This study aimed to identify the total proteome of Hydra vulgaris, a freshwater polyp representative of the phylum Cnidaria. This organism, known for its organized nerve net, has been a favoured model due to its unique regeneration capabilities, simple bilayer architecture separated by a mesoglea, and limited cell types. While vertebrate models offer insights into molecular signaling, invertebrate like Hydra have been instrumental in uncovering the evolutionary roles of various molecules. Despite advances in genomic analyses of Hydra, a comprehensive proteomic analysis has been lacking. Here, we explored the proteome of Hydra vulgaris using a combination of gel electrophoresis and nanoflow liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, identifying over 5,200 proteins across all cellular components. This proteomic analysis helps gain insight into the evolutionary origins and ancestral functions of proteins involved in contemporary diseases such as Alzheimer's disease or inherited retinal dystrophies. This analysis led to the identification of proteins corresponding to transporter proteins, or to endoplasmic reticulum. Such are ATPase, calcium-binding or retinal proteins with 4 linked to photoreceptors and 6 implicated in Alzheimer disease. The data set provided in this article describes the proteins identified in the body of Hydra and the processes and functions associated with a selection of them.

Background: Patients with Hereditary Angioedema encounter problems in managing their treatment regimen because they do not have sufficient information about the disease, and the drugs used are not common. Objective: This research aimed to elucidate the effect of our mobile application, “Hereditary Angioedema Attack Diary,” on patients’ quality of life and treatment compliance. Methods: A mobile diary was generated in which patients, physicians, and nurses communicate with each other and share attack information instantly. Between July 2022 and May 2023, total of 76 HAE patients, 38 in the mobile application group and 38 as controls, were enrolled in this research. The Hereditary Angioedema Attack Diary was evaluated via the SF–36 Quality of Life Scale, Mobile Learning Readiness Scale, Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, and Medication Compliance Reporting Scale mean score—additionally, the application consolidated data on sociodemographic characteristics of patients and disease. Results: The patients evaluated the ease of use of the Hereditary Angioedema Attack Diary mobile application, and 26.3% rated it as very good and 42.1% as good. The sub-dimensions of SF–36 quality of life scale denoted a statistically significant difference in general health perception score (t =-2.306, p = 0.027), social functionality mean post-test score (t =-2.099, p = 0.039), physical function, physical role difficulty, emotional role difficulty, energy/vitality, social functionality, self-efficacy and optimism, pain, gender and general health perception (p <0.05). Conclusion: It has been determined that the use of the attack diary mobile application has a supporting effect on patients’ symptom management, quality of life, and compliance with treatment.

Keywords: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA); Churg-Strauss Syndrome (CSS); Neuropathy; Vasculitis; ANCA-associated vasculitis; Immunosuppressant therapy

Ireland and Britain are two islands located at Europe’s westernmost edge, both of which act as the final breeding outposts for many bird species within their European ranges. Despite their similar geographic locations and geological histories, Ireland and Britain host different breeding avifauna assemblages. Diversity profiles, which can serve as more robust alternatives to classic diversity indices, were employed in this study to explore disparities in the two islands’ breeding avifauna assemblages. Variations in assemblages were explored, along with their potential drivers, through analyses at three levels: island-scale breeding bird assemblage compositions, island-scale diversity profiles considering 49 common breeding species, and habitat-specific diversity profiles considering assemblages in east/central Irish farmland and East Anglian farmland. Analysis of the two islands’ breeding avifauna assemblages revealed that the Irish assemblage is a complete subset of the British assemblage. Analyses of Irish and British assemblages at both an island scale and a habitat scale revealed patterns linking land use to trends within the two islands’ avifauna assemblages. Irish assemblages contained greater proportions of insectivorous farmland species by abundance, while British assemblages contained greater proportions of seed-eating farmland species; both trends appeared to be related to structural differences in agricultural land use on the two islands. The British and East Anglian assemblages exhibited higher diversity across all analyses, which appeared to be driven by the assemblages’ higher relative abundances of species that were most genetically distinct. This study highlights the ability of diversity profiles to impart more information than classic diversity indices by incorporating species similarity data.

