Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying physiological adaptations in marine species is crucial for assessing their resilience to environmental stressors. The Southern King Crab (Lithodes santolla), an ecologically and commercially important species in sub-Antarctic waters, inhabits dynamic fjord ecosystems characterized by fluctuating salinity and oxygen levels. However, the molecular basis of its adaptive responses remains largely unexplored. In this study, we assembled the first de novo transcriptome of L. santolla to characterize gene expression related to osmoregulation and oxidative stress. Gill samples from individuals collected at two sites: Ballena Sound and Choiseul Bay in the Strait of Magellan (Punta Arenas, Chile), exhibiting different environmental conditions. Sequencing yielded 731,879,912 clean reads, which were assembled into 210,093 transcripts, of which 56,064 contigs successfully annotated. Differential expression analysis identified 4,474 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with individuals from Ballena Sound exhibiting upregulation of heat shock proteins (HSPs) and Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA), suggesting an osmotic stress response. Conversely, individuals from Choiseul Bay showed increased expression of Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE), V-type proton ATPase (VPA), and antioxidant enzymes, indicating regulatory strategies for salinity adaptation. Gene Ontology and KEGG enrichment analyses further highlighted key pathways involved in ion transport, oxidative stress mitigation, and energy metabolism. This study enhances our understanding of L. santolla’s physiological plasticity and provides a valuable molecular framework for future research on environmental resilience and conservation of sub-Antarctic marine species.

Tree-related microhabitats (TreMs), such as water-filled tree holes (WTHs), are important structures for forest biodiversity providing habitats for many specialized species, which are, however, impaired by the intensive forest management of the past. Strategies to maintain and promote TreMs in managed forest, e.g. by establishing old-growth forest patches as stepping stones, have been implemented, but their success has rarely been tested. We experimentally created WTHs in old-growth patches that were established to connect forest nature reserves (FNRs) in a beech forest in Germany. Eight years after creation, we sampled, identified and measured traits of the invertebrate community that colonized the WTHs. We then investigated how spatial and environmental variables affected taxonomic and functional attributes of communities and populations. A total of 2407 individuals of 13 species were sampled, the majority of which were insect larvae. Abundance as well as taxonomic and functional diversity attributes and community composition were influenced by environmental and spatial factors, generally supporting the patch-dynamics and species-sorting metacommunity paradigm. At the population level, both spatial and environmental factors affected the abundance and functional diversity of body size distributions, suggesting that dispersal capacities, microhabitat requirements and competitive abilities of individual species structure communities. The distance to the FNRs had a positive effect on the total abundance and the abundance of the specialized marsh beetle Prionocyphon serricornis and a weak negative effect on the functional diversity of the community. Our study underpins the stepping stone concept of connecting FNRs. The species colonized all newly created microhabitats from source populations, indicating that these patches increase connectivity between the FNRs and thus contribute to forest biodiversity conservation. The negative effects of distance to FNRs on functional diversity show that distances between habitat patches should be kept small for such a strategy to be successful and sustainable in the long term.

Our multi-center clinical study evaluated 19 common pathogens in 1,922 pharyngeal swab samples, comparing the diagnostic performance of PCR-QDFA with clinically routine qRT-PCR, while validating results using Sanger sequencing as the gold standard. Our statistical results showed that among the samples with single - pathogen infections (759 cases, 39.49%), the three most frequently detected pathogen types included 164 cases (8.53%) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS - CoV - 2), 92 cases (4.79%) of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and 71 cases (3.69%) of respiratory adenovirus. Among the samples with co - infections of two or more pathogens (1479 cases, 76.95%), the five most frequently detected pathogen types were 422 cases (21.96%) of influenza A virus infection, 291 cases (15.14%) of influenza A (H1N1) virus, 113 cases (5.88%) of influenza A (H3N2) virus, 107 cases (5.57%) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and 67 cases (3.49%) of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. PCR - QDFA showed extremely high sensitivity (100%) and specificity (greater than 99%) for the 19 respiratory pathogens. The coincidence rate with qRT - PCR detection was greater than 99%, and PCR - QDFA outperformed qRT - PCR in terms of sensitivity and specificity detection.

