Flight can be highly-energy demanding, but its efficiency depends largely on flight style, wing shape and loading, and a range of morphological and lifestyle adaptations that can modify the cost of sustained flight. Such behavioural and morphological adaptations can also influence the physiological costs associated with migration. For instance, during intense flight and catabolism of reserves, lipid damage induced by pro-oxidants increases, and to keep oxidative physiological homeostasis under control, the antioxidant machinery is upregulated. Studies on the oxidative physiology of endurance flight have produced contradictory results, making generalization difficult, especially because multispecies studies are missing. Therefore, to explore the oxidative cost of flight and migration, we explored the association between three measures of the antioxidant capacity (total antioxidant status, uric acid and glutathione concentration) and one measure of oxidative damage of lipids (malondialdehyde) with variables reflecting flight energetics (year-round or specifically during migration) across 113 European bird species using a phylogenetic framework. We found that none of the traits predicting year-round flight energy expenditure, including flight style, wing morphology and flight muscle morphology explained any measures of oxidative state measured during the energy demanding breeding period, suggesting that birds endure their everyday exercise without or low oxidative cost. However, oxidative damage to lipids and one component of the endogenous antioxidant system (uric acid), measured after the end of spring migration on breeding adult birds, increased with migration distance. Our results suggest that migration might have oxidative consequences that are carried over to subsequent life history stages (breeding).

The essential factor in developing multi-robot systems is the generation of an optimal path for task completion by multiple robots. This paper studies the recent publications and provides a detailed review of the path planning approaches to avoid collisions in uncertain environments. In this article, path planning approaches for multiple robots are categorized primarily into classical, heuristic, and artificial intelligence-based methods. Among the heuristic approaches, bio-inspired approaches are mostly employed to optimize the classical approaches to enhance their adaptability. The articles are analyzed based on static and dynamic scenarios, real-time experiments, and simulations involving hybrid solutions. The increasing focus on using hybrid approaches in dynamic environments is found mostly in the papers employing heuristic and AI-based approaches. In real-time applications, AI-based approaches are highly implemented in comparison to heuristic and classical approaches. The findings from this review can help researchers select the appropriate approach to overcome the limitations in designing efficient multi-robot systems.

We present the development of a custom-built structured illumination microscope (SIM) featuring a specially designed transmission diffraction grating. Employing the analogue microfilming method, we fabricated transmission diffraction gratings suited to the specific requirements of our system. This robust and cost-effective method allows for the fabrication of diffraction gratings with customised constants, ensuring excellent transmission in both the visible and near-infrared spectra. Additionally, to assess the performance of our system, we measured the resolution in both epifluorescent and superresolution imaging modalities by applying two independent methods: the conventional resolution measurement using fluorescent beads and the knife-edge technique applied on the MoS 2 monolayer flakes. Both methods confirmed enhancement in the resolution of SIM over the epifluorescent imaging modality. Furthermore, we have successfully demonstrated the capabilities of our microscope by imaging fluorescently labelled astrocytes, specifically targeting the vimentin filament protein within these cells. The superresolution images reveal fine structures of the vimentin cytoskeleton that remain unresolved in the epifluorescent image.

