In this paper, we introduce two new types of ideals. The first of these is a soft primary ideal, a generalization of the soft prime ideal. We work theoretically and practically in the first part on this new concept. One of the most important results we have achieved is that the concept of a soft primary ideal is a generalization of a soft prime ideal. Namely, a soft prime ideal is a soft primary ideal, but a primary ideal does not need to be a prime ideal. Another important result is that the radical of a soft primary ideal is a soft prime ideal. In addition, with the help of a soft primary ideal, we obtain a primary ideal of the ring under suitable conditions. In the second part, we describe and examine the concept of a soft 1-absorbing primary ideal, a generalization of the soft primary ideal. In this part, we show that every soft primary ideal is a 1-absorbing primary ideal, but the reverse of this situation is not valid. The soft 1-absorbing primary ideal also is a generalization of the soft prime ideal. In this section, we have proved that the radical of the soft 1-absorbing primary ideal is the soft prime ideal. Finally, we determine that algebraic features of soft primary ideal and soft 1-absorbing primary ideal are guarded under ring homomorphisms.

Coevolution played a central role in shaping biodiversity. However, coevolutionary events driving reciprocal diversification between interacting partners lack empirical evidences. Examples of diversification arising from mutualisms and antagonisms at different trophic levels are scarce, which limits our understanding on how complex relationships between species arise within communities. By adopting a cophylogenetic framework, we investigated whether congruence in plant-lemur phylogenies are driven by mutualisms and antagonisms in Madagascar, where endemic species have evolved within a unique isolated biogeographical context. Although we found weak support for coevolution, this is not to say that lemurs and plants did not share evolutionary history. Weak cophylogenetic signals do not necessarily imply lack of co-diversification. Rather, our results suggest that vertebrates and plants influenced each other evolution, but in a multi-specific context where the cophylogenetic process leaded to spatio-temporal asymmetries and shifts between periods of coevolution and independent evolution, ultimately resulting in a weak, continuous and diffuse process.

Microtiter plates are suitable for screening and process development of most microorganisms. They are currently the container of choice for high-throughput and small-scale microbial culture, but require optimization for specific work. This research presents a novel type of microtiter plate was developed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology. The new plate provides high oxygen supply and optimal mixing effects for the fermentation culture of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) producing strains, surpassing the conventional method of strains screening with shake flasks, which is insufficient. the shape of the microtiter plate was modified, and baffles were introduced to improve mass transfer and oxygen supply effects in the vibrating bioreactor. CFD technology was used to model the new plate’s characteristics, establishing the superiority of hexagonal microtiter plates with six baffles. Parameters in the incubation process, such as vibration frequency and liquid load, were optimized, and the final result achieved a KLa of 0.61s-1 and a volume power input of 2364 w/m3, which was 4-5 times better than the original 96-well plate. The culture results optimized by the model were also verified. Therefore, this new microtiter plate provides a powerful tool for future high-throughput screening of strains.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a bacterial pathogen that can be fatal in hospitalized and immunocompromised patients with mortality as high as 69%. Risk factors for infection include those apparent in many pediatric cancer patients. Treatment is challenging as S. maltophilia is resistant to several antibiotics. Furthermore, the presentation of soft tissue infection in neutropenic patients may be atypical. We present three immunocompromised pediatric patients with S. maltophilia infections. All three cases were fatal. We hope our experience at MD Anderson can guide providers to diagnose and properly treat Stenotrophomonas infection, as timely treatment may improve morbidity and mortality.

A document by Asma Albtoosh. Click on the document to view its contents.

We present a 10-year follow-up and describe our experience in managing a case of neonatal severe primary hyperparathyroidism (NSHPT) for the first time in Iran. Microcephaly, mental retardation and epilepsy may be long time sequels of NSHPT and the brain MRI findings are compatible with old hypoxic-ischemic event.

Tropical freshwater lakes are well-known for their high biodiversity, and the East African Great Lakes in particular are renowned for their endemic cichlid fish adaptive radiations. While comparative phylogenetic analyses of extant species flocks have revealed patterns and processes of their diversification, evolutionary trajectories within lineages, impacts of environmental drivers, or the scope and nature of now-extinct diversity remain largely unknown. Time-structured paleodata from geologically young fossil records, such as fossil counts and particularly ancient DNA data, would help fill this large knowledge gap. High ambient temperatures can be detrimental to the preservation of DNA, but refined methodology now allows data generation even from very poorly preserved samples. Here, we show for the first time that fish fossils from tropical lake sediments yield endogenous ancient DNA (aDNA). Despite generally low endogenous content and high sample drop-out, high-throughput sequencing and in some cases sequence capture allowed for taxonomic assignment to family or tribe level and phylogenetic placement of individuals. Even skeletal remains weighing less than 1 mg and up to 2700 years of age could be phylogenetically placed. We find that the relationship of degradation of aDNA with the thermal age of samples is similar to that described for terrestrial samples from cold environments adjusted for elevated temperatures. Success rates and aDNA preservation differed between the investigated lakes Chala, Kivu and Victoria, possibly caused by differences in water oxygenation at deposition. Our study demonstrates that sediments of tropical lakes preserve genetic information on rapidly diversifying taxa over time scales of millennia.