Skeletal porous lesions such as cribra orbitalia (CO) have long been of interest to bioanthropologists worldwide, mainly due to their high prevalence in osteological material. Previous studies considered CO as an external morphological manifestation, and therefore, research has mainly focused on visible (macroscopic) CO patterns. However, the understanding of CO-induced micro-scale bone changes is still scarce. Therefore, here we performed high-resolution micro-computed tomography imaging to investigate three-dimensional CO-induced micro-architectural patterns in non-adults, with a particular focus on the correlation between macroscopic and micro-architectural orbital features. Cortical and trabecular micro-architectural changes in the orbital roof were analyzed in non-adults up to 15 years of age, using orbital roof samples with and without macroscopic traces of CO (n=28). A widely accepted five-grade macroscopic CO scoring system was applied to analyze CO severity. Areas affected with CO (area 1) and areas without macroscopic CO traces (area 2) were analyzed separately. The conducted high-resolution analysis showed that cortical and trabecular micro-architecture varied with CO presence, lesion severity (CO grade), and the analyzed area. Inter-grade comparisons suggested that most of the analyzed micro-architectural parameters were not significantly different between adjacent CO grades. Based on the micro-architectural evaluation of areas 1 and 2, the porous lesions were much more extensive than revealed by gross examination. Our analysis also revealed that micro-architectural differences were particularly pronounced in younger non-adults. Taken together, the macroscopic examination of CO appears to reflect only the tip of the iceberg, as the micro-architectural changes are much larger than macroscopically identified.

Food webs are not static over time, but our knowledge on their dynamics is extremely scarce due to methodological challenges. These have imposed significant limitations on our ability to mechanistically understand how temporal changes affect trophic networks. Here, we address this gap using high-throughput molecular diagnostics to measure the season-wide dynamics of trophic interactions between invertebrate generalist predators, pest and alternative prey in replicated cereal fields across two years. We used the level of food web specialisation as a proxy for predator redundancy in pest control, and hypothesized that it would hit its minimum, and invertebrate diversity its maximum, at the middle point of the season. Additionally, alternative prey availability was indirectly increased by adding manure to half of each field, to test if this would reduce specialisation. In line with our predictions, it showed an inverse bell-shaped curve over the season, while prey, but not predator, diversity showed an opposite trend. No significant effects of fertilization were found on food web specialisation. Our findings identify early and late season as the times when generalist predators are behaviourally most constrained, pin-pointing these periods as the ones with the lowest redundancy in pest control. Hence, molecular trophic analyses provide unique insights into the temporal dynamics of food webs and their properties. This allows the generation of temporal roadmaps for when management interventions are expected to be most effective.

Background: Lunging is a training method that is performed in a round pen or on a lunge line. However, there is no consensus on applying lunging techniques for physical fitness training. Objectives: To investigate the effort intensity, autonomic responses, and method agreement in applying different lunging protocols to untrained horses. Study design: A non-randomised control trial. Methods: Sixteen untrained horses (aged 13.6 ± 6.3 years and weighing 358 ± 47.4 kg) were studied. Each horse was lunged with a similar programme on a lunge line and, subsequently, in a round pen at a two-day interval. The heart rate variability (HRV) and effort intensity, indicated as a percentage of maximum heart rate (%HRmax), were determined pre-lunging, during lunging at distinct gaits, and at 30-minute intervals for 120 minutes post-lunging. The correlation and method agreement between the two lunging methods were analysed with Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman plots, respectively. Results: The horses ran faster and covered longer distances during exercise on a lunge line than in a round pen. The effort intensity during cantering reached moderate levels (75.1 ± 2.4% HRmax) with occasional high-intensity levels (88.1 ± 1.3% HRmax) via both lunging methods. The HRV reached a minimum during cantering and returned to the baseline 120 minutes post-lunging. The HRV parameters (SDNN, RMSSD, LF, HF, SD1, and SD2) were strongly correlated ( rp ≥ 0.97 and p < 0.001 for all) with a large correlation effect size (R 2 > 0.85) and excellent agreement (average differences were within mean ± 1.96 SD) between the two lunging methods. Main limitations: The running speed and distance reported during lunging may not be entirely accurate due to the manual calculation required. Conclusions: Lunging can provoke optimal physiological responses in horses. The two tested lunging methods may be applied interchangeably for physical fitness training.

