The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized wetland specialist threatened felid with limited knowledge base on behavior and ecology. We carried out comprehensive analysis of its diet within a human-dominated landscape in southern Nepal, analyzing scat samples through microscopic analysis and DNA metabarcoding. The microscopic analysis revealed that mammals, primarily rodents, constituted the largest proportion of fishing cat diet (61.73% frequency of occurrence (FO)) followed by birds (43.21% FO) fish (24.69% FO) and reptiles (19.75% FO). However, DNA metabarcoding documented fish as the main diet (70% FO), followed by mammals (63.33% FO) and birds (30% FO). Our findings demonstrate that, fish alone is not a major food source of fishing cats indicate their role to regulate rodents and birds that damages the farm crops. The trophic niche breadth (0.68) shows the fishing cats a diet generalist. We recommend launching awareness programs and programs promoting integrated fish cum paddy farming among fish farmers within the fishing cat range, benefiting both farmers and fishing cat populations. Additionally, targeted conservation measures such as controlling physical and chemical pollution in agricultural and wetland sites are essential to mitigate threats to fishing cat populations. Prioritizing wetland health should be a central strategy in conservation efforts, which will benefit not only fishing cat, but also many co-distributed species.

Marine ecosystems are undergoing rapid changes, including rising temperatures and more frequent extreme climatic events. Currently, the consequences of these phenomena heavily impact the structure and functioning of marine communities, especially benthic ones. Studying how key species respond to environmental change has become essential, as local biodiversity depends on their ecological conservation status. Although the effects of climatic and anthropogenic stressors on many of these crucial habitat-formers have been extensively studied, there is limited information on their dispersive early life stages, which are fundamental to population survival. The performance response of the endemic coral Astroides calycularis to various realistic stressful conditions (heat spikes, marine heatwaves, and marine heatwaves followed by a drop in salinity) was explored by measuring life-history traits (mortality) and dispersal traits (larval duration and settlement rate) over time. The results indicate that increasing temperatures and decreasing salinity significantly impair the species’ performance, leading to accelerated metabolism, quicker settlement rates, and increased mortality. Such findings are crucial for understanding and predicting species distribution and population dynamics under current and future environmental change scenarios. They are also vital for conserving Mediterranean biodiversity associated with this endemic habitat-former.

Named entity matching plays a critical role in data integration tasks, where the challenge lies in accurately identifying and linking records that refer to the same real-world entities across disparate data sources. The novel integration of Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) for optimizing hyperparameter tuning in fine-tuning language models, such as Mistral, presents a significant advancement in enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of entity matching. The research focuses on leveraging Mistral LLM to identify subtle variations in ransomware-related entities, showcasing the effectiveness of MCTS in systematically exploring the hyperparameter space to achieve optimal model configurations. Extensive experimentation demonstrated the superiority of the fine-tuned model over traditional approaches, including rule-based systems and support vector machines, in terms of precision, recall, and F1-score. The study also involved a detailed error analysis and sensitivity analysis, highlighting the critical impact of hyperparameter selection on model performance and the ability of MCTS to streamline the optimization process. The findings provide valuable insights into the potential of combining advanced search techniques with language models to address complex entity matching tasks in various domains.

Home Field Advantage hypothesis predicts greater litter decomposition at home than away. But, usually fails to account for site-specific variation in litter decomposition especially in hyperdiverse forest, suggesting existence of other mechanisms. Alternatively, plant apparency hypothesis (PAH) posits that dominant species litter decomposes faster than that from rare species. We examined these hypotheses with reciprocal litter transplant experiments within tropical rainforests along 100 km in SW China with litter sourced from dominant, common, and rare species by using two mesh sizes (0.15-mm and 2-mm) to control decomposer community composition access into the litterbag. Litter beneath dominant species decomposed faster than litter under rare species regardless of its source. Moreover, dominant species litter decomposed faster than that of rare species. PAH occurred only in coarse mesh regardless of litter quality or soil nutrient levels, highlighting soil fauna activity controls on PAH. This research underscores dominant species influence on nutrient cycling.

