Previous studies on horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus spp.) have described many coronaviruses related to SARS-CoV (SARSCoVr) in China and only a few coronaviruses related to SARS-CoV-2 (SARSCoV2r) in Yunnan (southern China), Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. Here, we report the results of several field missions carried out in 2017, 2021 and 2022 across Vietnam during which 1,218 horseshoe bats were sampled from 19 locations. Sarbecoviruses were detected in 11% of faecal RNA extracts, with much more positives for Rhinolophus thomasi (46%). We assembled 38 Sarbecovirus genomes, including 32 SARSCoVr, four SARSCoV2r; and two recombinants of SARSCoVr and SARSCoV2r (RecSar), one showing a Spike protein very similar to SARS-CoV-2. We detected a bat co-infected with four coronaviruses, including two sarbecoviruses. Our analyses revealed that Sarbecovirus genomes evolve in Vietnam under strong geographic and host constraints. First, we found evidence for a deep separation between viruses from northern Vietnam and those from central and southern Vietnam. Second, we detected only SARSCoVr in Rhinolophus thomasi, both SARSCoVr and SARSCoV2r in Rhinolophus affinis, and only RecSar in Rhinolophus pusillus captured close to the border with China. Third, the bias in favour of Uracil in synonymous third codon-positions of SARSCoVr viruses showed a negative correlation with latitudes. Our results also provided support for an emergence of SARS-CoV in horseshoe bats from northern Yunnan and emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in horseshoe bats from northern Indochina subtropical forests (southern Yunnan, northern Laos and north-western Vietnam).

This paper investigates a load frequency control issue for multi-area interconnected unknown power systems with random communication delays. First, a model-free adaptive control scheme is established by building an equivalent data relationship model between area control error and corresponding control input. Then, a dynamic event-triggered scheme is designed to improve resource utilization and reduce computational burden. Furthermore, random communication delays in the feedback and forward channels are considered. The results show that the proposed method is independent of any model information about the power system, only using the controlled system's control input and output data. Several simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.

Title: Triple Therapy Approach for Treating Chromoblastomycosis in a Lebanese Patient

European (Anguilla anguilla) and American eel (A. rostrata) represent a remarkable case of interspecific hybridization. They are both panmictic and spawn in partial sympatry in the Sargasso Sea, occasionally producing viable, fertile hybrids, primarily found in Iceland. We studied introgressive hybridization from American into European eel based on whole-genome sequences of 78 individuals, encompassing European, American and 21 putative hybrid eels. Previous studies using few genetic markers could not resolve whether hybridization involved simple unidirectional backcrossing or a more complex hybrid swarm scenario. However, local ancestry inference along individual chromosomes revealed Icelandic hybrids were primarily F1 hybrids or first-generation backcrosses toward European eel, with a few showing more complex backcrossing histories. All European eels outside Iceland contained short chromosomal blocks from American eel, indicating a porous genome. We found no evidence for previously stated hypotheses about geographical gradients of introgression in European eel outside Iceland. Several chromosomal regions showed high divergence between the species, but haplotype blocks introgressed from American eel were identified both within and outside these regions. There was little correspondence between regions of high relative and high absolute divergence (dXY), and they presumably reflect selective sweeps within species or regions of reduced recombination rather than barrier loci. We identified a single genomic region with evidence of introgression from American into European eel at multiple occasions, under positive selection in both species. Thus, although the two species maintain genetic integrity, their gene pools are not independent and represent a common pool of standing variation for future adaptive responses.

Introduction The strongest predictor of treatment outcome in patients with retinoblastoma is the national income of their country. Here, we report on ten years of retinoblastoma treatment in a Kenyan tertiary referral and teaching hospital. Methods Children newly diagnosed with retinoblastoma who were treated at the pediatric oncology ward between January 2012 and December 2021 were included in this retrospective record review study. The probability of event-free survival (pEFS) was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated to assess the effect of covariates. A competing risk analysis was performed to estimate the probability of progressive disease, relapse, death and abandonment. Results Of the 106 patients whose records were reviewed, 75% presented with stage 4 disease or higher (Reese-Ellsworth classification) and 25% had central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Two-year pEFS was 25.2% (95% CI 0.17–0.38). The reasons for treatment failure were abandonment (n=39), progressive or relapsed disease (n=17) and death (n=9). No health insurance or CNS metastases negatively affected pEFS (HR 3.87, 95% CI 2.29–6.53, p<0.001 and HR 4.76, 95% CI 2.66–8.51, p<0.001 respectively). Patients who received radiotherapy had a borderline significantly higher pEFS than those who were eligible but did not (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.14-1.08, p=0.06). Conclusion The survival rate of patients diagnosed with retinoblastoma was low. The main challenges were advanced disease at presentation and abandonment. Raising awareness and early referral is key to improve survival. However, as long as patients present with advanced disease, efforts should focus at ensuring that patients complete treatment, including radiotherapy.

