Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a challenging psychiatric condition with limited treatment responses to standard therapies like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive-behavioral therapy. This letter to the Editor is intended to raise awareness within the scientific community about the potential use of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) as an alternative treatment, targeting the glutamatergic system dysfunctions and the inflammatory cytokines implicated in OCD. Preliminary studies suggest that NAC, at doses of 2,000-3,000 mg daily, can significantly alleviate OCD symptoms. Despite its promise and favourable safety profile, further research is imperative to establish optimal dosages and long-term efficacy. To date, the lack of suitable pharmaceutical forms with appropriate dosages hinders its empirical clinical application. In conclusion, NAC offers a potential adjunctive treatment for OCD, meriting more rigorous investigation.

Species distribution models (SDMs) underpin a wide range of decisions concerning biodiversity. Although SDMs can be built using presence-only data, rigorous evaluation of these models remains challenging. One evaluation method is the Boyce index (BI), which uses the relative frequencies between presence points and background points within a series of bins spanning the entire range of predicted values from the SDM (the original version), or a modified version using moving windows. Obtaining accurate estimates of the index using this approach relies upon having large number of presences which is often not feasible, particularly for rarer or restricted species that are often the focus of modelling. Wider application of BI requires a method that can accurately and reliably estimate the index using small numbers of presence records. In this study we investigated the effectiveness of five statistical smoothing methods and the mean of these five methods (denoted as ‘mean’) to estimate the BI. We simulated 800 species with varying levels of prevalence, built distribution models using random forest and Maxent methods with two levels of training presences (NPT: 20 and 500) together with 2×NPT and 10000 random points for the two modelling methods respectively. We used four levels of presences (NP: 1000, 200, 50 and 10) and 5000 random points to calculate the BI. Our results indicate that both the original and the modified versions of the calculation of the BI are severely affected by the decrease of NP, but one smoothing method (i.e., the thin plate spline) and the ‘mean’ were almost not affected by the decrease of NP for most realistic situations. Hence, these methods are recommended for estimating BI for evaluating species distribution models when verified absence data are unavailable.

Las claves están disponibles en https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v4/bats/honduras/.  Estas claves se basan en parámetros de llamados estándar que son útiles para la identificación de especies. Los parámetros de las vocalizaciones se han extraído de llamados verificados de firmas vocales de murciélagos en vuelo libre y abarcan del 10% al 90% de los pulsos registrados. El rango medio se determina a partir del rango del 25% al 75%. Los parámetros de llamado no se basan en valores mínimo-máximo que pueden tener valores atípicos extremos. Las distribuciones se basan en los resultados del trabajo de ASICH - The Big Bat Theory, literatura científica y registros históricos. Guía de uso Si bien es posible extraer muchos parámetros de las llamadas de ecolocación, los cuales han sido reportados en la literatura, no todos son útiles para la identificación de especies. "Un problema al que se enfrentan todas las ciencias es qué medir, y la historia de la ciencia está plagada de ejemplos de mediciones que resultaron no ser útiles" (Krebs, 2014). Metodología ecológica. Los 9 parámetros acústicos de llamadas presentados aquí como referencia son los que se reportan con mayor frecuencia en la literatura y se proporcionan para comparación. Muchos parámetros como BW, TBC, mediciones de pendiente variada y Fmax son muy variables y se ven afectados por la distancia del murciélago al micrófono y otros aspectos de la física del sonido. Se insta a los usuarios a consultar el glosario para obtener detalles de cada parámetro. El armónico dominante de la frecuencia característica, Fc, es generalmente el segundo armónico, H2, y es uno de los parámetros más robustos para la identificación. Los parámetros presentados en esta guía han sido seleccionados de entre todos los parámetros de llamadas posibles de extraer mediante el programa AnalookW. Se proporciona un resumen de estadísticas descriptivas, el cual incluye la desviación estándar mínima, máxima y el rango de valores que se encuentran habitualmente para cada parámetro. El rango de valores medidos comúnmente del 75% y el 90% de los pulsos medidos (N) proporciona una guía. No todos los parámetros son necesarios para la identificación y en muchos casos el armónico dominante Fc es rl único parámetro necesario. En algunos casos, las especies que tienen valores Fc superpuestos pero que difieren en otros parámetros requieren el uso de uno o más parámetros adicionales. Después de obtener una identificación tentativa de la especie utilizando las claves de identificación interactivas, es útil volver a las hojas de datos para revisar las especies seleccionadas y para obtener detalles adicionales. Ten en cuenta que no siempre es posible identificar especies a partir de datos acústicos el 100% del tiempo. ¿Quiénes somos? El proyecto Honduras comenzó en 2020 como un esfuerzo de colaboración entre Bruce Miller y Manfredo A. Turcios-Casco, Hefer D. Avila, Diego I. Ordoñez-Mazier Expresiones de gratitud Queremos agradecer a las siguientes personas e instituciones: Al Centro de Rescate y Colección Privada El Ocotal (Alejandro Velásquez), Oficina Regional Francisco Morazán y Oficina Local de Guaimaca del Instituto Nacional de Conservación y Desarrollo Forestal, Áreas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre (ICF), Universidad Estatal de Washington (Travis King y Daniel Thornton). Chris Corben contribuyó sustancialmente al glosario. Con el fin de hacer accesibles las fichas informativas de llamadas acústicas y claves de identificación interactivas a un grupo de usuarios más amplio, el texto fue traducido al español. Este esfuerzo fue realizado por Farah Carrasco-Rueda (coautora de las Fichas informativas de llamadas acústicas y claves de identificación del proyecto Perú) y Gonzalo Ossa. El intercambio y contribuciones adicionales de datos acústicos mejorará aún más la solidez de los parámetros de llamadas para las especies con escasez de datos. Aquellos que estén dispuestos a contribuir con datos de llamadas o que tengan información de distribución actualizada, comuníquense con batacoustics@gmail.com.  