Objectives: Relationship distress is a significant predictor of suicide and Veterans are at increased risk for both suicide and relationship distress. Veteran couples experience increased exposure to traumatic events, deployment cycles, and more; however, there are limited treatment options targeting both relationship functioning and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Treatment for Relationships & Safety Together (TR&ST), an 11-session couple-based suicide prevention, aims to address this gap in care. Methods: This paper describes the qualitative experiences and quantitative data from 12 veterans and their intimate partners ( N = 24 participants) in a clinical pilot trial with veterans screening Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) > 2 in the past month (active suicidal ideation) or a suicide attempt in the past 3 months. Each couple completed baseline, mid, post, and 3-month follow-up assessments. Post-treatment assessment qualitative interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using the qualitative DelveTool software. Quantitative data were analyzed in SPSS. Results: In respect to outcomes, Veterans experienced reduction in suicidal thoughts consistent with a moderate effect size Cohen’s d (-.42). Couples reported small to moderate improvement in relationship satisfaction (.30 and .62). In qualitative interviews, couples reported using skills gained in treatment and shared the benefits and challenges of engaging in a couple-based suicide intervention together. Post-treatment qualitative data indicated: 1) more understanding/openness, 2) more support, and 3) improved communication patterns. Challenges to engaging in treatment and using skills outside of the session for both veterans and partners were fear of: 1) judgement, 2) causing more emotional pain, and 3) making suicidal thoughts worse. Conclusion: Preliminary results suggest that TR&ST is a promising treatment option for suicide prevention in Veterans.

[1]¿p#1 Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.; Asteraceae) is an economically significant agricultural product in Canada, with 70% of commercial production in peatlands (Histosols) in southern Quebec. Insecticide application has been the primary method for managing lettuce pests in Quebec however more sustainable strategies are needed to control lettuce pests effectively. In this context, conservation biological control is a highly promising alternative, involving the cultivation of flowering strips within the agricultural ecosystem to attract and support natural enemies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of alyssum (Lobularia maritima (L.) Desv.; Brassicaceae) in attracting syrphids (Diptera: Syrphidae), some of which are voracious predators of lettuce pests during their larval stage. A total of 1,934 specimens of 16 species were collected from annual flowering plants grown in three different lettuce farms in Quebec. The most abundant species was Toxomerus marginatus (Say), accounting for approximately 70% of the specimens. The second and third most abundant were Sphaerophoria philanthus Meigen and Allograpta obliqua (Say), corresponding to nearly 10.3% and 4.6% of the samples, respectively. All other species constituted less than 4% each. A group of 82 female specimens, initially identified as belonging to the Sphaerophoria philanthus/asymmetrica/abbreviata species complex, underwent Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) DNA sequence-based delimitation analyses, which suggested the presence of three molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs). Fourteen of the 16 identified species or MOTU are aphid predators at the larval stage. Our findings suggest that alyssum flowers can successfully attract natural aphid predators in lettuce fields in Quebec. This approach may help mitigate lettuce pest-related problems and decrease the dependence on insecticides in lettuce crops, promoting more sustainable pest management practices.

Not All That Spreads is Sporotrichosis: A Leprosy IllusionAuthor names and Affiliations: Sandesh Shah1, Joshana Shrestha2, Mohan Bhusal1, Deepika Neupane1, Radhika Maharjan3Senior Dermatologist, Department of Dermatology, Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, NepalResident Doctor, Department of Dermatology, Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, NepalResident Doctor, Department of Prosthodontics, B.P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal

[1]¿p#1KEY CLINICAL MESSAGETumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) can be challenging due to underlying tumors being either unresectable or unidentifiable. Burosumab, an anti-FGF23 monoclonal antibody, has been proven to be effective in treating TIO but is currently not subsidized for this indication in Australia. Our experience suggests that burosumab should be considered a first-line treatment.

A document by Yusuf Hared Abdi. Click on the document to view its contents.