Conflict of InterestThe authors declare there are no conflicts of interest.

Greenhouse climate control is crucial for optimizing agricultural productivity and energy efficiency. This study investigates the performance of Self-Tuned Fuzzy PID (ST-FPID) controllers compared to conventional PID controllers in regulating temperature and humidity within greenhouse environments. Through extensive simulations, the ST-FPID controller demonstrated superior performance, achieving faster settling times, minimal overshoot, and reduced steady-state errors under varying disturbance conditions. For temperature control, the ST-FPID achieved the setpoint of 21°C within 2 seconds without overshoot, whereas the PID controller required 6 seconds and exhibited a 2.5°C overshoot. In humidity regulation, the ST-FPID reached the setpoint of 60% within 2 seconds, outperforming the PID controller which overshot to 65% before stabilizing. The ST-FPID controller also maintained lower Integral Average Error (IAE) values across all disturbance levels, highlighting its robustness and adaptability. These findings align with prior research advocating for fuzzy logic-based control systems to enhance climate control precision and stability in dynamic agricultural environments. This study validates the practical application of ST-FPID controllers in optimizing greenhouse climate conditions, contributing to improved crop yields and energy efficiency. Future research should focus on further optimizing these adaptive control strategies to enhance their effectiveness amidst increasingly dynamic environmental changes.

Humans are today the main drivers of global changes, likely due to an increasing disconnection from nature. The loss of human-nature interaction results in many detrimental effects for human health and well‐being as well as multiple effects on nature and environmental conservation. Fostering opportunities for human-nature interaction may therefore have positive effects not only for human health and well-being, but also for global biodiversity at large. This is particularly relevant for children since natural experiences at an early age might condition future pro-environmental attitudes in adulthood. We present a study that offers an overview of the wildlife observation opportunities available in Scandinavia in close proximity to urban areas. Mammal species were visually identified and the observation length noted. We recorded seven common mammalian species. The highest probabilities of observing any mammalian species occurred in July. Roe deer was the only species with 100% probability of observation at any given month. The observation probability for hare and fox was higher in May, for badger in June, while for wild boar and red deer the probability peaked in July, and for moose was maximized in August. Overall, the observation probability was highest around 21:45, yet great variation occurred among the different species. A vast proportion of the European population has grown in urban areas with little or no contact with natural ecosystems and wildlife. This is a challenge since many European societies are alienated from nature, while it also serves as an opportunity to increase human-nature interaction through wildlife observation and may therefore tackle the current shifting baseline syndrome. Our results provide a toolkit for European urban residents to engage in wildlife observation opportunities and may therefore facilitate human-nature interaction, which may dually mitigate the detrimental effects of extinction of experience and strengthen biodiversity and conservation science.

The adaptation of marine fish to freshwater environments is a prodigious example of rapid evolution, and yet the underlying ecological causes of genomic and phenotypic differentiation are poorly understood for traits associated with lipid content and composition. Threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) have repeatedly colonized, and adapted to, freshwater habitats across the northern hemisphere. These freshwater populations often show elevated copy number of the fatty acid desaturase 2 gene (FADS2), which increases the biosynthetic capacity of ω-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA). The starkly lower content of LC-PUFA in freshwater compared to marine prey, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), likely imposes strong positive selection on freshwater fish for either increased biosynthesis or greater dietary acquisition of LC-PUFA. The threespine stickleback populations in postglacial coastal lakes of Southern Greenland offer an exceptional opportunity to study how variation in the copy number of FADS2 is related to abiotic and biotic conditions of lakes and their morphometry. As expected, we found strong sexual dimorphism in FADS2 copy number in all populations (19 freshwater, 1 marine, and 1 brackish), and an increased dimorphism in some freshwater populations. We also found that FADS2 copy number was negatively correlated, for both males and females, with the abundance of copepods, which are a DHA-rich food source in the zooplankton community. Overall, our results suggest that the prey community context of lakes might influence the process of metabolic adaptation of marine fish colonizing freshwater ecosystems.