Anthropogenic pressures like ocean warming, acidification, rising N:P ratios, and marine heatwaves are affecting eukaryotic plankton diversity, though their combined impacts are rarely studied. To address this, we conducted a mesocosm experiment on a North Sea plankton community, testing the influence of a marine heatwave under ambient and future environmental conditions. Using 18S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we found that global change generally reduced protist diversity, in particular that of phototrophic organisms. While heterotrophs were largely unaffected by heatwaves, phototrophic diversity declined especially during cooling and only recovered under ambient conditions. Global change shifted the community from nano- to pico-sized phototrophs and increased harmful algae bloom species and parasites, while heatwaves elevated marine ochrophytes. The coccolithophore Gephyrocapsa oceanica thrived under both stressors. Our findings suggest that changing baseline conditions and extreme events can differentially impact heterotrophic and phototrophic diversity, with potential consequences for the metabolic balance of eukaryotic plankton communities.

This study investigated zooplankton distribution in Lake Dianchi, focusing on river mouths and their ecological conditions, using environmental DNA (eDNA) technology. It analyzed zooplankton diversity during the dry and wet seasons, employing alpha and beta diversity indices to assess community differences. A total of 24 species from 22 genera and 17 families across two phyla were identified, with Arthropoda (54%) and Rotifera (46%) dominating. Daphniaceae made up 20.8% of arthropods. β-diversity analysis showed a 37% difference between seasons and significant differences between estuaries: 61.4% in the dry season and 42.1% in the wet season. Eucyclops macruroides dominated peri-urban estuaries, while Arctodiaptomus altissimus pectinatus prevailed in urban, agricultural, and central lake areas. Redundancy analysis identified total nitrogen (TN) as the main factor affecting zooplankton diversity, with the highest TN levels in suburban estuaries. The findings provide insights for ecological restoration efforts in Lake Dianchi estuaries.

INTRODUCTIONHeyde Syndrome is a rare condition characterized by a classical triad of Aortic Stenosis, Angiodysplasia of the Gastrointestinal tract often manifesting as Gastrointestinal bleeding and acquired Von Willebrand factor deficiency1,2. Although described by Edward Heyde in 1958, the exact pathophysiology and prevalence are still not clear. This condition is thought to be underreported due to a lack of clinical suspicion and the absence of diagnostic modalities in countries with less equipped health infrastructures. It is more commonly diagnosed at ages over 65 years. Although definite protocols for the management of Heyde Syndrome have not been defined, it has been observed that correction of Aortic Stenosis, with medical and endoscopic interventions for angiodysplasias provides a favorable result3.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Crown rot caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum remains a significant global challenge to wheat production. In this study, the role of FpCBS in F. pseudograminearum were investigated by creating deletion mutants and assessing their impacts on hydrogen sulfide (H 2S) production, oxidative stress adaptation, and pathogenicity, supported by transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Deletion of FpCBS resulted in a significant reduction in H 2S production, accompanied by increased levels of homocysteine and cysteine, suggesting the importance of FpCBS for H 2S biosynthesis. Furthermore, Δ Fpcbs mutants displayed diminished pathogenicity and decreased resistance to H 2O 2. Also, Δ Fpcbs mutants correlated with reduced catalase activity. Transcriptomic data revealed altered gene expression related to oxidative stress and virulence, including genes encoding cell wall-degrading enzymes, mycotoxins, and polyketides. Altogether, we proposed that F. pseudograminearum uses CBS-dependent H 2S production to facilitate host infection, adaptation to host-induced oxidative stress, and synthesis of virulence factors. These findings highlight the potential of FpCBS as a novel target for developing strategies to control wheat crown rot.

Clinical Letters to the Editor

A document by Ameer Awashra. Click on the document to view its contents.

INTRODUCTIONThe maxillary first molar is one of the most commonly treated teeth in endodontic due to its complex anatomy, which has intrigued clinicians for a long time. The primary goal of endodontic therapy is the accurate identification, thorough cleaning and shaping, and three-dimensional obturation of the entire root canal system.(1) Failure to detect additional roots or canals can lead to endodontic treatment failure.(2)Typically, maxillary molars are described as having three roots and three canals, with one canal in each root. However, studies have shown considerable variation in the number and configuration of root canals in these teeth. The occurrence of a third canal in the mesiobuccal root (MB3) of the maxillary first molar is rare, with a reported incidence ranging from 1.1% to 1.6%.(3,4) Similarly, the presence of a second canal in the distobuccal root (DB2) has been reported in 1.7% of cases.(5)This clinical report presents a rare case of a maxillary first molar with six root canals. Successful identification and treatment of all root canals in this patient were confirmed through the use of 20-degree horizontally angulated radiographs, aided by magnification with loupes.