In comparison to quaternions, split quaternions exhibit a more intricate algebraic structure, characterized by the presence of nontrivial zero factors. Furthermore, in various fields such as geometry and electromagnetism, split quaternions serve as more convenient research tools than quaternions. This paper aims to establish the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of (anti-) η-Hermitian solutions to a novel system of matrix equations formulated over split quaternions. We also provide the general expression of such solutions when the system is solvable, along with the least squares (anti-) η-Hermitian solution in the case of inconsistency. To illustrate the key findings of this paper, numerical examples are presented.

After a fault occurs in the distribution network, the real-time balance between power supply and load demand must be met. Load can be restored through upper sources and the nearby power supply of distributed generators. Therefore, it is necessary to construct the power transmission path between each node, namely transmission matrix. Furthermore, the access of new controllable devices such as soft open point (SOP) makes it possible for power supply quickly by providing a path for power loss loads. In this paper, a fault recovery model of distribution network considering SOP is established. The dynamic balance of node power is firstly considered, then the the impact mechanism of SOP on fault recovery is elaborated. The cone relaxation process and the objective function of fault recovery is further introduced. Through the simulation analysis of the modified IEEE 33-node test system, scenarios of single fault and multi-point fault are built. The effectiveness of the proposed method and the improvement of load recovery after fault by SOP are verified.

Objective: To review the evidence that personalised physical activity is a feasible and acceptable means of significantly improving quality of life (QoL) and cancer related fatigue (CRF) in childhood cancer. Methods: Seven databases/registers were searched for studies evaluating exercise interventions in paediatric cancer (2013-2023). Studies included patients ages 3-25 years, with any cancer type, undergoing exercise interventions during active treatment. Thirteen studies (551 participants) were included. Primary outcome measures analysed were CRF and QoL. Results: Three of eight studies (N=105) measuring CRF revealed significant reduction in total fatigue score (p=0.001, 0.01, 0.026). All others demonstrated a non-significant reduction in CRF in the intervention group (mean -5.7 (±8.82 pooled SD)). One of ten papers (N=99) measuring QoL reported significant improvement (p=0.014), with non-significant favourable outcomes (mean change +3.47) in all remaining studies. No adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Physical activity is a feasible way to improve CRF and QoL in children undergoing cancer treatment.

Recently, distributed generators (DGs) have been widely integrated into distribution network, so that the distribution network is gradually transforming into an active distribution network (ADN). Due to the influence of meteorological conditions, the output of DGs has high uncertainty. At the same time, considering the increasing variety of loads in ADNs, the uncertainty of load demand of user side is also increasing. In order to fully consider the uncertainty of measurement and quantitatively evaluate the operational status, this paper proposes a steady-state analysis method for ADNs under uncertain conditions. Firstly, this paper proposes a steady-state analysis method including power flow analysis model and evaluation indicators for the operation status from the perspectives of node and network. Secondly, the uncertainty factors are elaborated from three aspects: sources, impact on evaluation index and impact on scheduling. The evaluation indicators considering uncertain conditions, the impact on system security and scheduling of network are further discussed. Finally, through the simulation analysis of the modified IEEE 33-node test system, The effectiveness of the proposed method are verified.