IntroductionBrevundimonas vesicularis belongs to theAlphaproteobacteria class and Caulobacteraceae family [1], which was previously assigned to Pseudomonas vesicularis but later reclassified into a new genus “Brevundimonas ” by Segers et al. in 1994 [2]. It is an aerobic, non-lactose, oxidase and catalase positive, flagellated Gram-negative rod that can be isolated from both environmental and clinical specimens [3]. The organism can be isolated in the laboratory on blood or chocolate agar. However, not all strains grow on MacConkey agar [4].It is an opportunistic pathogen that is associated with septicemia, pneumonia, meningitis, septic arthritis, urinary tract infection in children and cervicitis in women [5-7]. It mainly infects patients with underlying health conditions such as congenital heart disease, respiratory distress syndrome, multiple congenital cerebral anomalies, and meconium aspiration syndrome [8]. It affects patients with foreign bodies, immunocompromised individuals and rarely those without predisposing disease [5, 9]. Many of these instances of infection were either hospital or community-acquired [1, 6].B. vesicularis is an emerging global opportunistic pathogen of concern. However, a few invasive B. vesicularis infections exist in the literature [1, 6-12]. Here, we report a case of B. vesicularis sepsis in a 2-month-old child with cyanotic congenital heart disease at a hospital in rural Gambia.

Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii), with a near-country-wide distribution across the Indian subcontinent, causes the highest number of snakebite deaths and disabilities. A considerable geographic venom variation documented in D. russelii, among others, makes it the clinically most relevant snake species. However, biotic and abiotic factors that drive this variation remain uninvestigated. Hence, we assessed the influence of bioclimatic factors on the functional venom variation through statistical modelling. D. russelii venoms (n=115) were sourced from varied biogeographies across >6600 km, followed by the functional characterisation of major toxins. Multiple regression models generated revealed the impact of historical climatic conditions on venom variability. Phenotype maps that predict venom biochemistries of D. russelii across its range distribution were generated, providing valuable insights for deploying targeted therapies. Overall, our findings provide novel insights into the effects of abiotic factors on snake venom variation and its implications for enhancing the effectiveness of snakebite therapeutics.

Extraordinary events are rarely observable in a single rainfall gauge, and this make extremely challenging the correct prediction of their arrivals. However, it may be possible to develop a more robust approach by employing a space-time modelling scheme that is able to capture the spatial dynamics of such phenomena. Therefore, a space-time Poisson model of rainfall cells with circular shape and random depth has been exploited for the first time to interpret the behaviour of this family of extraordinary events. This category of events that may be connected to larger meteorological phenomena not necessarily connected with local heterogeneity of the landscape. Following the identification of the observed extraordinary event across southern Italy, six zones with significantly different dynamics in terms of the frequency of such extremes were identified. Subsequently, a simple mathematical representation was adopted to calibrate the model parameters, leading to an estimate of regional probability distributions defined on the space-time occurrences of extraordinary events over homogeneous zones. The approach allows to overcome the limitations posed by point observations allowed the definition of a probability distribution that pertains to an entire area rather than just a point. The obtained quantiles of rainfall estimated seems to align well with the upper bound of the probability distribution of the annual maxima observed over the areas of interests.

Uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG) plays a key role in the base repair system, and detecting its enzymatic activity is crucial for early disease diagnosis. A novel nicking enzyme-assisted, high-specificity fluorescent sensor for uracil-DNA glycosylase activity detection is constructed. A DNA probe modified with uracil was utilized to ligate two free DNA strands to form a newly generated DNA strand. This triggers a nicking enzyme-assisted strand displacement amplification reaction, resulting in the production of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). Then, the amplified ssDNA triggered the molecular beacons to emit fluorescence. However, the addition of UDG results in the removal of uracil from the DNA probe strand, leaving abasic site (AP site). After heat denaturation, this site was destroyed, preventing subsequent ligation or amplification reactions, resulting in the absence of fluorescence. The findings of our study indicate that the addition of UDG at concentrations exceeding 0.5 U/mL resulted in complete suppression of fluorescence intensity, reaching a value of 0. Conversely, the introduction of elevated levels of other enzymes and proteins, including HAAG, EndoIV, NheI and BSA, did not impede the fluorescence intensity of the system, which remained at 100%. This study presents a specific method for assessing UDG activity that could be valuable for early disease diagnosis in the future.