A document by AG. Click on the document to view its contents.

Abstract Cost-benefit decision-making is a procedure by which an organism chooses among different choices when each choice indicates an operation linked to a different outcome. In addition, there is considerable evidence showing that opiates affect several aspects of cognition, including cost-benefit decisions. In the present study, we evaluated functional and neural synchronization between the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) while value-based decision-making in pre-morphine dependency and morphine dependency times in rats. A T-maze decision making task with a differential expense (high vs. low endeavor) and remuneration (high vs. low remuneration) was performed and local field potentials (LFP) from the OFC and ACC were recorded simultaneously. Results demonstrated that neural simultaneity was seen in theta and low beta frequencies between both regions, when the animals chose high endeavor/high remuneration. However, while the rats preferred low endeavor/low remuneration in pre-morphine dependency time and morphine dependency time, neural synchronization was insignificant. The obtained findings clarified that functional connection and neural simultaneity between the ACC and OFC in theta and low beta frequencies has an essential role in endeavor-based decision-making, and disturbance of make a decision in morphine-treated animals is associated with changes in this frequency range in the OFC and ACC.

The urea nitrogen salvaging process (UNS) supports the symbiotic relationship between ruminants and their gastrointestinal microbiome by both supplying nitrogen and buffering bacterially-derived short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Studying such physiological processes via investigation of rumen papillae morphology and functioning, as well as western blotting to detect rumen urea transporters, allows researchers to test hypotheses linking physiology and ecology. The goal of this innovative approach is to indicate the way forward for future research. Our previous studies have shown the importance of the UT-B2 urea transporters in the rumen of wild fallow deer living in Phoenix Park, Dublin. In this current pilot study, we investigated the effects on these transporters of seasonal changes – linked to changes in feeding intake during and after the mating season - and acceptance of artificial food from park visitors in adult male bucks. Investigation of the rumen papillae revealed that animals culled in January had significantly longer papillae than those culled just after the rutting season in November, when bucks interrupted feeding from a few days to weeks. In contrast, western blotting analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the abundance of UT-B2 transporters between these two groups. Adult males that had displayed consistent begging behaviour to obtain food from human visitors to the park had a higher papillae density. Furthermore, these animals had a significantly higher abundance of UT-B2 transporters, which was shown by immunolocalization studies to be predominantly in the stratum basale layer of the rumen papillae. Our research suggests that human-wildlife feeding interactions can have subtle effects on the physiology of individual animals involved. The findings of this novel study therefore improve our understanding of basic rumen physiological processes, but also add insight into the unseen effects that humans feeding wildlife may have.

A 45-year-old man presented with complaints of intermittent fever and chest pain for 3 weeks. He had a 30-year history of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Transthoracic- echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) successfully diagnosed aortic vegetations and cast-type PDAs, but additional PDA terminal vegetations were found TEE, and PDA vegetations were also found in coronary CT. Multi model imaging has important value for its accurate diagnosis and treatment.

In this study we investigate some new suborbital graphs derived from the action of a special subgroup of the modular group on the extended rationals. By considering these graphs we obtain some new results related to integer solutions to the Pell’s equation of the form x2 − py2 = 1 where p is a non-square positive integer.

A document by Juan Hincapie-Castillo. Click on the document to view its contents.

An underutilized experimental design was used to isolate adapted mutants of the model bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440. The experimental design consisted of subjecting a random pool of mini-Tn5 mutants of P. putida KT2440 to several rounds of selection in the rhizosphere of soybean irrigated with NaCl solution. Isolated adapted mutants (MutAd) showed a mutation in a gene encoding the membrane-binding protein LapA, which is involved in the early stages of biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces. Two MutAd bacteria (MutAd160 and MutAd185) and a lapA deletion mutant were tested to study the effect of this gene on salt tolerance, rhizosphere fitness, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production, and plant growth promotion. The inability of the mutants to form biofilm did not hinder attachment to soybean seeds and roots. MutAd bacteria showed an overproduction of EPS when grown under saline conditions, which would compensate for the lack of biofilm formation. MutAd185 bacteria showed increased root attachment and growth promotion of soybean in slightly saline soils. The proposed experimental design would be useful to accelerate bacterial adaptation to the rhizosphere of plants under a given environmental condition, identify genetic mutations that benefit bacterial fitness in that condition, and thus increase their ability to promote plant growth.