Coverage-based rarefaction (CBR) is a high-profile tool for assessing biodiversity that provides relative species richness estimates. It leverages the Good-Turing index u to interpolate expected richness given a specified level of frequency distribution coverage. In contrast to alternatives such as the Shannon and Simpson indices, CBR’s main appeal is providing values in units of species. CBR is tested against a series of other biodiversity measures. Data are both simulated and empirical, in the latter case drawn from an eclectic global database of terrestrial organisms. First, species counts are simulated under three underlying abundance distributions: the compound exponential-geometric series (CEGS), Poisson log normal, and discretised Weibull. CBR and five other diversity estimators are then computed. Second, diversity estimates are computed for species inventories and then recomputed after excluding the single most common species in each one. Third, randomly selected pairs of inventories are either (1) analysed separately with richness estimates summed, or (2) combined and only then analysed. On average, fitting CEGS in simulation consistently returns an accurate and precise estimate of richness. CBR yields little signal. CEGS returns much the same values regardless of whether empirical data sets include or exclude dominants and regardless of whether they are combined or analysed separately. CBR often overestimates by a large margin when dominants are excluded and underestimates by a large margin when data are combined. CBR does not respond predictably to variation in species richness and cannot reconstruct it when the data have strong internal structure. CBR’s usefulness as a biodiversity indicator is unclear.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of positive psychology-based psychotherapy in enhancing resilience, cognitive flexibility, and cognitive-emotional regulation in adolescents from underprivileged areas. Materials and Methods: This study was applied in terms of its goal and experimental in terms of data collection method, using a pre-test-post-test-follow-up design. The statistical population of this study consisted of adolescents from underprivileged areas. The sample was selected through accessible sampling from the target population, consisting of 30 individuals who were then divided into two groups: an experimental group (15 participants) and a control group (15 participants). The research tools included the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Dennis and Vander Wal Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire (DFQ), the Cognitive-Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), and a protocol for positive psychology-based psychotherapy. Findings: The results of analysis of covariance showed that positive psychotherapy significantly affected the scores for resilience, cognitive flexibility, and cognitive-emotional regulation at the post-test stage, and this effect remained stable at the follow-up stage. The effect size of this treatment explained 45.72%, 49.85%, and 48.16% of the variance in the scores, respectively. These results indicate the effectiveness and sustainability of positive psychotherapy on these three variables. Discussion and Conclusion: Overall, the results indicated that positive psychology-based psychotherapy had a positive and significant impact on cognitive-emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, and resilience in adolescents from underprivileged areas.

Objective: This study aimed to develop a scale to assess inpatient nursing care expectation scale (INCES) in China and determine its reliability and validity. Methods: A three-phase approach was employed to develop and validate the INCES: (1) scale development, (2) scale refinement, and (3) psychometric validation evaluation. The items of the instrument were generated based on a comprehensive literature review and a qualitative study involving 14 inpatients. The preliminary evaluation of the items was conducted through content validity assessment by a panel of 16 experts (2 round, 14 experts in each). Validity and reliability analyses were performed using two independent samples to refine the scale and evaluate its psychometric properties. Sample 1(321 inpatients) was employed for item analysis, internal consistency assessment, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Sample 2(224 inpatients) was employed for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the assessment of additional psychometric properties, (i.e., convergent validity, discriminant validity, and criterion-related validity), which further confirm the structure of the scale and evaluated its final psychometric properties. Results: The final version of INCES consists of 21 items distributed across three dimensions: structure (8 items), process (9 items), and outcome (4 items). EFA and CFA showed that the three-factor model had a good fit, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 78.159% and a factor commonality of 0.533-0.938. Additionally, the scale demonstrated satisfactory convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity. The overall Cronbach’s α coefficient of the scale was 0.94, indicating high internal consistency. Conclusions: The results confirm that the INCES exhibits robust reliability and validity, meeting the standards for use in assessing inpatients’ expectations of nursing services.

Objectives: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) not only causes lung damage but also induces renal damage, but the molecular mechanism remains unclear. Methods: Six rhesus macaques were divided into a control group and a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection group. Meanwhile, their kidneys were segmented into three regions: renal cortex (Cor), inner medulla (IM), and outer medulla (OM), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based proteomics and phosphoproteomic analysis were conducted. Next, we performed a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis, including differential analysis, functional enrichment, kinase prediction and drug target prediction in order to identify key molecules associated with COVID-19. Results: We established proteomic and phosphoproteomic profiles of Cor, OM and IM of rhesus macaque kidneys infected with SARS-CoV-2. Renal injury was observed in three regions, implicating various organelles and biological processes such as ribosomes, spliceosomes, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, IL-17 signaling pathway and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. Additionally, varying intensities of inflammatory reactions, metabolic perturbations and fibrosis were evident in all regions. By utilizing DrugBank, we identified 21 FDA-approved drugs targeting predicted kinases as candidates for treatment. Minocycline, acetylcysteine, and fostamatinib have been used to treat COVID-19-associated kidney injury. Conclusions: This study provides a comprehensive dataset and atlas of proteomics and phosphoproteomics of SARS-CoV-2 infected rhesus macaque kidneys.

Changes in biodiversity reflect processes acting at multiple spatial scales, including globally, among habitats and within communities. This complexity makes it difficult to analyse the mechanisms that change biodiversity over time. To resolve this, we propose a novel approach to partition temporal changes in biodiversity into contributions from selection at multiple scales. We apply this approach to study changes in the biodiversity of invertebrate herbivores from a large-scale, plant community experiment. Though the experiment was designed to foster distinct insect communities due to differences in host plants, our approach shows that selection among these treatments was a negligible facet of diversity change. Instead, the dominant source of community dynamics was rapid changes in the relative abundances of individual species. These shifts produced surprisingly small changes in biodiversity. More broadly our work highlights how total change in biodiversity across a biogeographic region can be partitioned into logically distinct mechanisms.

