Search

Setaria (Poaceae, Paniceae, Cenchrinae) comprises 136 species worldwide and 3 species in Iran. This weedy grass is distributed in various parts of the world. In this study, the characters of the lemma and palea of 9 populations of Setaria were studied micromorphologically using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to identify diagnostic characters for the delimitation of the studied species. A total of 18 qualitative and quantitative characters of the lemma and palea surfaces were considered. Different shapes of microhairs, epicuticular wax, and the occurrence of cork cells and silica cells were evident in the studied taxa. The results of this study revealed the taxonomic value of floret micromorphological characters in Setaria species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Solanaceae) comprises cultivated and wild plants with 1400 species in the world and 14 species in Iran. Solanum is a taxonomically complex genus due to morphological similarities, phenotypic plasticity and hybridisation. Limited studies were done on anatomical features of this important genus. In this project, 10 native and exotic species of Solanum in Iran belonging to two subgenera were examined anatomically. Leaf mesophyll and midrib and indumentum were analysed using light microscope. Hand-made cross section method and Toluidine blue as colouring agent were used. Characters as length and width of main vascular bundle, thickness of collenchyma, trichome density, thickness of parenchyma strand, thickness of lamina and length and shape of midrib were diagnostic features among species studied. In UPGMA tree and PCA ordination, species of two subgenera were separated from each other. Results of this study confirmed the taxonomic importance of anatomical characters in Solanum species studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fallopia (Polygonaceae) as a noxious weed contains 17 species in the world out of which three species occur in Iran with invasive distribution. F. convolvulus growing in wide range of soil types causes significant problems for native ecosystems of river banks. In this study, we have examined genetic variability in F. convolvulus for the first time in Iran. Ten Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) markers were used to study the genetic variability on 11 populations of this species. Genetic diversity parameters, genetic distance and gene flow were determined. Genetic variation at inter- and intra-population level was evaluated by different methods. AMOVA and structure analyses revealed high genetic diversity within populations. Mantel test revealed a significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances. Between populations a limited gene flow was observed. It is concluded that local adaptation, low gene exchange and genetic drift can affect genetic diversity of F. convolvulus. Despite self-compatibility of this species, it is proposed that outcrossing may occur because of higher genetic variation among populations of this taxon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tamarix L. (Tamaricaceae) is a halophytic shrub in different parts of Asia and North Africa. Taxonomy and species limitation of Tamarix is very complex. This genus has three sections as Tamarix, Oligadenia, and Polyadenia, which are mainly separated by petal length, the number of stamens, the shape of androecial disk and attachment of filament on the androecial disk. As there was no palynological data on pollen features of Tamarix species of Iran, in the present study 12 qualitative and quantitative pollen features were evaluated to find diagnostic ones. Pollen grains of 8 Tamarix species were collected from nature. Pollen grains were studied without any treatment. Measurements were based on at least 50 pollen grains per specimen. Light and scanning electron microscopes were used. Multivariate statistical methods were applied to clarify the species relationships based on pollen data. All species studied showed monad and tricolpate (except some individuals of T. androssowii). Some Tamarix species show a high level of variability, in response to ecological niches and phenotypic plasticity, which make Tamarix species separation much more difficult. Based on the results of the present study, pollen grains features are not in agreement with previous morphological and molecular genetics about the sectional distinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selecting of the specific type of rootstock is an appropriate and shortterm method for increasing drought tolerance by improving the antioxidant systems in plants. In this research, the responses of the antioxidant systems of fig scion 'Sabz' were investigated on various rootstocks at different irrigation levels. Graft combinations were 'Sabz' on 'Sabz' (Sa/Sa), 'Siah' (Sa/Si) and 'Torch' (Sa/T) rootstocks, plus 'Sabz', 'Siah' and 'Torch' cultivars with no grafting, for a total of six groups. The plants were irrigated with 4 levels of 25, 50, 75 and 100% of water requirement (WR) for a duration of 12 weeks. The experiment was performed in a randomized complete design with 5 replications per treatment. The results showed that the 'Torch' rootstock induced the greatest amount of anthocyanin, glutathione and ascorbic acid in 'Sabz' (Sa/T) at 25% WR. Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities of 'Sabz' grafted on 'Siah' were more evidence compared to 'Sabz' grafted on 'Torch' rootstock at 25% of WR. The cv. Sabz grafted on both 'Siah' and 'Torch' rootstocks indicated higher chlorophyll content, chlorophyll stability index and shoot growth than cv. Sabz with no grafting. As a result, both rootstocks (T and Si) with the activation of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems caused the scion protects its integrity and be able to tolerate more water stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persicaria with 70-100 species in the world is distributed in temperate regions of both hemispheres. It has 11 species in Iran growing in moist areas and margins of rivers. Through hybridisation, plasticity and existence of overlapping habitats, species identification shows difficulty. In this study, we aimed to investigate karyotype characters and morphological features, evaluate genetic variability within and among species studied and examine species relationship using ISSR data. Nine annual taxa of Persicaria were gathered from different localities in Iran and used for studies. Our studies showed that combination of karyological, morphological and molecular data can delimit species studied. Based on karyological results, three chromosome counts (P. hydropiper (2n = 2x = 20), P. maculosa (2n = 2x = 22), P. orientalis (2n = 2x = 22)) were the first reports for the Flora of Iran. Analyses of morphological characters showed diagnostic features among taxa. STRUCTURE and AMOVA analyses showed high intraspecific genetic diversity. Our results suggested that phenotypic plasticity and hybridisation may cause genetic diversity within Persicaria species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species delimitation is essential since species is regarded as the basic unit of analysis in nearly all biological disciplines, such as ecology, biogeography, conservation biology, and macroevolution. The genus Geranium (Geraniaceae) comprises about 350 species distributed throughout most parts of the world. The subg. Robertium comprises 30 species which are arranged in 8 sections. This subgenus is represented in Iran by 10 species. These species are grouped into 5 sections. In spite vast distribution of many Geranium species that grow in Iran, there are not any available report on their genetic diversity, mode of divergence and patterns of dispersal. Therefore molecular (ISSR markers) and morphological studies of 147 accessions from 10 species of Geranium (subg. Robertium), that were collected from different habitats in Iran were performed. The aims of the present study are: 1) to find the diagnostic value of ISSR markers in delimitation of Geranium species, 2) to find the genetic structure of these taxa in Iran, and 3) to investigate the species inter-relationship. The present study revealed that combination of morphological and ISSR data can delimit the species. AMOVA and STRUCTURE analysis revealed that the species of subg. Robertium are genetically differentiated but have some degree of shared common alleles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient scheme for the optimization of ultrashort femtosecond pulse shapes interacting with an atom to control high harmonics spectrum and double attosecond pulse generation is presented. The time-dependent Schrödinger equation of one-dimensional hydrogen atom is solved numerically to obtain electric field emission. The genetic algorithm optimization method is used to control the phase and amplitude of ultrashort excitation laser pulses to generate the desired attosecond-shaped pulses. An appropriate cost function is introduced for genetic algorithm optimization of double attosecond pulse generation. It is shown that the relative intensity of two generated pulses, their delay time and duration can be controlled in this approach. Finally, the parameters of the optimized emitted attosecond pulse are compared with those of desired pulses, and the underlying physical mechanisms are discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Geranium subg. Robertium (Geraniaceae) comprises eight sections, of which sect. Batrachioidea contains four species centred in Eurasia, Mediterranean region and the Himalaya Mountains. Three species of Geranium pusillum, G. molle and G. pyrenaicum occur in Iran show some degree of morphological overlaps that make the species delimitation difficult. Moreover, hybrids are known to be formed between these species elsewhere. Till present time, there has been no detailed information available on molecular phylogeny and genetic structure of these species in the country. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim to investigate species delimitation by both morphological and molecular data and to reveal genetic diversity and population structure in these three Geranium species. For this study, 216 randomly collected plants from 30 geographical populations in three Geranium species were used. We encountered extensive within species genetic and morphological diversity. ISSR molecular markers could not delimit the studied species. STRUCTURE analysis revealed the occurrence gene flow between these species. The Mantel test showed no correlation between genetic distance and geographical distance of the populations studied. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference between ITS and rbcL sequences and phylogenetic tree was constructed based on combined data set which separated outgroups from the studied species. Genetic affinity of the studied species has been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geranium (Geraniaceae) comprises more than 23 annual or perennial species in Iran. There is no study in Iran with pollen morphology emphasize. The main aim of this study is to find diagnostic pollen characters in studied species. Totally 40 accessions of five species (G. albanum, G. molle, G. purpureum, G. mascatense and G. pusillum) were collected. Pollen grains were studied by use of light and Scanning electron microscopy. To reveal the species relationships different multivariate statistical methods were used. The pollen grains were monad, isopolar, radially symmetric and of spheroid, prolate-spheroid or oblate-spheroid classes. The main ornamentation type was clavate, however reticulate but striate was also observed. All sections are clearly separated by their pollen features except of Batrachioidea which show confusion with Ruberta. Species relationship is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relative resistance of 43 Iranian as well as introduced apple cultivars to blue mold (Penicillium expansum) was studied within years 2010-2011. The fruit physicochemical traits were also evaluated as measures of potential resistance to decay. Local P. expansum strains were isolated from decayed apple fruits and the most aggressive isolate (5,000 spores ml-1) used as inoculum. Fruits were wound-inoculated, and after four months stored in cold storage, decay lesion diameter was recorded. Force to break epidermis, cortex firmness, Total Soluble Solids (TSS) and Titratable Acidity (TA) were determined and their correlation with decay severity detected. Based on the obtained, results significant differences were observed in decay diameters in cultivars and for both years of the study priod. Mash had was rated as the most susceptible cultivar while Granny Smith as the most resistant one. Relatively, 11.3% of cultivars were rated as susceptible, 54.5% as moderately susceptible, 31.8% as moderately resistant, and finally 2.2% resistant. The cultivars were significantly different in all the physicochemical traits studied. Correlation studies indicated weak negative correlations between decay diameter and TSS, TA, cortex firmness as well as epidermal toughness. Cortex firmness was directly correlated with epidermal toughness and is probable to influence blue mold severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cry genes encoding Cry proteins toxic to Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Diptera species were studied in thirty seven B. thuringiensis strains isolated from twelve naturally infested Heliothis armigera larvae. To further confirm the isolates, two groups of species-indicative biochemical tests were applied while discriminative biochemical tests being employed to figure out the repetitive strains. A PCR experiment was performed using five sets of universal primers for cry1, cry2, cry3, cry4, cry7/8 genes. All strains reacted appropriately, for B. thuringiensis, to the biochemical tests and while the reactions to the discriminative tests being varied. Based upon the results of the discriminative tests, twenty four nonrepetitive strains were selected and employed in the PCR assay. Each of the selected strains presented one cry gene, at least; cry1 being the most frequently detected one (91.7%), followed by cry2 (87.6%), cry3 (50%) and cry4 (42%) but no isolate harbored a coleopteran-active cry7/8 gene. All the strains presented combinations of two or more cry genes: 20% presenting cry1+cry2, 12.5% cry1+cry3, 4% cry2+cry4, 20% cry1+cry2+cry3, 20% cry1+cry2+cry4, 4% cry1+cry3+cry4 and 12.5% carrying all the four cry genes studied and only one strain bearing a single cry gene. The cry1-cry2 combination was common in many strains (72.5%). Genetic characterization of this collection provides an opportunity for selection of strains with improved and multiple insecticidal toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, time dependent exergy analysis of the Fars Combined Power Plant Cycle has been investigated. Exergy analysis has been used for investigating each part of actual combined cycle by considering irreversibility from Apr 2006 to Oct 2010. Performance analysis has been done for each part by evaluating exergy destruction in each month. By using of exergy analysis, aging of each part has been evaluated respect to time duration. In addition, the rate of lost work for each month has been calculated and variation of this parameter has been considered as a function of aging rate. Finally, effects of exergy destruction of each part have been investigated on exergy destruction of whole cycle. Entire analysis has been done for Unit 3 and 4 of gas turbine cycle which combined by Unit B of steam cycle in Fars Combined Power Plant Cycle located in Fars province in Iran.

Persicaria hydropiperoides (Michx.) Small as a perennial species of Polygonaceae family is recorded for the first time from northern regions of Iran. To distinguish this species among other species of this genus, micro morphology of tepal epidermis, leaf epidermis and leaf cross section have been compared with two close species, P.hydropiper L. and P.maculosa Gray. Anatomical structure of leaf blade and micro-morphological studies of leaf and tepal epidermis attest the differences of this taxon from other morphologically related species.