Expanded-Access Use of Elamipretide in a Patient with Membrane Protein-Associated NeurodegenerationShort Running Title: Elamipretide Treatment in MPAN PatientJorge Patino1, Anna Haertling Clearman2, Lindsey Miller2, Mary Kay Koenig21. University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Department of Neurology, Houston, TX2. University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Child & Adolescent Neurology, Center for the Treatment of Pediatric Neurodegenerative Disease, Houston, TXCorresponding Author: Jorge Patino, Jorge.E.PatinoMurillas@uth.tmc.edu

Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) significantly contribute to land degradation in the Amazon, carried out by individual miners or small enterprises with limited capital. This practice exerts increasing pressure on biodiversity-rich forests. Due to limited information on edaphic conditions crucial for the restoration of these degraded areas, we employed a soil evaluation method in representative sites of the Peruvian Amazon, including two native communities and one protected natural area. The categorization of ASGM degraded areas into Cultural Landscape Units (CLUs) was confirmed and validated. Sentinel-2 and UAV remote sensing revealed over 122,000 ha deforested since the 1980s. Surface and soil profile assessments identified extreme new soil conditions with low chemical and physical fertility, characterized by coarse texture and rock fragments, hindering revegetation, especially during prolonged drought seasons. These degraded soils were classified as Entisols and Technosols according to Soil Taxonomy and the World Reference Base, respectively. Over time, natural regeneration and plantations improved soil formation, aligning with recognized soil classification systems. Given the current management practices, restoration planning should prioritize selected shrub and tree species, considering soil amendments to initiate soil recovery. This approach aligns with self-sustained successional stages and contributes to the objectives of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), Appropriate Mitigation and Adaptation Actions (NAMAs), and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The current study aims to investigate the complication rate of equine appendicular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed under general anesthesia at a tertiary referral center. 1655 horses, donkeys, and mules were included in the study. A complication rate of 1.5% was found in this 9-year study period. The most common complication was post-anesthetic fever with 11 horses becoming pyrexic in the immediate post-anesthetic period. Four of these horses went on to develop clinical pneumonia and one horse had an outbreak of respiratory herpesvirus. The incidence of neuropathy was 0.4% and colic was 0.4%. This study concludes that peri-anesthetic antimicrobial administration would not decrease the risk of complications in horses or donkeys undergoing general anesthesia for MRI of the appendicular skeleton at this tertiary referral center.

Mutagenesis can generate genetic diversity and novel phenotypes in yeast strains. This study evaluated physical and chemical mutagenesis for improvement of an industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae opaque beer strain. The yeast strain was exposed to mutagens, long enough to cause 50-95 % lethality with subsequent assessment of surviving cells for favourable characteristics. Yeast batches were mutagenized using ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), and by exposure to ultraviolet light and visible light. EMS caused a dose-dependent decrease in survival from 100 % viable cells without EMS addition, to 10 % at 100 μg/mL, and 0 % at 200-300 μg/mL. There was approximately 10 % survival under ultraviolet light exposure observed at 25 minutes. Ultraviolet light resulted in approximately 10 % survival at 25 minutes of exposure. Visible light showed negligible mutagenic effects, with white light had the least impact on survival. EMS mutagenized cells achieved 4% alcohol content in 48 hours, versus 72 hours for controls, indicating accelerated fermentation. EMS mutants utilized 37 % more sugar on average than controls but produced lower total acidity in the final product. Thus, EMS mutagenesis produced favourable phenotypes including faster fermentation, higher alcohol yield, increased sugar consumption, and low off-flavours. With appropriate screening, EMS mutagenesis could generate improved opaque beer strains with desirable industrial characteristics. This study demonstrates the potential of random mutagenesis to sustainably enhance yeast strains for modern beer production.