By combining the LCC rectifier and MMC converter, the hybrid HVDC transmission system reduces the construction cost while avoiding the commutation failure problem. However, traditional protection schemes for HVDC transmission systems are not fully suitable for the hybrid HVDC transmission system with two types of converters. A new backup protection scheme is proposed in this paper to improve the reliability of the hybrid HVDC transmission system. The energy functions for two types of converters are first constructed using data at the AC side to obtain the energy level of each converter. The backup protection scheme is then designed by calculating the improved Hausdorff distance change rates of energy levels, which is a supplement to the traditional protection scheme using DC voltage/current. Furthermore, a directional protection scheme is introduced to identify the fault near the T area. The proposed protection scheme is verified by the Wudongde ±800kV three-terminal hybrid HVDC transmission model built on PSCAD. The results show that the proposed protection scheme can identify the fault pole and the fault line even in the case of up to 800Ω fault resistance.

Lightning shielding failure risk evaluation is a significant task for EHV/UHV overhead transmission lines’ lightning protection. Previous tower-by-tower evaluation methods fail to finely describe shielding failure risk’s complex distribution within the span. To solve the problem, this paper proposes two supporting technologies for shielding failure risk refined evaluation through the whole span based on point cloud data, including parameter extraction and data visualization. Electro-geometric model (EGM) is used as an example to evaluate shielding failure risk, which needs spatial parameters to quantify the line structure and terrain factors. Point cloud data is preprocessed according to shielding failure risk evaluation requirement. A spatial parameter extraction algorithm is proposed to automatically obtain refined parameters at different sides and along the whole span. Refined shielding failure risk is obtained consequently. Furthermore, an information fusion pattern is proposed to improve data visualization effect, which can integrate multi-source information into point cloud space and intuitively display data associations through a unified view. The accuracy and effect of the proposed method are validated by a case study conducted on a 500kV mountain line. This research could provide a reference for the digital empowerment of lightning shielding failure risk refined evaluation.

The high curing temperatures required for traditional benzocyclobutene (BCB) materials have posed limitations on their applicability in high-temperature-sensitive fields. To address this challenge, our work focuses on the synthesis of a novel tetraphenylethylene (TPE)-functionalized BCB monomer, TPE-BCB, achieved through the introduction of an ether bond onto the BCB’s four-membered ring via Williamson reaction. TPE-BCB demonstrates remarkable low-temperature curing properties, characterized by a ring-opening peak temperature of 190 °C, representing a 25% reduction compared to conventional BCBs. Fully cured TPE-BCB resins exhibit exceptional dielectric and mechanical properties, coupled with minimal water absorption. Additionally, the incorporation of TPE with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics enhances the resins’ luminescence and photolithographic capabilities. Notably, our TPE-BCB resins achieve impressive photolithography performance with a resolution ratio of up to 10 µm. In contrast to conventional BCB-functionalized resins, TPE-BCB offers the dual advantage of low-temperature curing and luminescence. This development marks a significant step in the advancement of low-temperature curing BCB materials and serves as a pioneering example in the realm of multi-layer wafer bonding materials.

