Harlequin syndrome is characterized as ipsilateral loss of vasomotor and sudomotor function with contralateral hyperhidrosis and flushing in response to heat, exercise, or emotional stimuli caused by disruption to the sympathetic cervical chain. Here, we present a case of Harlequin syndrome in a 1-year-old male with subsequent identification of paraspinal neuroblastoma. Though Horner syndrome, another form of dysautonomia, has been associated with neuroblastoma, this is the first documentation of Harlequin syndrome with neuroblastoma in the English medical literature. Familiarity with the underlying anatomy and pathophysiology should be understood to prevent misdiagnosis in patients with potential early signs of neuroblastoma.

The Michaelis–Menten kinetic model was used for the evaluation of the kinetic of the nanozyme-mediated oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine over oxidase-like Ce/Fe-bimetallic nanozymes. To provide the quantitative and accurate values of kinetics parameters, Km and Vmax, the linear plot of Lineweaver–Burk was constructed. The results exhibited a Vmax as high as 67.56 nM min-1 for the oxidase-like Ce/Fe-bimetallic nanozymes. Besides, Km was found to be as low as 0.06 mM for the as-prepared nanozymes, revealing the high affinity of the nanozymes toward 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine. Moreover, the ratio Vmax/Km was estimated as a reliable index of catalytic efficiency of the nanozymes, revealing a high value of 1.0×10-3 min-1.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are used to assess progress in the fields of the environment, economy, and society. Although assessments conducted at national and international levels are popular, subnational research, especially on India, is less common. Using 84 accessible indicators (2021–2022), a comprehensive study of 15 SDGs was conducted across 103 districts in eight states in the northeastern region (NER) of India. Pearson’s correlation, hierarchical clustering, network analysis, input-oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA), inequality (using the Theil and Atkinson indices), and relative SDG scoring were performed using ‘R’. Four SDG groupings (environmental, social, economic, and socioeconomic) and individual SDGs at the overall, district, and state levels were analysed. The results showed that the SDGs were asynchronous and had significant inequalities among the NER districts, with SDG 13 showing the highest disparity and SDG 2 the lowest. Many districts performed worse socioeconomically, even when they had higher environmental scores. This study provided the first comprehensive multi-dimensional assessment of SDG progress across Northeast India at the district level, revealing critical disparities and complex interactions between environmental and socioeconomic goals. Finally, limitations in mitigating the drawbacks of the NER SDG framework were discussed, coupled with policy suggestions for environmental, societal, and economic aspects. The findings offered valuable insights for policymakers in designing targeted interventions, promoting balanced development, and addressing regional inequalities to achieve sustainable development in this ecologically sensitive and socioeconomically diverse region.

Participatory mapping is critical in assessing the evenness and diversity of ecosystem services (ES) to support sustainable livelihoods, land use planning, and forest management. It guarantees the integration of local perspectives, aids in identifying important service areas, and promotes balanced management techniques that harmonize ecological health with the objectives and requirements of the community. This study aims to track the public’s participation in Asia’s largest area of delicious swampy land, India’s Hijol Forest (also known as Tilason Forest). Based on the Common International Classification for Ecosystem Services framework, prior research, and local context, fourteen ES were chosen. The spatial interaction and identification of the ES bundle were done using both non-spatial (Principal Component Analysis and Correlation Analysis) and spatial methods (Shannon Diversity Index-SHDI and Simpson Evenness Index-SHEI, Spatial Auto-correlation, and Hotspot Analysis). According to the findings, of the 808 polygons mapped, the most common mapping service was fuelwood provisioning, with 115 polygons, while cognitive development services had the fewest, with 17 polygons. The greatest area was agricultural land (170.37 hectares), while the smallest was cognitive development (9.89 hectares). Fuelwood had the highest SHDI (0.28), while cognitive development and nutrition cycling had the lowest (0.08). Additionally, fuelwood had the most consistent distribution, according to SHEI (0.22). The forest and nearby wetlands had high diversity and evenness scores. Fuelwood and nutrition cycling had strong relationships (0.67), as did cognitive development and water regulation (0.94). Three bundles were found by PCA: cultural and recreational services, water and regulation, and provisioning and habitat. The results demonstrate that PPGIS-based ES assessments capture local knowledge effectively, revealing discrepancies between perceived and actual ES distribution. These findings inform adaptive management strategies, contributing to Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) related to environmental conservation, poverty alleviation, and inclusive decision-making.