The introduction of complex numbers marked a significant leap in mathematics, introducing the imaginary unit i to represent the square root of -1. This innovative concept proved invaluable in solving equations involving square roots of negative numbers. The extension to quaternions involved introducing additional imaginary units denoted as j and k. A quaternion in an interesting concept that extends complex numbers to 4-D.The manuscript is about using quaternions to calculate wave packets in one-dimension, and anti-hermitian operators to obtain the results in quaternionic form including expectation values of position, momentum and energy. The results are compared to the exisiting results on complex wave packets in one-dimension.

Several room disinfection robots using Ultraviolet C (UV-C) light have emerged recently, especially with the COVID-19 outbreak. This systematic review aims to identify the current development status of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) disinfection robots, their limitations, and the technologies they use. An automated search was performed on the Scopus, ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, and SpringerLink platforms for papers up to July 2023, followed by a snowballing search. Were found 96 studies, of which the majority were not concerned with the dose of UVGI applied or did not implement any technique to deliver the appropriate dose; the positioning of the lamps was carried out subjectively; and most of the works did not implement any technique to prevent accidents with UVGI. From the analysis of these studies, it was possible to propose a novel classification for the different types of robots based on their technological and readiness levels. The data shows that despite recent advances, the development of disinfection robots is still early, with many advances to be made.

This study investigates the potential causal relationships between the gut microbiome and herpesvirus-specific Immunoglobulin G (IgG) using Mendelian Randomization (MR) techniques. We aim to enhance the understanding of the susceptibility and pathogenesis of herpesvirus infections, contributing to the development of improved diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive strategies. Our findings reveal that certain gut microbes, including members of the family. Lachnospiraceae and the genus. Methanobrevibacter, influence the levels of herpesvirus-specific IgG. These insights provide valuable information for potential future interventions targeting the gut microbiome to manage herpesvirus infections. Our study highlights the intricate relationship between the gut microbiome and herpesviruses, emphasizing the need for further research to explore the mechanisms underlying these associations and their implications for human health.

Purpose: Near real-time patient experience feedback (NRTPEF) can enable patient-centric quality improvement. We 1) assess the utility, feasibility, and acceptability of implementing a new NRTPEF, perceived by patients and providers; and 2) understand how the NRTPEF became embedded into routine provider practices. Materials and Methods: Mixed methods process evaluation of the 8-month implementation of an innovative NRTPEF in an inpatient rehabilitation unit, using interviews and focus groups with all the service-unit leaders and interviews with a randomized sample of patients. Beyond descriptive statistics and content analysis, the Normalization Process Theory (NPT) informed a framework analysis. Results: Patients and service-unit leaders perceived high utility in the NRTPEF (median: 9 for both; 0-10 scale) and qualitative comments emphasized the value of providing/obtaining timely feedback. The system was found feasible and acceptable for patients (median: 9.5), but with an improvement margin for providers (median: 7.3). Suggestions include strengthening the data-relay format. Even in the pilot form, providers found the NRTPEF became embedded into practice (median 10; average: 8.6). The NPT-informed analysis shows how providers saw differential value, engaged with, and used the patient feedback into reconfigured practices. Conclusion: An innovative NRTPEF was found useful, feasible and acceptable, but with refinement opportunities before scale-up.

Background Device-related thrombosis (DRT) is a common finding after left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) and is associated with worse outcomes. As women are underrepresented in clinical studies, further understanding of sex differences in DRT patients is warranted. Methods and Results This sub-analysis from the EUROC-DRT-registry compromises 176 patients with diagnosis of DRT after LAAC. Women, who accounted for 34.7% (61/176) of patients, were older (78.0±6.7 vs. 74.9±9.1 years, p=0.06) with lower rates of comorbidities. While DRT were detected significantly later in women (173±267 vs. 127±192 days, p=0.01), anticoagulation therapy was escalated similarly, mainly with initiation of novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC), vitamin K antagonist (VKA) or heparin. DRT resolution was achieved in 67.5% (27/40) of women and in 75.0% (54/72) of men (p=0.40). In the remaining cases, an intensification/switch of anticoagulation was conducted in 50% (9/18) of men and in 41.7% (5/12) of women. Final resolution was achieved in 72.5% (29/40) cases in women, and in 81.9% (59/72) cases in men (p=0.24). Women were followed-up for a similar time as men (779±520 vs. 908±687 days, p=0.51). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed no difference in mortality rates in women (Hazard Ratio [HR]: 1.73, 95%-Confidence interval [95%-CI]: 0.68-4.37, p=0.25) and no differences in stroke (HR: 0.83, 95%-CI: 0.30-2.32, p=0.72) within two years after LAAC. Conclusion Evaluation of risk factors and outcome revealed no differences between men and women, with DRT in women being diagnosed significantly later. Women should be monitored closely to assess for DRT formation/resolution. Treatment strategies appear to be equally effective.