IntroductionThe cervical spine is a crucial anatomical structure protecting neurologic elements and is fundamental in preserving horizontal gaze. Maintaining normal alignment of the cervical spine, especially in the sagittal plane, is essential for proper physiological functioning and minimizing muscle energy expenditure.(1)Cervical kyphosis is the most prevalent deformity impacting the cervical spine, disrupting its physiology and resulting in considerable disability for the affected individual. This deformity may manifest as either regional or global, and multiple studies have shown its correlation with a diminished quality of life.(2)Dropped Head Syndrome (DHS), also known as floppy head syndrome, is a rare medical disorder characterized by weakness in the neck extensor muscles against gravity. Consequently, a passively correctable chin-on-chest deformity develops.(3)DHS is most commonly associated with various neuromuscular conditions, including mitochondrial myopathy, congenital myopathy, myasthenia gravis, motor neuron disease, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and cervical myelopathy.(4)In this study, we present an intriguing and previously undocumented case of DHS. Unlike commonly reported causes of DHS, such as neuromuscular disorders or structural abnormalities, our case diverges from these conventional etiologies. This unique presentation challenges existing paradigms and underscores the importance of further investigation into less conventional pathways leading to DHS. By thoroughly examining the patient’s medical history, clinical presentation, and diagnostic findings, we aim to contribute insights that broaden our understanding of the etiological spectrum of DHS.Case History:A 23-year-old male with a progressive cervical spine deformity and dropped head, ongoing for the past 15 months, presented to the neurosurgery outpatient clinic. The patient is experiencing chronic neck pain and upper limb paresthesia. He appears to have a slight build and exhibits a pronounced forward-bending head posture. Additionally, there is markedly restricted range of motion (ROM) in the cervical spine, with the chin nearly in contact with the sternum manubrium. He has no history of severe neck trauma or neck surgery, and the kyphosis is not passively correctible.The patient, hailing from a socioeconomically disadvantaged background, has a significant medical history of major depressive disorder and substance abuse, including addiction to heroin, opium, and amphetamines. After every episode of amphetamine use, the patient consistently maintained a fixed kyphotic neck position for extended periods, leading to a progressive alteration in his cervical alignment. Prior to this history of addiction, there was no malalignment in his neck.During physical examination, inspection and palpation of the cervical spine revealed a pronounced kyphoscoliosis deformity. Cranial nerve testing yielded normal results. Muscle strength assessment indicated a rating of 4/5 in the upper limbs and 5/5 in the lower limbs. Upper limb paresthesia was observed, with unspecified sensory level. Deep tendon reflexes (DTRs) in the upper limbs were within normal limits, while those in the lower limbs showed a slight exaggeration. Autonomic functions were normal, and there was no evidence of sphincter dysfunction. The patient had tried various traditional and herbal remedies, but none had alleviated his symptoms.As described above, due to the severe deformity of the neck, he was admitted to our department at Al-Zahra hospital in Isfahan city, Isfahan, Iran (figure 1).The cervical CT scan revealed a severe kyphoscoliosis deformity affecting C3, C4, and C5, accompanied by degenerative joint disease (DJD) changes in the anterior aspect of these vertebrae. No evidence of canal stenosis or fractures was observed. Subsequent MRI confirmed cervical kyphoscoliosis with unremarkable cervical cord features. Following comprehensive clinical and radiological assessment and considering the severity of the cervical spine deformity, a decision was made to proceed with a three-stage surgical intervention during a single anesthesia session.

Title： A detached coil of pacemaker pacing leadRunning Title：detached coil of pacing leadJing Zheng, Qizhi Jin, Keyun ChengDepartment of Cardiology, The Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People‘s Hospital, Minjiang Avenue NO.100, Smart New Town, Quzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Bovine mastitis is characterized by pathological alterations of the mammary tissue and physical and chemical changes in the milk causing large economic losses in the dairy industry. The most common etiological agents include a variety of bacteria that may be either contagious or environmental. Furthermore, antibiotic treatment has lost effectiveness, leading to residues in milk and activation of resistance mechanisms in bacteria. Therefore, improving the knowledge about the variety, prevalence, and antimicrobial susceptibility of mastitis-causing bacteria may assist in the development of new strategies to optimize mastitis control. This study aimed to characterize bacterial species causing mastitis from geographically related dairy plants in southern Chile. To do this, milk samples obtained from milking cows diagnosed with clinical mastitis (n=50) and from apparently healthy animals (n=25) were cultured for microbiological characterization, including species identification and antibiotic susceptibility. Morphological identification and Gram staining showed Gram (+) cocci, Gram (-) bacilli, and Gram (+) bacilli. A large diversity of bacteria was detected in both mastitis and non-mastitis samples. The most frequently isolated species were Corynebacterium spp., Staphylococcus haemoliticus, and Staphylococcus aureus. Besides, Staphylococcus haemoliticus and Escherichia coli showed complete resistance and intermediate antibiotic resistance, respectively. Conclusions: the most prevalent variety of bacterial species associated with mastitis in southern Chile are coagulase-negative staphylococci. Furthermore, sampling the entire herd, provides a broader view of the etiological agents causing bovine mastitis. The results of the present study provide an update regarding etiological agents and sampling management of bovine mastitis in southern Chile.

