Short title of the paper … Background Breast cancer, the most prevalent health threat to women, showed increased incidence rate in developed countries as compared with developing ones. Circulating microRNAs are among the lately non-invasive acknowledged participants in breast carcinogenic transform. Aim Evaluate the role of plasma miR155 in breast cancer female patients. Methods Plasma miR155 was assessed in 50 female patients with breast cancer and 20 healthy female subjects by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Expression was correlated with clinicopathological data. Moreover, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was performed to determine sensitivity and specificity of miR155. Results Plasma miR155 showed significantly higher expression in breast cancer patients compared to controls. Patients without family history of breast cancer showed significant higher expression compared to those with family history of breast cancer. Expression was correlated to higher tumor stage (rho=0.470, p=0.001). ROC curve analysis for miR155 to discriminate breast cancer patients from healthy controls showed AUC value of 0.998, sensitivity and specificity of 98% and 100% respectively. Conclusion Circulating plasma miR155 might be a potential breast cancer blood biomarker facilitating breast cancer diagnosis and likely helpful to monitor disease progression. However future larger cohorts are required to validate the role of miR155 in breast cancer disease.

Studies on the effects of coffee in recent years have yielded ambiguous conclusions. We believe that the reason lies in incompatible research methodologies. In this paper, we draw attention in the research plans to a) unrealistically high doses of caffeine used in the studies; b) the distinction between objective and subjective effects; and c) the interaction with psychological factors. In the conducted study ( N = 150) in the 2x2 design (controlled daily coffee drinking x coffee vs. placebo), we show that caffeine, in the form of a realistic dose of one coffee, has no significant effect on the subjective and objective abilities of the participants. We therefore want to increase interest in the area to results showing no effects and inconsistent with current beliefs about the action of this (apparent) stimulant.

Introduction: A novel missense mutation in the DPP6 gene (c.2240T > C/p.L747P) has recently been identified and linked to early repolarization syndrome (ERS). This study aims to develop a cellular model to probe variant pathogenicity. Methods: This study recruited a typical ERS patient carrying missense variant (c.2240T > C/p.L747P) in DPP6 gene (ERS) and 1 healthy control subject (CON). We generated ERS and CON induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells through cell reprogramming. Subsequently, we used directed differentiation to create purified populations of ERS and CON iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs). Results: Whole-cell patch clamp recordings revealed that ERS iPSC-CMs increased the transient outward potassium current (Ito) (103.97 ± 18.73 vs. 44.36 ± 16.54 mV, p = 0.04), and increased Ito density compared with CON iPSC-CMs. Furthermore, ERS iPSC-CMs demonstrated increased triggered activity, greater action potential amplitude (APA) (103.35 ± 0.61 vs. 93.84 ± 2.31 mV, p = 0.003), longer action potential duration (APD) (137.35 ± 4.59 vs. 212.20 ± 7.39 ms; 173.51 ± 5.43 ms vs. 268.96 ± 7.80 ms, 210.49 ± 5.98 vs. 341.99 ± 9.59 ms, respectively, p < 0.001). However, there were no significant difference in resting membrane potential (REP), current-voltage relationship of Ito, inactivation of Ito traces, and inactivation recovery time of Ito traces between the two groups. Conclusion: Our research highlights the cellular mechanisms underlying ERS. We observed significant electrophysiological phenotypes, including a higher incidence of triggered activity, greater APA, longer APD, and increased amplitude and density of Ito in ERS iPSC-CMs

Stroke is a serious cerebrovascular disease that can be classified into two types: ischemic and hemorrhagic. It has a high mortality and disability rate, and current methods of prevention and treatment are limited. One promising cytokine that may help in the prevention and treatment of stroke is interleukin-27 (IL-27). IL-27 has been shown to have potent immunoregulatory effects in the brain, including inhibiting T-cell proliferation and promoting the differentiation of regulatory T cells. These effects can help reduce inflammation, inhibit cell death and protect against neurodegeneration. Recent animal studies have shown that IL-27 can reduce neural damage caused by ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke; however, it is still far from clinical application. This review will briefly introduce the epidemiological characteristics of stroke and the role of IL-27 in immunomodulation, describe the neuroprotective effects and related mechanisms of IL-27 in both types of stroke, explain the research advances regarding IL-27 in both types of stroke, introduce brain-targeted delivery strategies for IL-27, provide evidence for the potential clinical value of IL-27, and discuss possible risks and solutions in clinical applications. This study informs the future translational application of IL-27 in the treatment of stroke.