COVID-19 vaccination and pregnancy: getting the word outVictoria Male, Senior Lecturer in Reproductive Immunology, Imperial College LondonPregnancy is a risk factor for severe COVID-19, doubling the likelihood that an unvaccinated individual requires intensive care, invasive ventilation, or ECMO. Between March 2020 and December 2021 in the UK, COVID-19 emerged as the leading cause of death during pregnancy: among the 33 women who succumbed to the virus, none had been fully vaccinated (Knight et al, ISBN: 978-1-7392619-4-8). Furthermore, in unvaccinated individuals, SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy can adversely affect infants, increasing the odds of preterm birth by 1.5-fold and those of stillbirth or neonatal death by approximately 3-fold (Male, Nat Rev Immunol, 2022, 22:277-82).In the face of these concerning statistics, COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy seems a sensible precaution. Clinical trials and subsequent observational studies demonstrated that COVID-19 vaccination is safe and effective in the general population, but expectant parents naturally have an important additional question: is it safe for my baby?In the clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccines, pregnancy was an exclusion criterion but nonetheless 102 participants became pregnant during mRNA vaccine trials, with miscarriage rates no different between the vaccinated and control groups. Early observational studies focussed on outcomes at birth which, during the pandemic, have been somewhat better in vaccinated individuals, particularly with respect to outcomes influenced by SARS-CoV2 infection (Prasad, Nat Comms, 2022, 13:2412*). A population-based cohort study published in this issue of BJOG (please add reference) is the latest in a mounting number of observational studies that examine the risk of early pregnancy loss following COVID-19 vaccination, controlling for gestational age and relevant medical and social confounders. This is the first to formally consider termination of pregnancy at the patient’s request as a competing risk, but whether or not this was including in the analysis, the authors found no increased risk of miscarriage associated with COVID-19 vaccination either during or before pregnancy.The evidence is now clear: COVID-19 vaccination is safe in pregnancy, but infection is not. Despite this, COVID-19 booster uptake among those eligible due to pregnancy remains low, peaking at 19% in the 2022-23 booster season. Some people are not aware their pregnancy makes them eligible for a booster and, among those who are, not all are informed of the extensive evidence on the safety and benefits of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy. Others believe their primary course of vaccination, or a previous infection, is sufficient to protect them. Although a primary course of vaccination continues to protect against severe disease, evidence on how long protection lasts, particularly in the face of new variants, is not yet available: as time elapses the benefit of a booster is expected to increase. Pertinently, people continue to die of flu during and shortly after pregnancy, despite having been exposed to the virus throughout their lives. In the UK, two women recently died this way: neither had received the recommended flu booster during pregnancy (Knight et al, ISBN: 978-1-7392619-4-8).While ongoing research remains important for confirming the safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, it is unlikely that any new study will overturn the wealth of evidence we have already amassed. The challenge now is to get the word out.* For a regularly updated list of studies concerning the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy, please see http://bit.ly/pregnancysafety

Background: Atopic Dermatitis (AD) affects up to 20% of children and significantly negatively impacts their and their caregiver’s quality of life (QoL). Research shows that caregivers with lower QoL may struggle to manage their child’s AD effectively, and modifiable factors that affect their ability include illness perceptions and self-efficacy (SE). The study aimed to investigate the relationship between AD severity, caregiver illness perceptions, QoL and SE in the management of a child’s AD. Methods: 103 caregivers of children with atopic dermatitis completed an online survey consisting of the Patient Oriented Eczema Measure, Dermatitis Family Impact Questionnaire, Parental Self-Efficacy with Eczema Care Index, and Illness Perception Questionnaire - Revised. Results: Correlation analyses showed significant relationships between a child’s AD severity and caregiver illness perceptions, SE and QoL. Certain illness perceptions (consequences and emotional representations) had a greater impact on QoL than AD severity. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that AD severity, illness perceptions and SE predicted 72% of the variance in caregiver QoL. SE mediated the relationship between consequences, illness coherence, personal control, treatment control, timeline acute/chronic, identity and QoL. Conclusion: The findings support the role of illness perceptions and SE in explaining QoL in caregivers of children with AD. Interventions aimed at caregivers to treat AD in children should target both SE and illness perceptions, particularly emotional representations.