To solve the problem that the Frequency Response (FR) test scheme and equipment of the traditional DC Voltage transformer (DCTV) used for DC transmission are insufficient, and the Measurement Error (M-E) of the related measurement system is difficult to achieve accurate prediction, a temporary FR test and M-E prediction method of DCTV based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) is proposed. Firstly, the frequency characteristic of DC side voltage of DCTV is analyzed. On this basis, a DCTV transient FR testing method based on transient AC & DC superposition was developed. Then, the method of voltage sudden change and phase correction is used to achieve transient process DCTV response time testing. Finally, the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm was improved by combining an adaptive inertia weight improvement strategy, achieving accurate prediction of the M-E of DCTV. The proposed AI based DCTV transient FR testing and M-E prediction method were compared and analyzed with the other three methods through simulation experiments. The results indicate that under the same experimental conditions, the prediction results of the DCTV measurement ratio error and phase angle error of the proposed method are optimal.

Zirconia implants have emerged as a promising novel material in the field of dentistry due to their ability to overcome certain limitations associated with titanium implants. However, the appropriate sterilization protocols for zirconia implants have not yet been thoroughly investigated. To address this gap, this study conducted an assessment of the surface characteristics of fully sintered 3Y-TZP zirconia slices after being subjected to various sterilization methods, including ethylene oxide (EO), hydrogen peroxide plasma (HPP), electron beam (EB), and a combination of hydrogen peroxide plasma with either ethylene oxide (HPP+EO) or electron beam treatment (HPP+EB). Although the HPP treatment group did not demonstrate the highest level of hydrophilicity and contamination removal, it did exhibit notable hydrophilicity, effectively prevented hydrocarbon contamination, and maintained a substantial concentration of Zr. The surface of zirconia treated with HPP displayed significant enhancements in cell proliferation, cytoskeleton development, osteogenic differentiation, and adhesion capabilities for hBMSCs and HGFs, surpassing the performance of other groups. Based on these findings, the sterilization of zirconia implants using hydrogen peroxide plasma therapy appears to be a feasible technique.

An ultra-wideband Voltage-Controlled Oscillator based on the Colpitts structure is proposed in this work. The entire circuit consists of four Colpitts VCO cores operating at different frequency. Every VCO core employs two single-ended Colpitts oscillators arranged back-to-back and sharing a common LC resonating tank. The coupling coefficient between the two single-ended Colpitts oscillators is increased by introducing a transformer placed on the emitter node of the core transistor, which ensures two Colpitts oscillators oscillating in a differential mode. Furthermore, a series of amplifier circuits, including a fundamental frequency amplifier, second harmonic amplifier, and frequency multiplier, are employed to amplify the second harmonic signal and convert it into a differential signal, thereby expanding the operating bandwidth of the oscillator. The fundamental frequency of the proposed Colpitts VCO ranges from 3.5 GHz to 7GHz, and the frequency can reach up to 14GHz or 28GHz by generating second or fourth harmonics. The measured phase noise performance is lower than -130dBc/Hz, -124dBc/Hz and -118dBc/Hz at 1MHz offset across the entire frequency range. The power dissipation of the entire VCO is typically around 60mW under 3.3V power supply.