The injection of CO2 into subsurface reservoirs provides a long term solution for anthropogenic emissions. A variable injection rate (such as ramping the flow rate up or down) provides flexibility to injection sites, and could influence the amount of residual trapping. Observations made in cm-scale samples showed that starting at a low flow rate established a flow pathway across the core, leading to a long term reduction in pore space utilization, as increases in flux were accommodated with little change in saturation. In this work we assess the scalability of these observations by performing experiments with variable injection rates in larger samples: 5 cm diameter and 12 cm length, compared to 2.5 cm diameter and 4.5 cm length in our previous work (Spurin et al., 2024). We observed that starting at a low flow rate did not lead to a long term reduction in pore space utilization. Instead saturation increased significantly with increased flux, leading to a higher pore space utilization than experiments where injection started with the higher flow rate. The difference in observations depending on sample size and the role of heterogeneity highlights potential uncertainties in upscaling experimental observations to field-scale applications.

This note addresses some suggestions for the results presented by Rawat S. et al. [1].

Fluorescence-based high-throughput screening approaches facilitate the discovery of enzymes and microorganisms for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) depolymerization and recycling. However, the traditional method of activating the fluorescence signal by cleaving the ester bond on small molecule probes has limited ability in detecting enzymatic activity towards polymeric substrates. This study proposes a novel fluorescence-based screening strategy that detects the release of sulfhydryl groups during the depolymerization of pseudo-PET polythioesters by polyesterases. The strategy successfully identifies the polyester-depolymerizing activity of leaf-branch compost cutinase (LCC ICCG), while porcine liver esterase (PLE) only hydrolyses small molecular substrates. When combined with a droplet microfluidic system, the strategy enables high-throughput screening of LCC ICCG. The study also demonstrates that screening for polyester-depolymerizing bacteria can be performed via a microplate reader platform. The new screening approach offers an efficient method for identifying enzymes and microbial resources for depolymerizing polyester-like plastics.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovitis, synovium hyperplasia and destruction of cartilage and bone. Oleanolic acid (OA), one of the pentacyclic triterpenoids widely found in crude drugs, fruits and vegetable, shows an excellent anti-inflammatory ability. However, its effect on RA and the underlying mechanisms is still unclear. In this study, the effect of OA on the collagen – induced arthritis (CIA) in rats were investigated. Oral administration of OA (100 mg/kg) reduced the clinical signs and joint destruction of CIA rats, as well as marked down regulated the frequency of Th17 cell and up regulated the frequency of Treg cell in mesentery. In contrast, an intravenous injection of OA failed to affect the arthritis in rats, implying that its anti-arthritic effect was gastrointestinal tract-dependent. Further studies revealed that oral OA alleviated CIA in a gut microbiota-dependent manner. OA had no effect on the diversity and richness of the gut bacteria, but reduced the abundance of Prevotella in CIA rats as determined by the 16S rRNA gene sequence. While the co-administration of broad-spectrum antimicrobials largely diminished the antiarthritic effect of OA. In conclusion, the research suggested that OA, which regulated the intestinal micro-environment, could be used as a potential component to treat RA.