Golden jackals (Canis aureus) have rapidly expanded their range across Europe, raising ecological and socioeconomic concerns. As a highly vocal species, jackals can be monitored using acoustic surveys, such as howl surveys or passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), to estimate population sizes and habitat preferences. A recent advancement in PAM is acoustic localisation, which estimates the source of sounds by measuring the time differences of their arrival at multiple synchronised recorders. This technique can improve the accuracy of population and density estimates by more precisely calculating distances between jackals and recorders. However, GPS-synchronised acoustic recorders are costly, which limits their broader use. In this study, we tested the efficacy of a low-cost recorder, the CARACAL, for acoustic localisation of golden jackals. We deployed ten CARACALs over a 10km2 area of the Lunca Mureşului Natural Park, Romania for seven nights. Alongside passively recording jackal howls, we also conducted howl surveys. We recorded jackal howls on every night of the survey and successfully localised 27 jackal and 16 human howl events, with human howls being localised to within an average of 41 m of their actual location. The average distance between the recorders and localised jackal howls was just under 1 km, with howls being detected from as far as 2.5 km away. However, some jackal howls were not detected by active recorders that were as little as 0.9 km away. Based on these results, we recommend a conservative spacing of 0.8-1 km between recorders in future deployments. Overall, this study highlights acoustic localisation as a valuable tool for improving monitoring efforts and gathering more detailed data on jackal ecology. This information could significantly contribute to understanding their expanding range across Europe, while informing the development of effective monitoring and management strategies for golden jackals.

Enclosure is one of the important methods used to restore grassland ecosystems. Locusts and grasshoppers constitute an important component of grassland ecosystems, and their abundance is closely related to changes in their habitat. However, currently, the response in abundance of grassland locusts and grasshoppers within short-term enclosure mode and the underlying ecological mechanisms remains unclear. In this study, a three-year short-term enclosure experiment was conducted on a natural grassland in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang, China. According to the results of this study, the diversity of locusts and grasshoppers increased in each grassland type after short-term enclosure. As altitude increased from the temperate desert steppes to the mountain meadows, vegetation cover presented a “decreasing-increasing” trend, and the number of locusts and grasshoppers per unit quadrat showed a “decreasing-increasing-decreasing” trend. As a result of increased vegetation cover and altitude and decreased latitude, the community structure of locusts and grasshoppers shifted from a decrease in terricoles species such as the Sphingonotus species to an increase in phytophilous species like Omocestus petraeus. In contrast to the results of a study performed in the same area 40 years ago, this survey showed that four species of locusts and grasshoppers including Gomphocerus sibiricus shifted toward higher altitudes, causing changes in the community structure of locusts and grasshoppers at higher altitudes; and that Stauroderus scalaris scalaris replaced Gomphocerus sibiricus and evolved into a high-altitude dominant species; and while Pararcyptera microptera microptera shifted toward low altitudes.

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is the largest terrestrial carnivore in Iran with a rapidly shrinking range. In this study, we assembled the most comprehensive and up-to-date distribution dataset of brown bears in Iran. We applied Species Distribution Models (SDMs)and corridor mapping to identify this charismatic mammal’s suitable habitats and its corridors across the Zagros and Alborz mountains to ensure this Endangered charismatic large carnivore in Iran. We also estimated protected areas coverage for the species’ suitable habitats. Our data confirmed the presence of the species in 22 of 31 provinces of the country. The total suitable area for the species is 347,728 km2. We showed that significant parts of the suitable areas, 77%, of the brown bear’s suitable habitats, are located outside of the protected areas network. Slope and vegetation were the most important variables shaping the species distribution, and dense forests in the absence of mountain areas are not suitable for the species. Alborz ecoregion in north Iran is the main central habitat for brown bears due to its continuity and integration. The data showed that 93.2% of the Alborz mountains in the north are composed of suitable habitats, however, only 6.4% of this area was legally protected. We encourage conservation and regular monitoring of the high-priority habitats and corridors identified in this study to ensure this Endangered and umbrella mammal species’ long-term survival in Iran.