Invasive omnivores may have profound impacts on ecological communities through diet selection, particularly when their functional roles differ from those in their native range. While the threat of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) to native plant communities in Hawai‘i are well known, their trophic dynamics and the drivers of variation in their diet remain understudied. We investigated the feral pig dietary niche on Hawai‘i Island using stable isotopes (13C and 15N) and Bayesian mixing models to identify drivers of variation in resource use. We also chronologically reconstructed diets for six subsampled individuals to understand temporal variation in resource use and individual diet specialization. Our results revealed feral pigs on Hawai‘i Island exhibit a broad dietary niche characterized by diverse diets, with substantial overlap in resource use across districts and habitats. Differences in dietary composition in the transition from forest to open habitat were driven primarily by an increasing reliance on human food subsidies in conjunction with a decreasing reliance on invertebrates, which may be partially driven by protein constraints on dietary composition. Pigs in forested areas largely displayed generalist feeding strategies, while those in open habitat tended to specialize, particularly on human food resources. Diets for chronologically subsampled individuals varied little, suggesting feral pig resource-use strategies in Hawai‘i tend to be stable through time. Individual niche-width was relatively narrow compared to that of feral pigs in Hawai‘i at large, indicating the relatively wide feral pig dietary niche is characterized by substantial intraspecific diet specialization, likely as a result of strong intraspecific competition. Understanding the drivers of feral pig resource use is crucial for informing management strategies aimed at mitigating their ecological impacts in imperiled systems like Hawai‘i.

Many social insect species build nests, which strongly differ from the surrounding environment and are often occupied by specific organismal communities. In temperate forests, red wood ants (e.g. Formica polyctena) are known to create such distinct, highly developed nests, which consist of large, above-ground mounds. Those structures are built primarily out of plant matter collected from the forest litter. Common fungal dwellers of forest litter are representatives of Mucoromycota, engaged in the decomposition process of this substrate. However, data on co-occurrence or interactions between these ants and fungi remains unknown. In order to elucidate these interactions we characterized Mucoromycota communities of Formica polyctena nests and the surrounding forest litter. We sampled four sites, twice in a season and used: a culturomics approach, complemented with DNA barcoding to describe fungal communities; PERMANOVA test and non-metric multidimensional scaling ordinations to compare those communities; and multilevel pattern analysis to indicate taxa associated with the mounds. Our results show that the Mucoromycota community of Formica polyctena’s mound is specific and more stable than the community of the surrounding forest litter. While representatives of Entomortierella lignicola and Absidia cylindrospora clade were found to be associated with the mound environment, representatives of Umbelopsis curvata and Podila verticillata-humilis clade were associated with forest litter, and were rarely present in the mounds. Our findings strongly suggest that the red wood ants’ nest is a specific microenvironment in the temperate forest floor, which is a preferred microhabitat for the mound-associated Mucoromycota, possibly adapted to live in close proximity to ants.

Stem cells have differentiation and regulatory functions. Here, we discuss the effect of cell culture density on stem cell proliferate, adipogenesis and regulation ability. To investigate the effect of the initial culture density of human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSC) on the adipogenic differentiation of autologous cells. We found that the proliferation rate of hPDLSC increased with the initial cell densities (0.5~8 × 10 4 cells/cm 2) increase. After adipogenic differentiation induced by different initial cell densities of hPDLSC, we found that the mean adipose concentration and the expression levels of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (CEBP-α) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) genes all increased with increasing cell density. To investigate the regulatory role of hPDLSCs on the adipogenic differentiation of other cells, we used secreted exosomes derived from hPDLSCs cultured at different initial cell densities of 50 μg/mL to induce the adipogenic differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSC). We also found that the mean adipose concentration and the expression of LPL, CEBP-α and PPARγ genes increased with increasing cell density, the optimal culture density was 8 × 10 4 cells/cm 2. This provides a laboratory research basis for the application of adipogenic differentiation of stem cells.