A document by Olita Shilpakar. Click on the document to view its contents.

In this letter, the MIMO slot antenna with compact structure is presented. The decoupling method is based on the orthogonal modes of antenna, thereby making it no need for additional decoupling branches. With experimental results, the authors demonstrate that an aperture-shared slot antenna loading a capacitor with 0402 package, can achieve isolation enhancement of 9 dB, an envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) of lower than 0.2 between ports, and a wide -3 dB efficiency bandwidth across the desired bands. Dual-band 4×4 MIMO antennas are designed and integrated into an ultra-thin blade-type routers, simulated results indicate that the proposed design have great potential for WIFI 6/6E applications.

This review examines the public health impacts of drought in the Horn of Africa, a region comprising Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and neighboring countries. The purpose of this review is to analyze the multifaceted health consequences of recurrent droughts in this region, which is highly vulnerable due to its arid climate, socio-economic challenges, and limited public health infrastructure. Key health impacts include malnutrition, outbreaks of communicable diseases (e.g., cholera and measles), mental health disorders, and increased mortality particularly among children and pregnant women. The review highlights how drought exacerbates food insecurity, compromises water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems, and leads to population displacement. These conditions contribute to the spread of infectious diseases and strain already fragile healthcare systems. The review calls for more integrated and climate-resilient public health strategies to mitigate drought-related health risks and support vulnerable populations in the Horn of Africa.

[1]¿p#1 The decline of forest ecosystems due to anthropogenic pressures directly threatens the wildlife that depends on them. These pressures extend even to protected areas, undermining their role as sanctuaries for animal species. Analyzing local knowledge and the vulnerability of wildlife species in the Aledjo Wildlife Reserve (AWR) in Togo can lead to improved research approaches and sustainable management strategies for this protected area. Semi-structured ethnozoological surveys, including individual interviews and focus group discussions, were conducted with 298 people living near the AWR. Data analysis was based on wildlife species use indices and a vulnerability index to assess usage impacts. A total of 50 species, grouped into 47 genera and 32 families, were recorded. The most diverse families were Bovidae (5 species), Cercopithecidae (4 species) and Muridae (4 species). The Importance Value-in-use Index (IVIUsp) indicates that the most valued species are the patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas), the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca) and the green mamba (Dendroaspis viridis). According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categories, nine species are globally threatened. Fourteen (14) species are moderately vulnerable to local exploitation. Protecting the AWR ecosystems, which provide habitat and food resources for wildlife species, is crucial for their conservation.

To address the challenges of missed detection and misdetection in tea bud recognition tasks under complex environments, this paper proposes YOLOv8-SIEMF, a novel detection model integrating Sub-models Integral Evaluation (SIE) and Multi-objective Filtering (MF). First, we design a hierarchical detection framework where different sub-models process diverse resolution levels of input images to extract complementary features. An evaluation mechanism is developed to comprehensively fuse the outputs of sub-models by considering detection confidence, box overlap, and image sharpness. Meanwhile, a multi-objective filtering module is introduced to enhance the model’s sensitivity to multi-target clusters and improve edge sharpness in grayscale space, which effectively reduces redundant or invalid detection. Experimental results on a self-built dataset demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms mainstream YOLOv8 variants in terms of precision and recall, achieving superior performance in recognizing fine-grained tea buds under real-field conditions.

A document by bahareh Abtahi-naeini. Click on the document to view its contents.

Objective: International consensus about best diagnostic and care practices for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is limited. We explored variations in GDM practices in relation to national guidelines in the UK, Ireland and Australia. Design: Cross-sectional online survey Setting: UK, Irish and Australian maternity services. Sample: Healthcare professionals providing pregnancy diabetes care. Methods: Questions addressed guidelines used, diagnostic practices and post-diagnosis management. Data were descriptively analysed. Results: Sixty-three maternity units participated (35 England and Wales, 12 Ireland, 16 Australia). 94% of units in England and Wales and Australia used their national guidelines to select women for GDM testing, a wider variety of guidelines were used in Ireland. Over 80% of units across countries undertake risk-factor based GDM testing in early pregnancy. At 24-28 weeks’ gestation, 94% of Australian units used universal screening. Risk factors varied between units and countries at both timepoints, including those outside of guidelines. Diagnostic tests for GDM varied between units and countries, and according to gestation and previous GDM. Insulin was the most common first-line treatment in Australia, whereas in Ireland and England and Wales it was Metformin. Induction and caesarean birth were offered at differing gestations according to unit and country, and according to management strategy. Conclusions: GDM-related practices vary within and between Australia, Ireland and England and Wales. National guidelines are inconsistently applied, which could increase inequalities and impact perinatal outcomes. Further research should address standardised, evidence-informed care and guideline implementation barriers.