Text-to-speech (TTS) models have expanded the scope of digital inclusivity by becoming a basis for assistive communication technologies for visually impaired people, facilitating language learning, and allowing for digital textual content consumption in audio form across various sectors. Despite these benefits, the full potential of TTS models is often not realized for the majority of low-resourced African languages because they have traditionally required large amounts of high-quality single-speaker recordings, which are financially costly and time-consuming to obtain. In this paper, we demonstrate that crowdsourced recordings can help overcome the lack of single-speaker data by compensating with data from other speakers of similar intonation (how the voice rises and falls in speech). We fine-tuned an English Variational Inference with adversarial learning for an end-to-end Text-to-Speech (VITS) model on over 10 hours of speech from six female Common Voice (CV) speech data speakers for Luganda and Kiswahili. A human mean opinion score evaluation on 100 test sentences shows that the model trained on six speakers sounds more natural than the benchmark models trained on two speakers and a single speaker for both languages. In addition to careful data curation, this approach shows promise for advancing speech synthesis in the context of low-resourced African languages. Our final models for Luganda and Kiswahili are available at https://huggingface.co/marconilab/VITS-commonvoice-females.

Ballistic seed dispersal (ballochory) involves the autonomous explosive release of seeds from adult plants. The unconventional physical mechanism of this strategy has understandably drawn scientific attention. There has been a bias toward researching physiological and physical aspects of ballistic plants, with the evolutionary ecology being comparatively neglected. Although ballochory is represented in 23 plant families, it has never become common. This fact should invite curiosity regarding the selective pressures that encourage its evolution. As a stimulus to this, we collate existing evidence into an initial hypothesis regarding ecological situations in which ballochory would be selected in the context of costs that can explain its rarity. We suggest that ballochory might be selected for in plants experiencing high predation from specialised predators on and/or directly underneath the parental canopy. Moving forward, we suggest experimental manipulations to test this hypothesis and promote a research agenda in the field of ballistic seed dispersal that illuminates its intriguing evolution.

Leaping to Diagnosis: The Frog Sign as a Key Clue in AVNRTAuthors: Andreas Müssigbrodt1, Maria Herrera Bethencourt1, Romain Vergier1, Marinela Blidar1, Alberto Alfie2

Abstract:

INTESTINAL PERFORATION SECONDARY TO BORTEZOMIB INDUCED AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY

Dynamic filtering is crucial in various applications, including imaging, communication, and biological detection. With advancements in micro-nano device fabrication, there is a growing demand for enhanced filtering performance. This paper presents a near-infrared single-wavelength tunable filter that utilizes polymer-dispersed liquid crystal combined with a Fabry-Perot resonant cavity. The device achieves a transmittance of 99% at 927 nm with a 24 nm full width at half maximum. Ultizing the electro - optical tunable properties of Dielectric layer, the transmission wavelength can be tuned from 913 to 969 nm by altering external voltage to it, resulting in a wavelength shift of 56 nm while maintaining high transmittance. This structure provides a reference for the dynamic control of light sensors and near-infrared dynamic imaging.

The estimation of the pose of surgical instruments is important in Robot-assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery (RMIS) to assist surgical navigation and enable autonomous robotic task execution. The performance of current instrument pose estimation methods deteriorates significantly in the presence of partial tool visibility, occlusions, and changes in the surgical scene. In this work, a vision-based framework is proposed for markerless estimation of the 6DoF pose of surgical instruments. To deal with partial instrument visibility, a keypoint object representation is used and stable and accurate instrument poses are computed using a PnP solver. To boost the learning process of the model under occlusion, a new mask-based data augmentation approach has been proposed. To validate our model, a dataset for instrument pose estimation with highly accurate ground truth data has been generated using different surgical robotic instruments. The proposed network can achieve submillimeter accuracy and our experimental results verify its generalisability to different shapes of occlusion.

Rewiring, the ability of species to establish new interactions or reorganize existing ones, is important in the persistence of ecological networks under human-driven environmental changes, such as habitat loss, climate change, and species extinctions. In this paper, we (1) review the current state of knowledge regarding studies that investigate rewiring in mutualistic interactions; (2) identify important caveats and research gaps; and (3) explore rewiring in the interactions between vertebrates and fruiting plants by proposing and recommending a comprehensive list of mechanisms that may either facilitate or limit rewiring, that should be considered in future research. We argue that, while rewiring is often viewed as a flexible response driven by species abundances, co-occurrence and morphological matching, this perspective oversimplifies the complexity of ecological and evolutionary processes shaping the reorganization of mutualisms. For instance, intraspecific variation in traits, fruit chemistry, competition dynamics, the role of rare or infrequent interactions, forbidden links, and alternative modes of seed dispersal all have the potential to determine the likelihood and ecological consequences of rewiring, and should be considered in future studies. Additionally, we highlight how methodological issues, such as biased or incomplete sampling, can difficult our understanding of rewiring potential. By integrating these overlooked elements, we propose a more comprehensive approach for predicting how mutualistic networks will respond to current and future environmental change. This deeper understanding is essential for designing effective conservation strategies with the aims at understanding the resilience and functionality of ecosystems.