Goal-oriented communication (GO-COM) has recently emerged as an important concept in modern communications, owing partly to the insatiable demand for high bandwidth efficiency in edge networks and Internet-of-Things (IoT) systems. Unlike traditional communication systems focusing on packet transport and accuracy, GO-COM aims to convey information the most critical to receiver goals. To leverage the strength of emerging generative artificial intelligence (AI) models within GO-COM, this work presents an ultra-efficient GO-COM design built upon the backbone of the diffusion model. This Diff-GO+ model features high spectrum efficiency and flexible feedback control. Specifically, we embed the key information within semantic conditions and incorporate dictionary learning to derive a noise codebook for forward diffusion at the transmitter, with which a corresponding receiver model regenerates messages via denoising. Our proposed compression-friendly semantic conditions and low-dimensional codewords achieve significant communication overhead reduction and satisfactory message recovery. To control recovery quality, we introduce a "local generative feedback" (LGF) that enables the transmitter to anticipate recovery quality and ensure goal accomplishment at the receiver end. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed Diff-GO+ can achieve a better computation-bandwidth tradeoff with ultra-high spectrum efficiency and superior data recovery. Specifically, our Diff-GO+ can achieve 98% compression for image transmission of the Cityscape dataset.

Terrestrial water energy coupling (WEC), in the form of the non-linear relationship between Soil Moisture (SM) and evaporative fraction (EF, ratio of actual and potential evapotranspiration), controls critical ecohydrological processes. We investigate and parameterize the evolution of global SM–EF coupling from the field to remote-sensing (RS)-footprint. The field-scale EF and SM were obtained from 163 eddy covariance (EC) and SM sensors at various network (Texas Water Observatory and FLUXNET) sites around the globe. Remote-sensing (RS)-scale EF and SM estimates were obtained from Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) sensors, respectively. We estimate the effective thresholds of the WEC regimes from both EC and satellite datasets to highlight the influence of subgrid-scale heterogeneity, scaling, and observational constraints on the evolution of WEC regimes from field to RS-footprint scale. We compare the critical WEC thresholds of the water- and energy-limited regimes with an SM drydown-based approach and highlight the similarities between both methods in partitioning dominant WEC regimes. EF and SM are strongly coupled in dryland arid and semi-arid regions compared to humid climates. WEC regimes and thresholds have strong interseason variability due to dynamic interactions between soil, vegetation, and atmosphere at the RS-footprint scale. In contrast, field-scale SM-EF coupling is influenced predominantly by agricultural /land-use practices and soil conditions. Hence, future development of Earth-System/Land-Surface models must account for the inter-scale differences in the coupling between terrestrial water and energy fluxes representative of the “ effective” processes at large spatial scales.

In Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the absence of standardized forensic processes presents substantial hurdles to effective investigations. As IIoT devices become ubiquitous in critical infrastructure, ensuring consistency and reliability in forensic procedures becomes imperative. This paper aims to front the critical need for standardized IIoT forensic processes, challenges, impact and industry and government roles in achieving this. In addition, a taxonomy of forensic processes in IIoT has been suggested. By addressing concerns, the objective is to pave the way for consistent and effective forensic investigations across varied IIoT landscapes through standardized approaches.

In the surge of the digital era, the Metaverse, as a groundbreaking concept, has become a focal point in the technology sector. It is reshaping human work and life patterns, carving out a new realm of virtual and real interaction. However, the rapid development of the Metaverse brings along novel challenges in security and privacy. In this multifaceted and complex technological environment, data protection is of paramount importance. The innovative capabilities of high-end devices and functions in the Metaverse, owing to advanced integrated circuit technology, face unique threats from Side-Channel Analysis (SCA), potentially leading to breaches in user privacy. Addressing the issue of domain differences caused by different hardware devices, which impact the generalizability of the analysis model and the accuracy of analysis, this paper proposes a strategy of Portability Power Profiling Analysis (PPPA). Combining domain adaptation and deep learning techniques, it models and calibrates the domain differences between the profiling and target devices, enhancing the model’s adaptability in different device environments. Experiments show that our method can recover the correct key with as few as 389 power traces, effectively recovering keys across different devices. This paper underscores the effectiveness of cross-device SCA, focusing on the adaptability and robustness of analysis models in different hardware environments, thereby enhancing the security of user data privacy in the Metaverse environment.