Background Due to changes in dietary habits tree nuts (TN) are consumed in many households and TN allergy appears to be increasing. One risk factor seems to be allergies to other food such as peanuts. The aim of our study was to investigate, how often peanut-sensitized infants and toddlers are co-sensitized to cashew, hazelnut and walnut and to determine the likelihood of its clinical relevance by their 2S albumin-specific (s)IgE. Methods Sera of 101 peanut-sensitized children, 5 to 24 months of age (median 16 months) were analyzed regarding sIgE to hazelnut, walnut and cashew and to their 2S-albumins Cor a 14, Jug r 1 and Ana o 3 as well as to Ara h 1 and 2, by using the NOVEOS TM immunoanalyzer system. Results 96% of the peanut-sensitized children were co-sensitized to at least one TN with 94.1% to hazelnut, 87.1% to walnut and 84.2% to cashew. More than half (58.4%) of the children were sensitized to at least one 2S albumin with similar rates for infants and toddlers, 26.7% to all three. Moreover, sensitization rates were similar in peanut allergic and tolerant children. Estimating the likelihood of clinical relevance, 15.8% of all peanut-sensitized children had an at least 90% probability to be hazelnut and/or cashew allergic. Conclusion TN sensitization seems to be common among peanut-sensitized infants and toddlers. Many had a high likelihood to be TN allergic. Therefore, it should be considered to determine TN-sIgE in peanut-sensitized children if TN are not consumed so far.

Introduction Silica sprayed tubes (SST) are often used to transport synovial fluid samples in equine practice. They promote coagulation of the sample. The objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of SST on bacterial culture. Materials & methods The study was divided into two parts: sterile saline (Part A), and synovial fluid (Part B). Four common bacteria associated with equine synovial sepsis were used: Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Three collection-tubes were used: STT, plain (No-additives) and brain & heart infusion (BHI) broth. Bacteria were cultured in horse blood agar plates for 48h. Outcome variables were negative culture, positive culture, and total number of forming colony units (FCU). Statistical analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U test, significance was set at p< 0.05. Results The total number of agar plates read was 1557. Total negative cultures were 24/779 on saline and 3/778 on synovial fluid. In broth maximum growth FCU was achieved after 8h for both saline and synovial fluid for all bacteria. Streptococcus pyogenes and Escherichia coli produced a significantly lower number of FCU when in SST compared to plain or broth after 4h. Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC & MRSA) only after 24h. Discussion Silica containing tubes reduced bacterial proliferation, whilst the use of a BHI broth provided the highest bacterial burden in the sample. Use of SST may have a negative effect on bacterial proliferation in samples obtained from clinical cases.

Schizochytrium sp. is a heterotrophic microorganism capable of accumulating polyunsaturated fatty acids, and has achieved industrial production of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). It also has the potential for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) production. In this study, it was found that the cell growth, lipid synthesis and fatty acid composition of Schizochytrium sp. were significantly affected by the level of cobalamin in the medium, especially with regards to the content of EPA in the fatty acids. The content of EPA in the fatty acids increased 17.91 times, reaching 12.0%, but cell growth and lipid synthesis were significantly inhibited under cobalamin deficiency. The response mechanism for this phenomenon was revealed through combined lipidomic and transcriptomic analysis. Although cell growth was inhibited under cobalamin deficiency, the genes encoding key enzymes in central carbon metabolism were still up-regulated to provide precursors (Acetyl-CoA) and reducing power (NADPH) for the synthesis and accumulation of fatty acids. Moreover, the main lipid subclasses observed during cobalamin deficiency were glycerolipids (including glycerophospholipids), with EPA primarily distributed in them. The genes involved in the biosynthesis of these lipid subclasses were significantly up-regulated, such as the key enzymes in the Kennedy pathway for the synthesis of triglycerides. Thus, this study provided insights into the specific response of Schizochytrium sp. to cobalamin deficiency and identified a subset of new genes that can be engineered for modification.