The evolution of complex language models has increasingly focused on enhancing the semantic coherence and contextual retention necessary for processing sophisticated linguistic structures over extended sequences. Traditional embedding techniques, while effective for straightforward applications, often fail to maintain fidelity across varying contexts and lengthy inputs, where semantic drift and interpretive degradation become pronounced. Introducing Semantic Depth Redistribution, a novel approach to embedding design, redefines contextual embedding preservation by redistributing semantic weight across hierarchical layers, enabling a balanced interpretative consistency within language models. Through this adaptive layering mechanism, the model achieves high degrees of coherence in multi-layer embeddings, preserving intricate semantic connections that traditional architectures tend to overlook. Extensive experimentation demonstrates that this redistributive framework not only enhances fidelity but also improves computational efficiency, showing considerable reductions in memory consumption and processing time without sacrificing output quality. The results demonstrate the practical potential of Semantic Depth Redistribution to address common challenges in contextual retention, offering a robust technique for improving large-scale language models in applications that demand high levels of interpretative accuracy and resource efficiency. The findings suggest promising implications for the continued refinement of embedding methodologies in computational language models.

IntroductionNLP is an inflammatory, relatively rare disorder involving mainly the nail matrix, frequently having its onset in adulthood and generally involving one or more nails or toenails [1]. The management of NLP is not easy due to a high rate of failures after therapy and few therapeutic options, especially when the process reaches the stage of dorsal pterygium [1]. Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are potential therapeutic targets for inflammatory skin diseases. They have been demonstrated to suppress both type-1 and type-2 cytokines and decrease the immune response, leading to inflammation [2]. This paper reports a case of severe NLP showing a good response to the JAK inhibitor (Tofacitinib).

Elevated temperature often coincides with drought events, which is widely considered as a primary driver of hydraulic failure. Here, we analyze the associations among climatic factors, woody structural traits and hydraulic traits based on a data set comprising over 4,000 observations from 1990 to 2023. The structural equation model (SEM) revealed that both mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean annual temperature (MAT) exhibited positive effects on specific hydraulic conductance (Ks, effects: 0.06 and 0.96) and negative effects on embolism resistance (-P50, effects: -0.30 and -0.26). Additionally, we compared structural and hydraulic traits across seven major biomes. The results indicated that tropical forests exhibited higher Ks and lower -P50, accompanied by significantly larger conduit diameter (D) and lower conduit densities (Dens) compared to other biomes. Furthermore, along the hydraulic efficiency and safety axis, evergreens tended to favor safety, while deciduous species leaned towards hydraulic efficiency, with 16.48% evergreen observations occupying a high hydraulic safety pattern (-P50>5MPa). Moreover, stronger relationships between the structural traits of evergreen plants and climatic factors were observed compared to deciduous species. In conclusion, we emphasize that elevated temperature may hinder structural adaptation to drought, ultimately leading to hydraulic failure and forest mortality.

This case report describes a Thoroughbred broodmare presented for colic and pyrexia. The mare had a history of repeated urinary tract infections, placentitis, abortion and endotoxaemia. A diagnosis of bilateral subcapsular renal haematoma was made by ultrasonography and standing laparoscopy and confirmed on post-mortem. Trauma, clotting disorder, and neoplasia were ruled out as a cause of the bleeding. However, histopathology revealed severe, diffuse, acute fibrinosuppurative tubulointerstitial nephritis with degeneration of vascular walls, suggesting that this has caused renal bleeding and development of subcapsular hematomas.

The study introduces a computational method that combines Legendre polynomials with Gauss-Lobatto points to solve nonlinear coupled differential equations, focusing on the Williamson fluid model with the existence of mixed convection and permeability under mixed boundary conditions. The nonlinear governing equations were transformed to ordinary differential equation (ODE) from partial differential equation (PDE), applying the appropriate similarity conversions. By using Legendre polynomials as trial functions and collocating residual equations with Gauss-Lobatto points, the system is solved with Mathematical software. The technique was validated by comparing the obtained solution with an existing literature and further validation was done with Runge-Kutta of order 4 via shooting method. Validation against the Shooting Runge-Kutta method showed minimal discrepancies, confirming the method’s accuracy. Graphical analysis indicated that an increase in the Grashof number enhances velocity, while higher porosity raises temperature but reduces fluid velocity. This approach offers an efficient and precise solution for complex nonlinear equations, with broader potential applications in fluid dynamics.