White blood cell image segmentation plays a vital role in the accurate analysis and diagnosis of blood-related diseases, facilitating the identification and quantification of white blood cells in microscopic images. This process is essential for early disease detection, treatment monitoring, and immune response studies, ultimately supporting clinical decision-making. In this paper, we propose an enhanced approach based on the Segment Anything Model. First, Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization is applied for pre-processing to enhance the features of white blood cells. Then, Segment Anything Model is utilized for segmentation. Experimental results demonstrate that our method achieves state-of-the-art performance on cross-domain datasets, providing accurate and reliable segmentation of white blood cells.

We propose a novel batch gradient descent algorithm for parameterized quantum circuits that significantly reduces the time complexity in terms of batch size for training quantum neural networks. Batch data constructed to quantum random access memory (qRAM) structure is mapped to one circuit that estimates average loss. As the number of circuits decreases, the range to which quantum amplitude estimation can be applied increases, speeding up with a quadratic scale in batch size.

Rehabilitating a Complex Mid-facial Defect with an Interim Magnet-Retained Two-Piece Acrylic Prosthesis: A Case Report

Short title of the paper …

Nanoparticles synthesis has gained significant interest because of the unique characteristics and potential applications in numerous fields, including medicine, electronics, and environmental remediation. Top-down and Bottom-up are the two approaches of metal nanoparticles synthesis where Top-down method is the breakdown of bulk material and Bottom-up is building up of material from atoms. Top-down approaches including Mechanical milling, Laser ablation, Ion Sputtering, Thermal decomposition and Bottom-up approaches including Solid state methods, Liquid state synthesis methods, Gas-phase methods are the widely used methods. These conventional physical and chemical processes of nanoparticle synthesis are versatile and efficient but engages factors like high temperature and pressure, toxic reagents and production of hazardous byproducts. In contrast, green synthesis or biosynthesis of nanoparticles offers an eco-friendly alternative, leveraging natural materials and processes to produce nanoparticles with minimal environmental impact. The review explains the characteristics and application of several metal nanoparticles and their synthesis process along with advantages and disadvantages and focuses on the key advantages of green synthesis, emphasizing its contributions to sustainability, safety, and efficiency in nanoparticle production.

Short title of the paper … Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent cell death characterized by the disorder of iron homeostasis and the accumulation of lipid peroxidation, which trigger a cascade of events resulting in cell death. This process plays a dual role in disease progression, functioning as either a suppressor or an inducer participating in the pathogenesis of various diseases. In recent years, there has been a growing body of research identifying regulators—both inducers and inhibitors—that target the mechanisms of ferroptosis, particularly in the field of anti-tumor drug research. This review systematically elucidates the regulatory mechanisms underlying ferroptosis (e.g., iron metabolism, lipid peroxidation, system Xc -/GSH/GPX4 axis) and examines the role of ferroptosis in the pathogenesis of various diseases, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, liver and kidney diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, we discussed the therapeutic applications of novel inducers and inhibitors of ferroptosis in recent years, offering critical insights and directions for further researching on the mechanism of ferroptosis and targeted drugs for ferroptosis-related diseases.