PL-based external radiative efficiency (ERE) and implied open-circuit voltage (iV OC) metrics were introduced for thin-film solar absorbers to better understand the voltage deficit and diagnose losses in solar cells. Traditionally, elevated ERE and iV OC measurements are associated with diminished recombination within the solar device, a rationale heavily reliant on the assumption of a uniform bandgap and high carrier mobilities in the absorber. In this study, we investigate the possible reasons of elevated iV OC in realistic CdSeTe absorbers with a graded Se profile. By employing light-induced transient grating measurements, we reveal that hole mobility significantly decreases—by more than an order of magnitude—with increasing Se content. Using detailed numerical models of iV OC, we examine how the bandgap nonuniformity and the reduced hole mobility within graded CdSeTe absorbers influence iV OC measurements. We show that high iV OC may result from inflated quasi-Fermi-level splitting in the front region of a CdSeTe absorber with slow hole transport. Based on our results, we conclude that the iV OC metric (or ERE metric) for graded CdSeTe devices may be misleading, is not suitable for quantitative assessments, and should not be used as a sole metric of absorber quality. We discuss possible ways to extract useful information from the iV OC–V OC gap by supplementing the front-side illumination measurements with back-side illumination measurements.

Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOEC) offer advantages in efficiency and energy utilization, making them a focal point of research in the hydrogen energy field. SOEC performance is closely tied to the support structure type, operating temperature, and feedstock atmosphere ratio, which are key areas of current research. However, the high-temperature, enclosed operational environment of SOEC results in costly research. In contrast, numerical simulations provide advantages in cost and ease of operation. This study uses Matlab/Simulink software to develop a mass-energy balance analysis model for Anode Supported Cells (ASC) and Electrolyte Supported Cells (ESC). The model examines the thermal balance and energy consumption of each component within a 30-cell stack and the system, including BOP components, and investigates the impact of operating temperature and H2/H2O feedstock mixture ratio on system efficiency, providing valuable reference for future system design. The results indicate that, compared to ASC stacks, ESC stacks are more significantly affected by temperature. When the temperature is increased from 750°C to 850°C, the electrolysis voltage decreases by 49.8% for ESC and 13.8% for ASC. In terms of system analysis, the efficiency of the ASC system decreases with increasing temperature, while the efficiency of the ESC30 system increases with temperature. This phenomenon can be attributed to the higher waste heat power generated by the ESC stack, which reduces the electrical energy consumption of the electric heater. In this analysis, the optimal operating conditions for system efficiency were found in the ASC30 system, with an operating temperature of 750°C and an H2/H2O mixture ratio of 0.1/0.9, achieving a system efficiency of 68.7%.

This paper introduces a new design method for a high-power density GaN MMIC amplifier operating in the Ku-band. A thermal model to investigate the thermal distribution of power amplifiers is proposed to achieve optimal performance in terms of power density, chip size and channel temperature. The thermal distribution of a single device, an eight-way parallel device combination, and the entire PA layout are obtained by finite element simulation. The channel temperature characteristics of the single device, eight-way parallel device combination, and the entire PA are compared under pulse excitation. The thermal coupling effects of high-power MMICs are analyzed in detail. The thermal resistances are extracted from the simulation to design a Ku-band amplifier. Measurement results demonstrate that the designed amplifier achieves 43.0-44.2 dBm output power and 22.7-34.5% PAE at 28 V drain voltage with a 100 µs pulse width and 10% duty cycle within 12-18 GHz. The proposed design method enables the amplifier to have a compact layout of 10.88 mm 2 and a power density between 1.84 W/mm and 2.42 W/mm. This design method can offer valuable insights for future development of high-power MMIC amplifiers.

In this work, the synthesis and characterization of the oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) activated carbon were studied for battery electrodes application. First, chemical activation carried out by variation concentrations and immersion time of NaOH and KOH. Then, the physical activation was studied using variation of activation temperature. The characterization of OPEFB activated carbon investigated on the surface morphology, surface area and the capacitance specific. Moreover, we designed, assembled and measured the electricity potential of the battery prototype. The activator solution of KOH 2 M showed the highest surface area of 354.25 m 2g -1, capacitance specific of 116.78 F.g -1, and potential of 1.17 V. Furthermore, the optimal immersion time was 18 hours with the highest surface area of 380.28 m 2g -1, capacitance specific of 96.57 F g -1, and the potential of 1.05 V. Finally, the optimal activation temperature is 900 oC which showed with the highest surface area 334.28 m 2g -1, capacitance specific of 96.41 F.g -1, and the potential of 1.12 V. Based on this report, OPEFB activated carbon can be used as the battery electrodes due to the carbon properties.