Objective: To define clinical demand, personnel needs and medical infrastructure to organize prenatal care in southern Haiti. Design: A house-to-house survey of 3 communities in Saint Louis du Sud, Haiti was conducted in preparation for considering basing deliveries at an infirmary located in Sucrerie Henri. Setting: A house-to-house survey defined in detail the numbers and distribution of pregnant women, site of deliveries and perinatal outcome. Population 1490 individuals in 3186 households with 187 woman declaring current pregnancy were surveyed Methods After engaging the community, surveys were conducted by experienced demographers from the Institut Haitian de l’Enfance. Each dwelling was located by the Global Position System, GPS Main Outcome Measures To assure accuracy of recall the questionnaire focused on location of the dwelling by GPS, current pregnancy, births in the last 30 days and neonatal deaths. Results The recorded neonatal mortality in communes surveyed was 52/1,000 live births for the year preceding the survey. Higher rates were seen in the more inaccessible areas which correlated with areas with a higher percentage of home births. Conclusions: Detailed description of perinatal health needs in a rural community in Haiti, established an association between distance to health care and out-comes. The survey makes a strong argument for establishing the capacity for deliveries at the existing infirmary in Sucrerie Henri as model for improving the outcomes of pregnancy in rural Haiti.

[1]¿p#1 This study examines how subtitles and image visualizations influence gaze behavior, working alliance, and behavior change intentions in virtual health conversations with ECAs. Visualizations refer to images on a 3D model TV and text on a virtual whiteboard, both reinforcing key content conveyed by the ECA. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: no subtitles or visualizations (Control), subtitles only (SUB), visualizations only (VIS), or both subtitles and visualizations (VISSUB). Structural equation path modeling showed that SUB and VIS individually reduced gaze toward the ECA, while VISSUB moderated this reduction, resulting in less gaze loss than the sum of either condition alone. Gaze behavior was positively associated with working alliance, and perceptions of enjoyment and appropriateness influenced engagement, which in turn predicted behavior change intentions. VIS was negatively associated with behavior change intentions, suggesting that excessive visual input may introduce cognitive trade-offs.

Tsetse flies (Glossina sp.) are important disease vectors with unique biology that makes them fascinating models to study the evolution of behaviour and its underlying neural circuits. They evolved blood-feeding in an independent event from mosquitoes, and unlike most insects, give birth to a single live offspring – rather than laying eggs. Given their impact on public health, they have been extensively studied with a strong focus on vector control. However, information on their sensory ecology and neurobiology are thinly spread across the literature. Here, we review over a hundred years of literature on tsetse sensory systems, including olfaction, vision, audition, taste, thermosensation, and mechanosensation, in the context of the behaviours they drive, including host-finding, blood-feeding and mating. We embed the available data within our more detailed understanding of the sensory systems of the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, and the Malaria mosquito Aedes aegypti. This sets the stage for future work on how tsetse find their hosts and reproduce, opening new avenues to understand how their sensory systems function and evolve, which in turn will inform better control strategies to reduce the burden of the diseases they transmit.

Education has always been a catalyst for societal change, cultural reform, and human progress. In the face of global challenges like climate change, pollution, and resource depletion, higher education institutions and research organizations play a pivotal role in fostering awareness, developing skills, and driving innovative solutions. Sustainable development has been widely recognized as the key to addressing environmental and economic crises, making its integration into education essential. Embedding sustainability across all levels of learning, from primary to higher education and research, can help make it a fundamental part of everyday life. In India, this integration is at a turning point, with new policies and reforms reshaping traditional teaching methods. The implementation of the National Education Policy, the launch of the National Skill Development Mission, and the introduction of 21st-century skills by the Central Board of Secondary Education are significant steps toward sustainability-focused education. This study evaluates these three policies, analyzing their impact on the education system and their role in promoting sustainability. A comparative analysis highlights the extent of sustainability skill integration within these policies and identifies potential areas for improvement, ensuring that education continues to drive India's transition toward a more sustainable and resilient future.