Monte Carlo simulations were used to compare one-way ANOVA related tests of significance ( F, Dunnett’s and t, the latter with no correction for multiple comparisons) with best-fit polynomial (BFP) selection according to standard criteria. BFP statistical significance was assessed with bootstrapped F and t tests. Both Type I and Type III Errors were considered, with the null hypothesis (NH) of no treatment effect assumed a priori false in the latter case. BFPs and Dunnett’s test performed well with regard to Type I/III Error rates, while the ANOVA F was a little liberal. As expected, t tests with no correction for multiple comparisons performed poorly. Various response functions were used to assess power. BFPs were often more powerful than ANOVA (Dunnett’s test), but results were mixed, and overall there was not much to choose between the two approaches. As expected, two-sided tests based on Type III Errors were more powerful than conventional two-sided tests.

Short title of the paper … Introduction: Peer support has increasingly been integrated into youth mental health programs globally. Peer support workers are an important ally in an individual’s recovery journey, providing both emotional and instrumental support and advocacy through their lived experiences. Objectives: To conduct a scoping review examining peer support services for youth with mental health concerns. Methods: This scoping review was prospectively registered with The Open Science Framework and followed the PRISMA scoping review extension checklist. In consultation with a health services librarian, seven electronic databases (i.e., MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, SocINDEX, ERIC, CINHAL, and Education Research Complete) were searched from inception to May 2023. Two blinded reviewers chose peer-reviewed studies for inclusion in this scoping review if the research examined youth with mental health concerns that were involved in a peer support intervention or program. Results: After duplicate references were removed, 4,001 titles and abstracts were screened. In total, 70 studies met the inclusion criteria for this scoping review. A total 11147 youth (mean age 19.5 years) were identified as receiving peer support. About half the studies examined peer support service or program only (34/70; 49%). In others, peer support was examined alongside elements such as group therapy (29/70; 41%), goal setting (5/70; 7%), and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) (5/70; 7%). Peer support services were identified as being significantly effective in treating mental health concerns in 81% (57/70) of studies. Conclusion: This scoping review demonstrated the ability of peer support services in aiding young people with mental health needs. Offering peer support may help mitigate future mental health problems in adulthood and increase quality of life.

IntroductionHPV often escapes immune detection due to its lack of viremia, leading to persistent infections, especially in adults and immunocompromised patients (1). COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, can provoke strong inflammatory responses and impact various organs, including the skin. Recent reports suggest that COVID-19 may help clear some skin conditions, like viral warts, through immune activation (2). In this case series, we also explore this potential link.

The design and development of complex aerospace systems pose significant challenges due to their growing complexity. Iterative design processes, guided by formal specifications, strive to refine initially vague characteristics through multiple stages. Despite these efforts, the integration of diverse disciplinary knowledge into system models often remains incomplete. This study tackles the challenge of incomplete knowledge in MBSE system models by introducing a graph-based machine learning approach to uncover and address missing links. This study focuses on detecting missing relationships that indicate incomplete knowledge by transforming SysML models into knowledge graphs and applying advanced graph neural networks. Leveraging the graphical nature of system models, the approach automates the identification process and uncovers insights that might be overlooked by human analysts. The findings highlight the effectiveness of graph neural networks in identifying missing links, although building a large dataset for training requires significant upfront effort. By integrating machine learning algorithms into the systems engineering lifecycle, this research aims to enhance the robustness and reliability of system models, leading to better-designed systems and more efficient engineering processes. The findings emphasize the need for extensive open-source datasets to fully understand the impact of machine learning in systems engineering frameworks. Keywords --- model-based systems engineering, knowledge graph, graphical neural networks

Key message: In order to improve agricultural productivity, this review explores the dual roles of ROS and RNS in plant metabolism, emphasizing their effects on growth, stress adaption, and programmed cell death. Abstract Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) play indispensable roles in plant metabolic processes, acting as both potentially harmful and crucial messengers in plant physiology. These reactive species contribute significantly to plant growth and their ability to adapt to various environmental challenges. The interactive relationship between reactive species and their molecular pathways forms a regulatory network that overcomes the physiological development of plants. Plant growth stages are significantly influenced by the amounts of these reactive species generated by different cellular components. This review emphasizes the various stresses related to the generation of reactive species and specifically addresses the disruptive role of RNS at various developmental stages in plant physiology. Furthermore, crosslinking ROS and RNS, leading to drastic changes within cells leading to programmed cell death, explains the significance of reactive species undergoing plant development. Thus. Understanding the multifaceted roles of reactive species in various stress responses and regulation would provide insights into the potential development of agricultural crop yields.