A document by Rajesh Badrana. Click on the document to view its contents.

Many agricultural regions around the world rely on melt from mountainous snowpacks for irrigation. As climate change-induced snow droughts intensify, water resource managers will need more efficient and accurate methods to characterize the snowmelt cycle and forecast water availability. Here, we integrate in-situ and remotely-sensed data to assess the relative contributions of groundwater and the current season’s snowmelt to irrigation water supply for water year 2023 (WY, Oct 1 – Sep 30) for a montane headwater catchment in southwestern Montana (423 km 2, elevation ranges between 1465 m and 3270 m). We analyze Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to approximate dates of snowmelt runoff onset at 10 m resolution every twelve days. We find that the watershed’s median date of snowmelt runoff onset in WY 2023 was April 20. To assess relative contributions to streamflow, we compare stable water isotope ratios (δH 2, δO 18) from biweekly stream water samples at low elevations against monthly samples of snow and groundwater. We find that stream water below the highest diversion point is predominantly composed of groundwater. The maximum contribution from snowmelt was measured in May at 22%. Results demonstrate alignment between two disparate approaches for estimating snowpack contribution to stream flow. While our work focuses on a catchment in Montana, the approaches used are potentially applicable globally for agricultural regions that rely on snowmelt for irrigation, particularly in poorly instrumented areas.

1Escuela Alianza Especializada en Matemáticas, Ciencias y Tecnología, San Juan, Puerto Rico, ivangs.rivera@sjmathsciencetechnology.org2Escuela Alianza Especializada en Matemáticas, Ciencias y Tecnología, San Juan, Puerto Rico, victor.crespo@sjmathsciencetechnology.orgClass Period: 3 - 5Suggested Time: 50 minutes per classGrade Level: (9-12) HighschoolNGSS StandardsHS-LS4-6 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity: Create or revise a simulation to test a solution to mitigate adverse impacts of human activity on biodiversity.

Introduction While there is a growing volume of evidence suggesting that relatively prevalent functional polymorphisms present within apoptosis-related genes may influence human prostate cancer (PCa) susceptibility, the clinical relevance of these findings remains inconclusive. This meta-analysis was thus developed with the goal of generating more precise estimates of the relationships between polymorphisms in four apoptosis-associated genes (NKX3‑1, Caspase-3, Caspase-9, and BCL‑2) and the risk of PCa. Material and methods The PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Embase, Cochrane Library, and SinoMed (CNKI and Wanfang) databases were searched for relevant studies published through December 20, 2023 using the following keywords: ‘polymorphism’ or ‘variant’ and ‘carcinoma’ or ‘cancer’ or ‘tumor’ and ‘NKX3-1’, ‘CASP3’ or ‘Caspase-3’, ‘CASP9’ or ‘Caspase-9’, ‘BCL-2’ or ‘B-cell lymphoma’ and ‘prostate cancer’ or ‘PCa’ or ‘prostate adenocarcinoma’. Results This approach led to the identification of 22 case-control studies related to the association between apoptosis-related gene polymorphisms and PCa susceptibility enrolling 9,706 cases and 12,567 controls. Subsequent analyses revealed that the NKX3-1 rs2228013, CASP9 rs1052571, and CASP9 rs4645982 polymorphisms were associated with greater PCa risk, whereas the CASP3 rs4647603 polymorphism was associated with a risk reduction. Conclusions These findings provide strong evidence for the potential contributions of polymorphisms in the apoptosis-related caspase-3, caspase-9, and NKX3-1 genes in the onset and progression of PCa.