The achira crop (Canna edulis) is a symbol of the ancestral productive potential of the department of Huila. According to the Regional Information System (SIR) of the Governor’s Office of Huila, the area planted with annual achira in the department in 2020 will be 82.3 hectares and the local demand for starch (400 tons/year) will be imported from other departments (Cundinamarca and Nariño). Apart from its economic potential, its importance in ecosystem services is added, since its management is organic, limited to cultural work, making this crop valuable in mitigating the effects of the decline in pollinator populations, especially wild bees, due to the problems caused by the rapid growth of coffee monoculture and other conventionally managed crops, making it crucial to better understand the relationship between biodiversity and agricultural production, and to develop sustainable management strategies that promote the conservation of pollinators and biodiversity in general. The objective was to characterize the diversity of floral visitors associated with the Achira (Canna edulis KER) crop in different thermal soils in the department of Huila, characterizing the study area, identifying native bees and visitors in the crop through field visits to three farms located in the municipalities of Garzón and San Agustín, concluding that altitudinal or thermal soil variations may affect the distribution of native bee species and other visitors, reducing their abundance. In order to determine the direct relationship between altitude and diversity, it is suggested to make new efforts in this aspect, since factors such as the management of neighboring agroecosystems and proximity to forest remnants intervene. Organic crops of high cultural value, such as (Canna edulis), represent an alternative of safe conditions to stimulate the visit of wild bees and other insects that can be considered of high economic value due to their biological importance in agroecosystems.

Refractory CRPS pain treated with psilocybin: a case report David Jevotovsky MD MBA,1 Harman Chopra MD,2 Court Wing,3 CJ Spotswood,3 Joel Castellanos MD41New York University Grossman School of Medicine2Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine3REMAP Therapeutics4University of California San Diego Health

Synergy between pollinators and flower strips is an emerging strategy that favors agricultural sustainability and biodiversity conservation. Bees and other pollinators, together with flower strips, are crucial components that can be exploited to improve pollination and biological pest control in crops. However, few publications review the topic, especially in Colombia. Therefore, to Know and understand this intersection will enable the development of more appropriate management tools to maximize ecological and agricultural benefits. We compiled studies based on a bibliometric and systematic analysis using the Web of Science database (WoS) of either approach that looked for an association pollinators/flower strips. The records obtained were analyzed using graph theory and tools such as VOSviwer and Tree of Science divided into three categories: classical, structural and recent. 155 studies were identified the main author was Tscharntke Teja, important authors such as Klein, Alexandra and Potts, Simon have an H-index of 74 and 80 respectively. In addition, the countries with the highest production in this area are Germany in first place, England in second and the United States in third, allowing to conclude that the integration of pollinators and floral strips has awakened a growing interest among international communities, although it is still considered an emerging field within scientific research. The research outcomes provide valuable insights for future research trends and agricultural policies focused on biodiversity conservation and mitigation the effects of climate change. The findings suggest that flower strips in enhancing ecosystem services, underlining their role in increasing biodiversity and the resilience of agroecosystems.

Estrogens are reported to cause the dysfunction of biliary transport systems inducing cholestasis, and multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2), is a significant transporter responsible for independent bile flow. Emerging evidence shows that the PDZ domain containing 1 (PDZK1) regulates the localization of MRP2, but whether PDZK1 is involved in the MRP2-mediated estrogen-induced cholestasis (EIC), and the regulatory machinery of PDZK1 is unclear. Our study utilized a mouse model of EIC to show that PDZK1 expression was downregulated in liver, which is consistent with increased intracellular domain MRP2 internalization. Notably, the miR-128-3p expression, one of the potential biomarkers of estrogen-related cholestasis discovered by our group, was significantly elevated. We discovered that miR-128-3p targeted the 3’-untranslated region (UTR) of PDZK1 in EIC, thereby promoting MRP2 internalization. Accordingly, miR-128-3p suppression effectively upregulated PDZK1, thereby suppressing the internalization of MRP2 and significantly attenuating cholestatic liver disease. Furthermore, the MRP2 internalization and PDZK1 downregulation, as well as excessive miR-128-3p, were also observed in clinical samples from patients with cholestatic liver injury. Overall, the study’s results illustrate that miR-128-3p inhibited PDZK1 expression, thereby inhibiting the membrane localization of MRP2 and resulting in EIC, and enhancing PDZK1 expression has therapeutic potential to treat cholestatic liver injury.