This study introduces a compact, autonomous mobile weed management robot designed to promote sustainable agricultural practices and enhance crop protection through effective early-stage weed management. Equipped with a laser-based system, the robot enables precise weed removal tailored to specific agricultural contexts. It employs an AI-driven image classification approach for weed detection, achieving a mean average precision (mAP) of 0.32 and a detection rate of 118 ms on a Raspberry Pi 5 platform. The robot features a two-degree-of-freedom arm for accurate laser positioning, with exposure duration dynamically adjusted based on identified weed species to minimize energy consumption and protect neighboring crops and soil. Field trials in Vancouver, Canada, and Arusha, Tanzania, demonstrated the robot’s effectiveness, achieving weed removal success rates of 97% and 96%, respectively, in a maximum of 60 seconds targeting pigweed, purslane, and nutsedge. Designed to be cost-efficient and scalable, this innovative system offers an environmentally sustainable solution for effective weed management, significantly reducing herbicide use and enhancing weed targeting precision. This research underscores the dual benefits of integrating autonomous technology into agriculture, improving productivity and sustainability while protecting crop health and ecosystems.

Brittle stars are marine invertebrates that often dominate the seafloor. Their global distribution range and abundance make them useful as marine environmental bio-indicators. Despite their importance, however, there is limited availability of data on brittle star specimens in Japan. In this study, we focused on Sagami Bay, one of the oldest Japanese sea areas for the study of brittle stars, and organized the data of the specimens obtained there. This collection included specimens collected between 2005 and 2021, with a total of 738 samples, which were identified as 112 species. In this data set we ignored the duplication at each sampling site. All data are deposited in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) through the Japan Node of GBIF and are thus accessible through the GBIF portal under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. The complete data set for this abstract, published in the journal’s Data Paper section, is available in electronic format in MetaCat in JaLTER at http:/++++++(Scheduled to be obtained after acceptance).

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Grade Level: 2Lesson Title: Changing MatterDuration: 50 minutesFocus Area: Physical Science (States of Matter)

Industrial oil palm plantations threaten biodiversity in Southeast Asia, yet some native species are highly adaptable within these environments. Our study investigates the space use of leopard cats (Prionailurus javanensis) within oil palm plantations adjacent to degraded forest fragments in the Kinabatangan floodplain, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. From March to September 2020, we captured and collared four male cats with GPS collars, accumulating a total of 13,206 successful locational points. We estimated the home ranges using the Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and adaptative Localised Convex Hull (a-LoCoH) methods. The average home ranges were 8.60 km² ± 1.98 (± SD) [95% MCP] and 5.39 km² ± 1.23 [95% a-LoCoH], with corresponding core areas of 2.55 km² ± 0.99 (± SD) [50% MCP] and 1.05 km² ± 0.30 [50% a-LoCoH]. The home ranges of male leopard cats overlapped (7% to 28%), while core areas remained exclusive. Despite significant variations in individual habitat use, these cats were detected more frequently in oil palm habitat, occupying 80.89% of their home range and 78.38% of core area. Interestingly, they relied more on buffer zones contiguous to plantation area rather than adjacent secondary forests, highlighting the importance of preserving High Conservation Value (HCV) forests.

In this study, cyclic loading is applied to the specimen placed in an autoclave with varied hydrogen gas pressure. The effect of hydrogen pressure and stress fluctuations on the fatigue crack growth rate is analyzed. The results show that the crack growth rate increases with the increase of hydrogen pressure, and under 3 MPa hydrogen pressure, the crack growth rate can be enhanced by one order compared with that in air. With the increase of loading frequency, the crack propagation rate of a single block decreases in hydrogen, while the crack growth rate remains constant in air. As the maximum stress is fixed during cyclic loading, the fatigue crack growth rate increases with the stress range. Based on the experimental results, a predictive model is proposed to quantify the crack growth rate under different hydrogen pressure and loading conditions.