Local minority languages and dialects, through the local knowledge and expertise associated with them, can play major roles in analyzing climate change and biodiversity loss, in facilitating community awareness of environmental crises and in setting up locally-adapted resilience and sustainability strategies. While the situation and contribution of deeply-rooted Indigenous Peoples are of emblematic importance, the issue of the relationships between cultural and linguistic diversity and environmental awareness and protection does not solely concern peripheral highly-specialized communities in specific ecosystems of the Global South, but constitutes a worldwide challenge, throughout all of the countries, whatever their geographical location, their economical development, or their political status. Environmental emergency and climate change resilience should therefore raise international awareness on the need to promote the survival and development of minority languages and dialects and to take into account their creativity and expertise in relation with the dynamics of their local environments.

Metabolism underpins all life-sustaining processes and varies profoundly with body size, temperature, and locomotor activity. A current theory explains some of the size-dependence of metabolic rate (its mass exponent, b) through changes in metabolic level (L). We propose two predictive advances that: (a) combine the above theory with the evolved avoidance of oxygen limitation in water-breathers experiencing warming, and (b) quantify the overall magnitude of combined temperatures and degrees of locomotion on metabolic scaling across air- and water-breathers. We use intraspecific metabolic scaling responses to temperature (523 regressions) and activity (281 regressions) in diverse ectothermic vertebrates (fish, reptiles and amphibians) to show that b decreases with temperature-increased L in water-breathers, supporting surface area-related avoidance of oxygen limitation, whereas b increases with activity-increased L in air-breathers, following volume-related influences. This new theoretical integration quantitatively incorporates different influences (warming, locomotion) and respiration modes (aquatic, terrestrial) on animal energetics.

Leucism, in which pigmentation is lost over part or the entire body of an animal, has a range of possible genetic causes. Here, we report leucism in an individual tiger keelback (Rhabdophis tigrinus) found on Jeung Island, Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea, during a survey of the distribution of reptiles in the area. The individual was observed sunbathing in the bushes next to a pond. This individual exhibited ecdysis, thus it considered that have normal feeding activity. Our report represents the first observation of leucism in R. tigrinus, and thus, further analysis is needed of this phenotype to more clearly understand its impact on the species and its natural history.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the primary microorganism involved in ethanol production. Nonetheless, the buildup of ethanol inhibits yeast cell proliferation, consequently diminishing ethanol production. In this study, we applied histidine-modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles (His-Fe3O4) for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, as a means of enhancing ethanol yield during the S. cerevisiae fermentation process. The results demonstrated that exposing S. cerevisiae cells to Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) led to increased cell proliferation and glucose consumption. Furthermore, the introduction of His-Fe3O4 significantly boosted ethanol content by 17.3% (p < 0.05) during fermentation. Subsequent findings indicated that the rise in ethanol content correlated with enhanced ethanol tolerance and improved efficiency of electron transport. This study verified the favorable impacts of His-Fe3O4 on S. cerevisiae cells and proposed a versatile, straightforward approach for enhancing ethanol production in S. cerevisiae fermentation. This enhancement is achieved through the mediation of improved ethanol tolerance, promising substantial potential in the fermentation and bioenergy sector.

Natural hybridisation is now recognised as pervasive in its occurrence across the Tree of Life. Resurgent interest in natural hybridisation fuelled by developments in genomics has led to an improved understanding of the genetic factors that promote or prevent species cross-mating. Despite this body of work overturning many widely held assumptions about the genetic barriers to hybridisation, it is still widely thought that ploidy differences between species will be an absolute barrier to hybridisation and introgression. Here, we revisit this assumption, reviewing findings from surveys of polyploidy and natural hybrids in the wild. In a case study in the British flora, 203 hybrids representing 35% of hybrids with suitable data have formed via cross-ploidy matings, while a wider literature search revealed 48 studies (45 in plants and 3 in animals), where cross-ploidy hybridisation has been confirmed with genetic data. These results show cross-ploidy hybridisation is readily overlooked, and potentially common in some groups. General findings from these studies include strong directionality of hybridisation, with introgression usually towards the higher ploidy parent, and cross-ploidy hybridisation being more likely to involve allopolyploids than autopolyploids. Evidence for adaptive introgression across a ploidy barrier and cases of cross-ploidy hybrid speciation show the potential for important evolutionary outcomes.

