recommendations and user demand for content—to examine downstream effects on policy attitudes. We use over 130,000 experimentally manipulated recommendations and 31,000 platform interactions to estimate how recommendation algorithms alter users’ media consumption decisions and, indirectly, their political attitudes. Our results cast doubt on widely circulating theories of algorithmic polarization by showing that even heavy-handed (although short-term) perturbations of real-world recommendations have limited causal effects on policy attitudes. Given our inability to detect consistent evidence for algorithmic effects, we argue the burden of proof for claims about algorithm-induced polarization has shifted. Our methodology, which captures and modifies the output of real-world recommendation algorithms, offers a path forward for future investigations of black-box artificial intelligence systems. Our findings reveal practical limits to effect sizes that are feasibly detectable in academic experiments.
A systems analysis and improvement approach to optimizing syringe services programs’ delivery of HIV testing and referrals: Study protocol for a parallel-group randomized controlled trial (SAIA-SSP-HIV)
With changing drug supplies and associated drug consumption behaviors, HIV transmission has increased among people who inject drugs in the United States. HIV testing and referrals to effective prevention and treatment services are critical for individual and population health, yet multilevel barriers limit access to HIV testing for this population, even within syringe services programs (SSPs). In this organizational-level interrupted time series randomized controlled trial, we will assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an implementation strategy, the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA), in optimizing HIV testing and referrals to appropriate clinical services among U.S. SSPs. From 01/12/2023 to 01/07/2025, we will recruit a diverse sample of 32 SSPs nationally that directly provide HIV testing to participants. SSPs will be randomized to the active implementation arm (i.e., SAIA-SSP-HIV) or an implementation-as-usual arm (n = 16 organizations per arm). SAIA-SSP-HIV is a flexible, data-driven implementation strategy designed to help optimize SSPs’ delivery of HIV testing and referrals to appropriate clinical services for HIV prevention (e.g., pre-exposure prophylaxis) and treatment. In the active implementation arm, trained SAIA specialists will guide SSPs through three cyclical steps over 12 months: (1) process mapping to identify organization-specific needs, (2) cascade analysis and prioritization of areas for improvement, and (3) testing solutions through continuous quality improvement. In both arms, we will collect outcome data over 21 months (3-month lead-in period, 12-month implementation period, 6-month sustainment period). We will assess the initial and sustained effectiveness of SAIA and calculate its cost and cost-effectiveness. This trial presents a novel opportunity to test the effectiveness of an organization-level implementation strategy for optimizing the delivery of HIV screening and referrals in community settings that are frequented by an at-risk population. If successful, SAIA-SSP-HIV could be adapted for other infectious or chronic disease care cascades within SSPs. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06025435.