Full Title of the Manuscript:Thrombolytic Treatment in Acute Ischemic Stroke Complicated by Periprosthetic Hip Fracture: A Case Report

Pterostilbene (PST), a 3,5- O-methylated derivative of resveratrol (RSV), is a natural potent antioxidant produced by some plants in trace amounts as defense compounds. It exhibits various health-promoting activities, such as anticancer, antiviral, and antimicrobial effects. Large-scale biosynthesis of PST is crucial due to the challenges associated with extracting it from plants. This study aims to develop an efficient method for PST production using an engineered E. coli strain by feeding RSV as an intermediate compound. We introduced a two-step substrate addition strategy combined with immobilized RSV (IMRSV) on macroporous adsorption resin (MAR) to enhance PST production. Five MARs were selected for RSV immobilization, and the substrate additions strategy and fermentation parameters for PST synthesis were optimized. A maximum PST concentration of 402.78 ± 9.20 mg/L was achieved, representing a 239% increase over the control. The PST titer reached 395.20 ± 23.89 mg/L in a 3-L bioreactor. In conclusion, the combination of a two-step substrate adding system and IMRSV is a promising approach for the economical and industrial-scale production of PST.

Title: Type 1 Diastematomyelia Presenting in Adulthood; an Atypical Presentation

Red and blue lights are important for plant growth, anthocyanin production and photosynthesis, as they are absorbed by chlorophyll and trigger various physiological processes, including photomorphogenesis and phototropism, ultimately influence plant development and morphology. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of combined light spectra to enhance plant growth and anthocyanin concentration of red leaf lettuce in a plant factory. In this experiment, five treatments were set up by adjusting the relative amount of red (peak wavelength of 660 nm) and blue light (peak wavelength of 450 nm) ratios of 6:1, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, and 1:6, which were recorded as R 6B 1, R 3B 1, R 1B 1, R 1B 3, and R 1B 6, with a total photosynthetic photon flux density of 200 μmol m −2s −1. Lettuce ( Lactuca sativa cv. ‘Lolla Rossa’) plant biometric, morphological, and nutritional quality parameters were investigated. On day 27 after transplanting, the results showed that: (1) fresh and dry plant weights, leaf length and leaf area increased by 172.7%, 105.8%, 55.4% and 121.4%, respectively, under treatment R 6B 1, as compared with those under treatment R 1B 6. (2) no significant difference was observed under all treatments in stem length, photosynthetic rate, and stomatal conductance. Water use efficiency was the highest under treatment R 6B 1, with a 59.9% increase over that under treatment R 1B 6. On contrary to this, (3) both anthocyanin and nitrate concentrations increased by 155.5% and 58.3%, respectively, under treatment R 1B 6 than treatment R 6B 1. While sugar concentration favoured a higher proportion of red-light ratio. (4) carotenoids concentration was the highest under treatment R 1B 1 with an increase of 140.1% as compared with that under treatment R 1B 6. The above results indicate that more red light contribute to increase plant biomass, while elevating amount of blue light leads to enhancing anthocyanin production and nutritional quality in lettuce plants. R 1B 1 can be considered as a balanced ratio of red and blue lights for promoting photosynthate accumulation and desirable nutritional quality, including anthocyanin concentration per red leaf lettuce plant. Further research may elucidate the underlying mechanisms driving these responses and refine lighting strategies for optimizing lettuce production and nutritional quality.

Paradoxical infarction? Inferior STEMI with Unexpected Discovery of ASD in an Oncology Patient:

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Background and Purpose Emerging evidence has suggested that somatic stimulation, including electroacupuncture (EA), could produce autonomic reflexes to modulate visceral functions. However, the efficacy and underlying mechanisms for EA on allergic pulmonary inflammation (API) remain elusive. Experimental Approach Papain-induced API mice were treated with distinct current-intensity EA at the back BL13, hindlimb ST36, and forelimb LU5 acupoints. The change in API was determined by whole-body plethysmograph (WBP), immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and HE staining. We employed lung functional testing combined with pharmacological inhibition and optogenetic activation approaches to examine the underlying mechanisms for EA effects on API. Key Results EA at the back BL13 region, but not limb regions, via a current-intensity-dependent manner, exacerbated the API. Pharmacological blocking of the local thoracic sensory or the lung-innervated autonomic nerve eliminates the EA-produced detrimental effects. Chemical pulmonary sympathectomy was further enhanced, but inhibition of the upregulated muscarinic M3 acetylcholine receptor within the pulmonary was sufficient to protect from the inflammation-exacerbation effect of EA. Conclusions and Implications Our findings suggest that BL13 EA evokes a somatic-autonomic-pulmonary M3 pathway to enhance API. The revelation of somatotopic organization and intensity-dependency in driving the pulmonary autonomic pathways could help optimize stimulation parameters to improve both efficacy and safety in various forms of physical therapy, including bioelectronic medicine and traditional as well as modern forms of moxibustion and EA, to modulate API.