Feathers comprise a series of evolutionary innovations but also harbor colour, a key biological trait known to co-vary with life history or complex traits. Those relationships are particularly true in melanin-based pigmentation species due to known pleiotropic effects of the melanocortin pathway – originating from melanin-associated phenotypes. Here we explore the molecular basis of melanin coloration and expected co-variation at the molecular level in the melanin-based, colour polymorphic system of the tawny owl (Strix aluco). An extensive body of literature has revealed that grey and brown tawny owl colour morphs differ in a series of life history and behavioral traits. Thus, it is plausible to expect co-variation also at molecular level between colour morphs. To investigate this possibility, we assembled the first draft genome of the species against which we mapped ddRADseq reads from 220 grey and 150 brown morphs - representing 10 years of pedigree data from a population in Southern Finland - and explored genome-wide associations with colour phenotype. Our results revealed putative molecular signatures of cold adaptation strongly associated with the grey phenotype, namely a non-synonymous substitution in MCHR1, plus 2 substitutions in non-coding regions of FTCD and FAM135A whose genotype combinations obtained a predictive power of up to 100% (predicting grey colour). These suggest molecular basis of cold environment adaptations predicted to be grey-morph specific. Our results potentially reveal part of the molecular machinery of melanin-associated phenotypes and provide novel insights towards understanding the functional genomics of colour polymorphism in melanin-based pigmented species.

In traditional configurations where Low Earth Orbit Satellites (LEOs) are used in conjunction with ground multi-antenna terminals to create a virtual Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) system, the high-speed mobility of LEOs results in an unstable MIMO system topology, which consequently affects the stability of system capacity. This paper introduces two space-ground cooperation modes to enhance the stability of MIMO system capacity. The first method optimizes channel capacity by appropriately allocating the beam power of relay stations, allowing relay stations to achieve transparent forwarding through satellites. The second method involves rotating the angle of the user’s receiving antenna to counteract channel variations caused by changes in satellite positions. Simulation results indicate that both methods can effectively improve the minimum channel capacity, with transparent forwarding offering an enhancement of approximately 22.7%, while the rotational antenna approach can achieve a performance gain of at least 36.3%, even under limited rotation angles.

Herein we reported nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling of gem-difluorinated cyclopropanes with boronic acids, providing the corresponding ary-lated 2-fluoroallylic scaffolds. This approach uses commercially available phosphine ligand Xantphos to obtain monofluorinated alkenes with high regioselectivity and Z-stereoselectivity. Mechanistic studies proposed Ni(II)-fluoroallyl pathway and exclude the radical pathway. Meanwhile, DFT study of the reductive elimination clarifies the origin of the high linear selectivity.

The field of healthcare has been significantly transformed by the advancements in devices and the Internet of Things (IoT). This has led to an era where patient outcomes are improved and healthcare delivery is Keywords: Smart devices, Healthcare system, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial intelligence (AI), Wearable health technology enhanced. The main goal of this research is to explore how smart devices, like health monitors and remote monitoring systems can complement healthcare practices. These devices allow for real time data collection, transmission and analysis enabling healthcare interventions. Additionally integrating support mechanisms such, as telemedicine, virtual healthcare assistants and AI based decision support systems further enhances the continuum of care ensuring that patients receive personalized attention. Through studies and case analyses this paper provides evidence of the benefits offered by this system. Notable outcomes include patient engagement, early disease detection and efficient allocation of resources.