Measuring the heartbeat and respiration of animals continuously can provide valuable information about their health status. Respiratory-related diseases are very common in the poultry industry and unfortunately, there is no non-contact respiratory monitoring system for measuring the breathing rate and heart rate of the broiler chicken. In this letter, we explored and tested the feasibility of utilizing a 24 GHz on-shelf Radar module for monitoring the vital signs (breathing rate and heart rate) of broiler chickens. A signal processing approach has been developed to extract vital signs of broiler chicken from Radar-captured signals. The experiment was carried out on three different normal broiler chickens with the age of 25-30 days, weight 1.18-1.6 Kg where a 24-GHz radar module was mounted at a distance of 0.2 meters above the chest surface of the chicken, and this particular experiment was repeated for twenty times. We also used a reference ECG module (Biopac System) for extracting the breathing rate and heart rate of the broiler chicken and compared the accuracy of our proposed system. Experimental results demonstrated that the radar measurement closely matches the Biopac ECG acquisition module measurement and showed an accuracy of 96% for a short-scale study.

The soil-microbe-plant system is a complex and dynamic network of interactions that play a crucial role in plant growth and development. The use of soil databases has allowed us to gain insights into the diverse microbial communities present in soil and their impact on plant health. In this review, we explore the role of soil microbes in plant health and how soil database analysis has facilitated our understanding of their functions. We discuss the key microbial groups involved in nutrient cycling, disease suppression, and plant growth promotion, and their contributions to plant health. Additionally, we examine the impact of abiotic and biotic stressors on the soil microbial community and its subsequent effects on plant health. Finally, we highlight the potential applications of soil database insights for sustainable agriculture and plant health management. Our review demonstrates the importance of soil microbial diversity and highlights the value of soil database analysis as a tool for unraveling the intricate interactions within the soil-microbe-plant system.

Chilled meat has a high water activity and is rich in nutrients, so it is prone to microbial contamination during industrial production, and the microorganisms contaminated are widespread and complex. In order to address its biosafety issues and potential food safety risks, the experiment was conducted to investigate the variation of dominant spoilage bacteria in chilled meat under storage conditions of 2 ± 2 ℃, 10 ± 2 ℃, and 20 ± 2 ℃, respectively. At the same time, the variation of spoilage bacteria in four layers of chilled meat under three temperature conditions was detected. The results showed that when chilled pork was stored at 2 ± 2 ℃ and 10 ± 2 ℃, Pseudomonas sp., Thermosporaceae, and Enterobacteriaceae were the dominant spoilage bacteria in chilled pork, while when stored at 20 ± 2 ℃, Thermosporaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas sp., and Lactobacillus sp. became the dominant spoilage bacteria in chilled pork; When chilled pork was stored at 2 ± 2 ℃ and 10 ± 2 ℃, the order of proliferation of different types of spoilage microorganisms in the inner layer was as follows: Fusarium thermophila>Enterobacteriaceae>Lactobacillus>Pseudomonas>Yeast/Yeast>Staphylococcus/ Micrococcus; When stored at 20 ± 2 ℃, the order of the number of proliferation of different types of spoilage microorganisms is as follows: Thermomycetes>Enterobacteriaceae>Lactobacillus >Yeast/Yeast>Pseudomonas>Staphylococcus/Micrococcus. Finally, through the change rules of dominant spoilage bacteria under three temperatures and the penetration of spoilage bacteria in chilled meat, it provides a theoretical basis for enterprises to improve precision sterilization and key control point technology.

In recent decades, the issue of ecological footprint (EF) in the world has become a serious anxiety between environmental stakeholders. This anxiety is more in top tourism attracting countries. The purpose of this research is the performance of mixed and penalized effects models in predicting the value of the EF of tourism in the top eight countries of tourism destinations. The World Bank and Global Footprint Network databases have been used in this study. Penalized regression and MCMC models have been used to estimate the EF over the past 19 years (2000-2018). The findings of the study showed that the amount of ecological footprint in China, France and Italy is much higher than other countries. In addition, a slight improvement in the performance of penalized models to linear regression was observed. The comparison of the models shows that in the Ridge and Elastic Net models, more indicators were selected than Lasso, but Lasso has a better predictive performance than other models on ecological footprint. Therefore, the use of penalized models is only slightly better than linear regression, but they provide the selection of appropriate indices for model parsimoniousness. The results showed that the penalized models are powerful tools that can provide a significant performance in the accuracy and prediction of the EF variable in tourism attracting countries.