Addressing the issues of slow reaching speed in traditional sliding mode control, which leads to slow response and low precision when applied in synchronous Buck converters. A method of nonlinear anti-saturation sliding mode active disturbance rejection control is proposed. First, the traditional sliding mode surface function and conventional reaching law were modified by introducing nonlinear and saturation functions to construct an optimal control law. Next, the fal function in the extended state observer and nonlinear error feedback control law was replaced by the optimal control law, completing the optimization of the nonlinear anti-saturation sliding mode active disturbance rejection control. This approach enhances dynamic response performance and improves disturbance rejection capabilities. Finally, a corresponding model was built on the MATLAB/Simulink simulation platform. The results show that the settling time is 138 µs, and the recovery time after a sudden load is 200 µs. Experimental validation also confirms that the proposed method exhibits faster adjustment time and stronger disturbance rejection capabilities when the speed command changes under sudden load conditions.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a pivotal gaseous signalling molecule in plants, which plays a pivotal role in the regulation of plant growth, development and stress response to the external environment and other life activities. A comprehensive understanding of nitric oxide synthase facilitates the comprehension of the intricate network of signalling within the organism, which is of paramount importance for the investigation of physiological processes such as plant growth and development and response to adversity. Accordingly, this paper employs bibliometrics to statistically analyse the international literature on the nitric oxide synthesis pathway in plants usied CiteSpace 6.3.R1. The analysis encompasses the trend and distribution of publications, research topics and development directions, research characteristics and shortcomings, and future innovations and breakthroughs. The results demonstrated a gradual increase in the number of internationally published literature from 1998 to 2024. At the time of the search, the number of publications in the WOS database placed China first among global countries. The majority of studies on plant nitric oxide synthase were published in journals such as Molecules and Journal of Ethnopharmacology. On an international level, the primary focus is on nitric oxide, nitric oxide synthase, expression, oxidative stress and other characteristic indicators. In comparison, the number of publications on plant nitric oxide synthase is relatively lower than in other areas, yet the number of citations is higher. The subsequent objective should be to enhance the depth of research in order to facilitate a breakthrough and thereby augment the impact of this field.

Clubroot disease caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae is one of the most devastating diseases affecting cruciferous crops. P. brassicae is an obligate biotrophic protist that parasitizes plant roots, which limits research on this pathogen. Jasmonic acid (JA)-mediated resistance pathways play a significant role in plant resistance to clubroot. However, how P. brassicae overcomes this resistance remains unclear. In this study, an effector from P. brassicae, PBRA_006697, was identified, which is highly conserved across various isolates of P. brassicae and is highly expressed during the early stages of secondary infection. Heterologous expression of PBRA_006697 in Arabidopsis thaliana demonstrated that PBRA_006697 can inhibit the JA resistance signaling pathway while promoting the occurrence of clubroot disease. Furthermore, using yeast two-hybrid (Y2H), bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC), and firefly luciferase complementation imaging assays, PBRA_006697 was found to interact with the A. thaliana B-BOX transcription factor BBX24. Subsequent studies demonstrated that PBRA_006697 can destabilize BBX24 via the 26S proteasome degradation pathway. Finally, the incidence of clubroot disease and the JA signaling pathway in bbx24 mutants and overexpression lines were examined, revealing that BBX24 positively regulates the JA signaling pathway and the resistance of A. thaliana to clubroot. In summary, this study reveals a novel mechanism by which P. brassicae inhibits plant immunity, thereby enriching our understanding of its pathogenic mechanisms.

Kidney diseases, characterized by renal dysfunction, are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Preventing and treating kidney diseases is important for reducing their associated morbidity and mortality. Moderate physical exercise has been recognized to be advantageous for kidney health. Irisin is an exercise-induced myokine identified in 2012. It plays an important role in energy and bone metabolism, oxidative stress reduction, anti-inflammatory processes, prevention of cell death, and cardiovascular protection. However, the relationship between irisin and kidney disease has not been fully elucidated. This review explores the role of irisin as a biomarker in the diagnosis of kidney diseases and their associated complications, elucidating the mechanisms through which it participates in various cell death pathways, such as apoptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis and ferroptosis. Furthermore, the levles of irisin secretion are discussed to provide a basis for the preventing and treating kidney diseases, as well as therapeutic guidance for developing new and promising intervention strategies.