Soils affect the distribution of hydrological processes by partitioning precipitation into different components of the water balance. Therefore, understanding soil-water dynamics at a catchment scale remains imperative to future water resource management. In this study the value of hydropedological insights to calibrate a processes based model. Soil morphology was used as soft data to assist in the calibration of the SWAT+ model at five different catchment sizes (48 km 2, 56 km 2, 174 km 2, 674 km 2 and 2421 km 2) in the Sabie River catchment, South Africa. The aim of this study was to calibrate the SWAT+ model to accurately simulate long-term monthly streamflow predictions as well as to reflect internal soil hydrological processes using a procedure focusing on hydropedology as a calibration tool in a multigauge system. Results indicated that calibration improved streamflow predictions where R 2 and Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) improved substantially, R 2 improved by 2 to 8% and NSE from negative correlations to values exceeding 0.5 at four of the five catchment scales compared to the uncalibrated model. Results confirm that soil mapping units can be calibrated individually within SWAT+ to improve the representation of hydrological processes. Particularly, the spatial linkage between hydropedology and hydrological processes, which is captured within the soil map of the catchment, can be adequately reflected within the model structure after calibration. This research should lead to an improved understanding of hydropedology as soft data to improve hydrological modelling accuracy.

This paper aims to solve the problem of accurately estimating flow duration curves (FDC) in catchments lacking diachronic flow data. Based on 645 sets of observed data in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River (YZR), which include 22 basin characteristic variables, eight machine learning (ML) models (SVM, RF, BPNN, ELM, XGB, RBF, PSO-BP, GWO-BP) were integrated to predict the FDC (quantiles of flow rate corresponding to 15 exceedance probabilities were studied), after which the model most suitable for predicting was determined. Finally, the SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) method was used to quantify the impact of various input variables on different quantiles and the degree of that influence. Results indicate that: (1) The GWO-BP model is the best ML model for predicting FDC among the eight, having good prediction performances throughout the entire duration with determination coefficients ( R 2) on the testing set of 0.86 to 0.94 and Nash-Sutcliff criterion ( NSE) of 0.78 to 0.94. (2) The ML model (BPNN) optimized using swarm intelligence can effectively predict FDC. (3) The predictive impact of variables on different quantiles varies, with and BFI_mean contributes significantly to predicting FDC. The former has a negative effect on the prediction result and has better contribution to predicting higher flow rate (i.e., having higher accuracy in predicting the upper tail of FDC), whereas the latter is the opposite. The results demonstrate that the method proposed in this paper can greatly improve the prediction accuracy.

The study aims to quantify the effect of Dufour number, on flow patterns and heat transfer rates in the exponentially accelerated vertical plate with MHD flow and chemical reaction. The unsteadiness of the flow suggests that time-dependent changes in velocity, temperature, and other relevant parameters are considered. MHD further complicates analysis with the electromagnetic interactions between the fluid and the field. The fluid, be characterized as a gray, absorbing/emitting radiation medium, indicating that it absorbs and emits thermal radiation but does not exhibit scattering behavior. Set of partial differential equations are then resolve using FEM. Graphical results are then discussed. Profiles vary with different, Dufour number, radiation, or temperature-dependent heat source/sink parameter. By varying the values of these governing parameters, on the skin-friction coefficient, Nusselt number, and Sherwood number are also analyzed.

KEA1 and KEA2 are K +/H + antiporters in the chloroplast inner envelope that adjust stromal pH in light to dark transitions. We previously determined that stromal pH is higher in the kea1kea2 mutant cells. Given that cytosol and chloroplast volume are about equal in mesophyll cells, we wanted to test if this in turn could cause ionic imbalances in the cytosol as well. In this study we indeed find that the cytosol is more acidic in the kea1kea2 mutant. As cytosol pH is tightly controlled by the activity of the plasma membrane proton ATPase, we tested the activity of this enzyme. Acidic pH is expected to phosphorylate and activate the proton ATPase to restore pH. We could however not detect differences in plasma membrane H +-ATPase hydrolytic activity between Col-0 and the kea1kea2 mutant. No differences in the amount of plasma membrane H +-ATPase enzyme, regulatory 14-3-3 proteins and phosphorylation of H +-ATPase Thr932 between Col-0 and the kea1kea2 mutant were detected, indicating that cytosol acidification did not induce transcriptional regulation or post-translational phosphorylation of plasma membrane H +-ATPase in the kea1kea2 mutant. Curiously however, plasma membrane in the double mutant was depolarized, indicating a reduced electrogenic transport of protons by the ATPase, or an increased conductance to other ions. We determined that reconstituted membrane vesicles isolated from kea1kea2 mutants have slightly lower ATP dependent proton transport activity and appear especially more permeant to potassium, but also show increased proton conductance.