In response to climate change, alpine plants are migrating to higher altitudes and latitudes to track suitable habitats. In mountainous systems, plants may be trapped in limited areas at summits and unable to migrate further, a phenomenon termed ”nowhere to go.” To predict the responses to climate change of alpine plants in the Third Pole, the region with the highest flora, we used 4 endemic Lamiaceae alpine herbs as a model based on comprehensive data curation in the study area of the Third Pole (740 occurrence records) and 26 environmental variables using the Biomod2 ensemble model. The main results showed that the temperature–related climate factors dominate the shaping of species distribution and drive the range migration, in the future, Lamiaceae species are projected to migrate upwards and northward, and the Tibet Plateau (TP) is anticipated to become a migration destination for four Lamiaceae species, while the distribution of these species in the Hengduan Mountains is expected to decline significantly, indicating the stable and suitable areas at the summits of the Himalaya–Hengduan Mountains region (HHM) is crucial for ensuring the survival of alpine species amidst climate change. Our findings will not only help to improve our understanding of the impacts of climate change on alpine plants in the Third Pole, but will also provide a case study of ENM using a similar approach.

Island populations diverge from the mainland and from each other by both natural selection and neutral forces such as founder effects and genetic drift. In this work we aim to determine the relative roles of selection and drift in the diversification of chaffinches (Fringilla spp.) in Macaronesia. We tested the hypothesis that taxa inhabiting Macaronesian archipelagos, which exhibit significant differences in habitat and climate compared to the mainland, should experience distinct ecological pressures, leading to divergence at loci under selection related to environmental variables. To determine the role of local adaptation in the differentiation of these taxa, we performed genotype-environment association (GEA) analyses using ten environmental variables and 52,306 single-nucleotide polymorphism markers obtained from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) in 79 chaffinches. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that genomic variation is associated with environmental variables, and identified candidate genes related to phenotypic traits and environmental variables. Variables associated with habitat type and precipitation, together with drift, played an important role in the genomic differentiation between chaffinches from Macaronesia and the mainland, as well as within the Canarian archipelago. Genetic drift was identified as the main factor in the differentiation of North African chaffinches from Macaronesia and mainland Europe, as well as Madeira chaffinches from those in the Canary Islands. Finally, chaffinches from the Canary Islands show an incipient diversification process at the genetic and phenotypic level driven by both selection and neutral processes. Our results suggest that both habitat-driven local adaptation and drift have played a role in the radiation of chaffinch taxa in Macaronesia.

Assessing changes in the intensity of biotic interactions across environmental gradients is a central issue in ecology. The sentinel method has been widely adopted to study predator-prey interactions by establishing patches of prey under different conditions that predators can attack. Sentinels, proxies for prey, are frequently worm-shaped prey resembling caterpillars, with predation measured as the rate of disappearance or evidence of predation after a certain period of exposure. While it has been suggested that artificial sentinel prey might produce divergent results to live prey, previous studies showed mixed results in the difference between these two prey types. Results are likely to vary with context, and the assessment of different prey types along urban gradients is still lacking. Here, we performed an experiment at ten sites across a natural-to-urban gradient in Suzhou (East China) combining live prey and plasticine prey to determine differences in predation intensity between these prey types. We released 2,575 plasticine prey and 3,825 live prey, either separately (plasticine or live prey alone) or combined, in a randomized sequence. We found there was a positive our index of predation and level of urbanization. However, predation rate using artificial prey was lower than with live prey and showed a different pattern with urbanization. The predation rate using live prey was higher for avian predators and lower for insect predators with increasing urbanization rate. Our results suggest that artificial and live prey produce strongly divergent estimates of predation intensity. Thus, while artificial prey might be used as a rapid-screening tool, live prey should be favored in comprehensive studies to assess this fundamental ecosystem service.