RAM-1 (Raccoon [Large] Action Model) presents a groundbreaking approach to autonomous task execution within application interfaces. Utilizing advanced SDK integration, sophisticated pre-processing, and adaptive augmented generation systems, RAM-1 achieves unparalleled accuracy and efficiency. This paper explores the architecture, methodology, performance metrics, and transformative applications of RAM-1, emphasizing its significance in redefining AI-driven automation.

Past forest use often has a long-term negative impact on the recovery of the original plant composition of semi-natural grasslands, which are known as a legacy effect. This study investigates the impact of seed dispersal limitations on the restoration of grassland plant diversity on ski slopes with past forest use, highlighting the negative legacy effect on biodiversity recovery. Focusing on ski areas, our research contrasts the vegetation on ski slopes originally created on semi-natural grasslands such as pasture (pasture slopes) and constructed by clearing secondary forests or conifer plantations (forest slopes). We examined species richness and abundance, considering seed dispersal mechanisms, grassland management history and seed source proximity. We reveal that the proximity to species-rich grassland sources and sustained management for more than 50 years are pivotal for the restoration of native grassland vegetation. Particularly, wind-dispersed species show significant recovery on slopes with a history of extensive grassland management, suggesting that both the duration of management and the proximity to seed sources are critical for overcoming the legacy effects of past forest use. Our findings emphasize the importance of considering seed dispersal dynamics and management history in the restoration and conservation of grasslands and their biodiversity, particularly in landscapes experiencing past human intervention.

Background: Monitoring of the health programs is a growing challenge and plagued by lack of resources, personnel, especially in the resources-poor settings. Client’s self-monitoring of the services consumption is a new concept in program implementation needing validity. Client’s self-perception of the health status of their children is a potential idea which needs assessment of the validity. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural district in Bangladesh. Mothers monitored their children’s daily consumption of micronutrient powder (MNP) by checking in a paper-form supplied to them. Project personnel reported the consumption by enumerating the empty sachets of MNPs. The project personnel asked mothers a simple question inquiring about the health status of their children over the preceding one week. Data was collected on actual sufferings of health issues and medical treatment received. Validity of client’s monitoring of MNP consumption was assessed by correlation, kappa estimates and the Bland-Altman plots. Client’s health perception of their children was assessed for validity by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and correct-classification analyses. Results: Spearman rho coefficient was 0.44 between the mother’s and project’s monitoring of MNP consumption. Kappa statistics for agreement was 0.3. Bland-Altman plots showed 4.2% of the observations falling outside of the limits of agreement. Mother’s reporting of the children being “sick/unwell” predicted the occurrence of any illnesses in the children with 98% sensitivity and 86.9% specificity. Conclusion: Service recipient’s monitoring of service consumption and their assessment of the health well-being of their children by asking a simple question is valid and potentially a cost-containing monitoring tool in resources poor settings.

Fluidity is an inherent property of biological membranes and its maintenance (homeoviscous adaptation) is important for optimal functioning of membrane-associated processes. The fluidity of bacterial cytoplasmic membrane increases with temperature or an increase in the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids and vice versa. We found strains deficient in the synthesis of guanine nucleotide analogues (p)ppGpp and lacking FadR, a transcription factor involved in fatty acid metabolism exhibited growth defect that was rescued by an increase in growth temperature or unsaturated fatty acid content. The strain lacking (p)ppGpp was sensitive to genetic or chemical perturbations that decrease the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids over saturated fatty acids. Microscopy showed the growth defect was associated with cell filamentation and lysis and rescued by combined expression of cell division genes ftsQ, ftsA and ftsZ from plasmid. The results implicate (p)ppGpp in the positive regulation of cell division during loss of membrane fluidity. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a (p)ppGpp mediated regulation needed for adaptation to membrane fluidity loss in bacteria.