The Chinese bahaba (Bahaba taipingensis) is a critically endangered species found in the coastal waters of the South China Sea, which has garnered significant attention due to its ecological, economic, and medicinal value. In this study, we present a high-quality genome assembly of the Chinese bahaba. By employing a combination of Hifi, Nanopore UL and Hi-C data, we assembled 686.86 Mb genome sequences, consisting of 83 contigs with a contig N50 of 30.02 Mb. Then, the initial assembly was further anchored onto 24 chromosomes, of which only 2 chromosomes have gaps. The enrichment analysis of expanded gene families revealed the immune system characteristics in Sciaenidae fish and Chinese bahaba. Notably, the fibrinogen complex of expanded gene families in Chinese bahaba, along with multiple GO terms related to ion binding, suggested potential roles in coagulation processes. An analysis of selection pressure revealed 47 fast-evolving genes, including tcn2 and cd44, which may participate in hematopoiesis. The RNA-seq data from 9 tissues indicated the higher expression level of col1a1 and col1a2 in swim bladder, which may contribute to the massive collagen deposition. The assembled genome and transcriptome will provide insights into the genetic basis of key biological traits, population genetics, and evolutionary history.

Natural products with high oxidation states and complex chemical skeletons exhibit diverse bioactivities due to their unique interactions with biological targets. The high oxidation state is characterized by the presence of multiple oxygen-containing functional groups such as hydroxyl groups, carbonyl groups, and epoxides that are usually tough to construct selectively. In recent years, thanks to the development of efficient strategies and sophisticated methodologies, significant advancements have been made in the total syntheses of highly oxidized natural products (HONPs), which are reviewed herein.

A thorough and precise comprehension understanding of the HIV epidemic is crucial for effective HIV prevention and control. We used Estimation and Projection Package (EPP)/Spectrum software to update the estimates of the overall HIV burden in China in 2018 from the obtained data from more than 1800 HIV sentinel surveillance sites, population-based seroprevalence surveys, and HIV screening of antenatal clinics and pre-marital medical check-ups across the country. In 2018, the total number of PLWH adults in China was estimated to be 1·23 million, corresponding to approximately 106.5/100,000. Over a half PLWH (58·6%) were infected through heterosexual contact, about one-third (30·2%) through male-to-male transmission, 9·0% through IDU, and 2·3% due to former plasma donation. In recent years, the number of new infections through blood donation has been eliminated, and the number of infections through injecting drug use has been kept low. Sexual contact became the predominant transmission route, while casual sexual contact became increasingly common. Overall, HIV mortality has been steadily increasing and has recently begun to decline during 2012-2018. The number of deaths from HIV/AIDS in 2018 was approximately 35 000 (95% UI: 30 000-41 000). The number of estimated PLWH in China has exceeded one million, due to the ongoing occurrence of new infections and longer survival rates. HIV transmission through blood products has been eradicated. Casual sex has become a significant mode of transmission. It is recommended to enhance the implementation of strategies and measures for sexual communication in the general population and to bolster multidisciplinary research.