Objective: To assess National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) members’ level of understanding, experiences, and factors influencing their choice of NHIF-contracted outpatient facilities in Kenya. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional qualitative study with NHIF members in two purposefully selected counties (Nyeri and Makueni counties) in Kenya. We collected data through 15 focus group discussions with NHIF members. Data were analysed using a framework analysis approach. Results: Urban-based NHIF members had a good understanding of the NHIF-contracted outpatient facility selection process and the approaches for choosing and changing providers, unlike their rural counterparts. While NHIF members were required to choose a provider before accessing care, the number of available alternative facilities was perceived to be inadequate. Finally, NHIF members identified seven factors they considered important when choosing an NHIF-contracted outpatient provider. Of these factors, the availability of drugs, distance from the household to the facility and waiting time at the facility until consultation were considered the most important. Conclusion: There is a need for the NHIF to prioritise awareness-raising approaches tailored to rural settings. Further, there is a need for the NHIF to contract more providers to both spur competition among providers and provide alternatives for members to choose from. Besides, NHIF members revealed the important factors they consider when selecting outpatient facilities. Consequently, NHIF should leverage the preferred factors when contracting healthcare providers. Similarly, healthcare providers should enhance the availability of drugs, reduce waiting times whilst improving their staff’s attitudes which would enhance user satisfaction and the quality of care provided.

Changing climate and growing human impacts are resulting in globally rising temperatures and the widespread loss of habitats. How species will adapt to these changes is not well understood. The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) can be found across the Holarctic but is coming under more intense pressure in many places. Studies of recent populations in Finland and Denmark have shown a marked decline in body size of Northern Goshawks over the past century. Here we investigate long-term changes to Norwegian populations of Northern Goshawk by including material from the Middle Ages and Viking Age. We measured 240 skeletons of modern Northern Goshawks from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, and 89 Medieval Goshawk bones. Our results show that Norwegian and Swedish female Goshawks have decreased in size over the past century, whilst males showed little decline. Medieval female Goshawks were larger than contemporary females. The Viking Age specimens showed little difference to modern populations but appeared smaller than specimens from the Medieval period. A decline in forest habitats and a concomitant shift towards smaller prey likely drove a shift to smaller body size in Northern Goshawks. Our study shows that significant body size changes in birds can occur over relatively short time spans in response to environmental factors, and that these effects can sometimes differ between sexes.

A document by Jinyu CHEN. Click on the document to view its contents.

Autoimmunity is the break of tolerance to self-antigens that leads to organ-specific or systemic diseases characterized by the presence of pathogenic autoreactive antibodies (AAb) produced by plasmablast and/or plasma cells. AAb are prevalent in the general population and not systematically associated with clinical symptoms. In contrast, in some individuals, these AAb are pathogenic and drive the development of signs and symptoms of antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases (AbAID). AAb production, isotype profiles, and glycosylations are promoted by pro-inflammatory triggers linked to genetic, environmental, and hormonal parameters. Recent evidence supports a role for pathogenic AAb of the IgE isotype in a number of AbAID. Autoreactive IgE can drive the activation of mast cells, basophils and other types of FcεRI-bearing cells and may play a role in promoting autoantibody production and other pro-inflammatory pathways. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge on the pathogenicity of autoreactive IgE in AbAID and their status as therapeutic targets. We also highlight unresolved issues including the need for assays that reproducibly quantify IgE AAbs, to validate their diagnostic and prognostic value, and to further study their pathophysiological contributions to AbAID.

Solar storms impact electrical power grids by causing DC neutral point currents in transformers. These currents lead to half-cycle saturation as well as other related and unwanted effects in the grid. To reduce the effect of these currents on the grid, DC-blocking devices can be installed or changes in the grid topology can be made. However, these counter measures often have unwanted side effects or cannot be applied to the grid due to operational restrictions. In this work, a novel mitigation approach, based on the distribution of currents on more transformers, is presented. The number and location of grounded transformer neutral points is optimized, taking grid related constraints such as the minimal number of transformer connections into account. It is shown that the algorithm can effectively reduce the stress on transformers without any additional assets and thus increase system security.

The social economy is growing rapidly, and the power grid load demand is increasing. To maintain the stability of the power grid, it is crucial to achieve accurate and rapid power system stability assessment. In the actual operation of the power network, data loss is an unavoidable situation. However, most of the data-driven models currently used assume that the input data is complete, which has obvious limitations in real-world applications. This paper suggests an IVS-GAN model to assess power system stability using incomplete PMU measurement data with random loss. The proposed method combines the super-resolution perception technology based on Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) with a time-series signal classification model. The generator adopts a one-dimensional U-Net network and uses convolutional layers to complete and recover missing data. The discriminator adopts a new GRU-Attention architecture proposed in this paper to better extract voltage temporal variation features on key buses. The result of this paper is that the stability evaluation method outperforms other algorithms in high voltage data loss rates on the New England 10-machine 39-bus system.