Abstract Phencyclidine (PCP), a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, is known to produce schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans, including positive and negative symptoms as well as cognitive dysfunction. Moreover, acute administration of PCP can emulate corresponding behavioral symptoms in rodents. We investigated the effect of PCP and the possible rescuing potential of typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs (APDs) in vitro on spontaneously active neuronal networks. To this end, murine primary cortical cells were cultured on microelectrode arrays (MEAs). Concentration-response curves of PCP ranging from 0.01 to 200 µM were generated and network spike and burst rate as well as burst peak firing rate (PFR) and burst duration was measured in stable two-minute recordings. Measurements were done with and without pre-incubation with the APDs aripiprazole, clozapine, and haloperidol. We found a concentration-dependent network activity suppression reflected by a decrease in captured spike rate and network PFR upon PCP application relative to baseline. Preexposure with any of the three APDs mediated a right-shift of the PCP concentration-response curve (spike rate, PFR). However, as assessed by their IC50 values and Hill coefficients, the atypical APDs aripiprazole and clozapine exhibited a 20- to 30-fold protective potency—higher than the typical APD haloperidol (6-fold). In summary, a disruptive network effect of PCP as well as a protection by APDs could be demonstrated in the order of potency: clozapine > aripiprazole >> haloperidol. We propose this simple, noninvasive setup as a plausible electrophysiological model for testing current and future pharmaceuticals against schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Background and Purpose: D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) has been developed as a chemogenetic tool to precisely manipulate redox levels in tissues and cells by generating H2O2 in the presence of D-amino acids. The enzyme’s significant oxygen consumption during H2O2 production may influence cellular oxygen levels. We set out to explore if DAO activation results in hypoxia, which in turn alters the activity of the cellular oxygen sensors that are prolyl-4-hydroxylase domain enzymes and thus the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway. Experimental Approach: We analyzed oxygen consumption rate (OCR), pericellular oxygen concentration, and HIF-1α stabilization in HEK293 cells stably overexpressing DAO in either the cytoplasm or mitochondrial matrix. The obtained experimental data were used to test whether a simple mathematical model can be used to predict oxygen levels. Key Result: Using HEK293 cells expressing DAO in either the cytoplasm or mitochondrial matrix, we found a dose-dependent increase in OCR upon stimulating the DAO reaction, which resulted in a decreased pericellular O2. Correspondingly, HIF-1α protein levels were stabilized over time, reflecting the biological cellular response to DAO-induced hypoxia. Furthermore, we provide a spreadsheet with a simplified diffusion model that allows users to input experimental parameters and assess the risk of hypoxic conditions in cell cultures. Conclusion and Implications: High DAO activity can induce hypoxia due to increased oxygen consumption. Caution should be taken to prevent hypoxic conditions in cell culture experiments while using DAO. The provided spreadsheet is intended to help control oxygen levels in combination with OCR measurements.

As stream habitats change from upstream to downstream, choice of spawning redd sites by brown trout may shift as habitat availability changes. In a previous study, we examined the importance of overhead cover in redd site selection. Here, we examined spawning site habitat use and selection by brown trout by assessing physical characteristics at redd sites in a 4.8-km reach of Garvin Brook during each of five spawning seasons, 2016–2020. We measured redd dimensions, water depths, and current velocities, and compared these among four separate sections (900–1900 m in length) of the stream. We also assessed available habitats within each section to examine possible selection of habitats by spawning trout, plus quantified the size distribution of gravel substrate at redd sites within two stream sections. Habitat availability varied dramatically among stream sections. After analyzing 1844 redds from the five spawning seasons, brown trout displayed strong selection for water depths between 10 and 29 cm and current velocities between 10 and 49 cm/sec when choosing redd locations. Preferred/selected water depths and current velocities increased by 7 cm and 10 cm/sec, respectively, between upstream and downstream sections. All redds were placed in gravel/cobble substrates, with variations in size distributions of gravels not correlated to redd dimensions or any measured habitat variable. Spawning site preferences of brown trout can change along a stream reach of moderate length, likely in relation to changing availability of various combinations of water depth, velocity, substrate, available cover, and trout abundance.

Cámara Digital CCD ¿Qué es una cámara digital? Una cámara digital está equipada con un CCD para capturar imágenes. Sin embargo, si el CCD es un dispositivo analógico, ¿cómo se define una cámara digital? Una cámara se considera digital cuando, además del CCD, cuenta con un convertidor analógico/digital (A/D) cercano al CCD, el cual transforma las señales eléctricas del CCD en un formato que los ordenadores pueden interpretar. Aunque todas las cámaras de video, como las utilizadas para vigilancia, tienen CCDs, esto no las convierte en digitales, ya que no todas incluyen un convertidor A/D. El CCD, o Dispositivo de Carga Acoplada, es un componente analógico que genera un flujo de voltajes. Funcionamiento de un CCD Un CCD, o Dispositivo de Carga Acoplada, es un componente analógico que genera un flujo de voltajes. Arquitectura de un CCD

Ecografía: funcionamiento, ventajas y utilización en medicina. Descubre cómo funciona la ecografía, sus principales ventajas y su utilización en diversas áreas de la medicina. Una técnica no invasiva, segura y efectiva para diagnóstico y seguimiento médico.