Purpose: Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a multifaceted disorder. Recently, interest has grown in prosodic aspects of DLD, but most investigations of possible prosodic causes focus on speech perception tasks. Here, we focus on speech production from a speech amplitude envelope (AE) perspective. Perceptual studies have indicated a role for difficulties in AE processing in DLD related to sensory/neural processing of prosody. We explore possible matching AE difficulties in production., Method: Fifty-seven children with and without DLD completed a computerized imitation task, copying aloud 30 familiar targets such as "alligator." Children with DLD ( n = 20) were compared with typically developing children (age-matched controls [AMC], n = 21) and younger language controls (YLC, n = 16). Similarity of the child's productions to the target in terms of the continuous AE and pitch contour was computed using two similarity metrics, correlation, and mutual information. Both the speech AE and the pitch contour contain important information about stress patterning and intonational information over time., Results: Children with DLD showed significantly reduced imitation for both the AE and pitch contour metrics compared to AMC children. The opportunity to repeat the targets had no impact on performance for any group. Word length effects were similar across groups., Conclusions: The spoken production of multisyllabic words by children with DLD is atypical regarding both the AE and the pitch contour. This is consistent with a theoretical explanation of DLD based on impaired sensory/neural processing of low-frequency (slow) amplitude and frequency modulations, as predicted by the temporal sampling theory., Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.27165690.

Objective: To examine whether the responsiveness of young children to simple sounds was associated with entertainment screen time (EST), opportunities for social interaction, and social and communication skills., Design: Parents completed a questionnaire covering, for years one and two, the number of times the child met with other children; the number of words the child spoke; and the daily amount of EST. Social, attention and communication skills were assessed., Study Sample: Participants were 118 children, aged 15 to 46 months. They were initially assessed behaviourally using simple sounds. Children who responded to such sounds were denoted the Responsive group. Children who did not were assessed using familiar songs and denoted the Unresponsive group., Results: The two groups did not differ significantly in mean age or the number of opportunities to meet other children. The Unresponsive group had significantly fewer words than the Responsive group at 12 and 24 months and had significantly higher EST than the Responsive group for years 1 and 2. The Unresponsive group showed lower social, attention and communication skills than the Responsive group., Conclusions: High EST was associated with poorer auditory and social skills. Hence, it may be wise to limit the EST of young children.

Taurine, a non-essential amino acid produced from cysteine, is abundant in body tissues and blood plasma. It plays vital roles in growth, osmosis, lipid metabolism, and neurohormonal modulation. Taurine has antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory properties, and its deficiency can lead to various diseases including cardiovascular, diabetic, renal, and liver disorders. This report provides a comprehensive review of the functional properties of taurine in counteracting pharmaceutical-induced side effects. A search across databases such as Scopus, PubMed, MEDLINE, and Web of Science yielded 109 articles, of which 75 were included in the study. These results suggest that the protective effects of taurine involve mechanisms such as influencing pathways of Nrf2/OH-1, PI3-kinase/AKT and ERK2, boosting antioxidants (SOD, GPx and CAT), and suppression of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6). Overall, supplementation with taurine along with medications with significant side effects may mitigate these effects and enhance their efficacy. Further investigation of the interactions between taurine and other nutrients or compounds may provide insights into synergistic effects and novel therapeutic approaches., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Recent research has exposed a growing body of proof underscoring the importance of microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in maintaining the physical composition of neurons and influencing cognitive functioning in both standard and atypical circumstances. Extensive research has been conducted on the possible application of miRNAs and lncRNAs as biomarkers for various diseases, with a particular focus on brain disorders, as they possess remarkable durability in cell-free surroundings and can endure repeated freezing and thawing processes. It is intriguing to note that miRNAs and lncRNAs have the ability to function through paracrine mechanisms, thereby playing a role in communication between different organs. Recent research has proposed that the improvement of cognitive abilities through physical exercise in mentally healthy individuals is a valuable method for uncovering potential connections between miRNAs, or microRNAs, and lncRNAs, and human cognitive function. The process of cross-correlating data from disease models and patients with existing data will be crucial in identifying essential miRNAs and lncRNAs, which can potentially act as biomarkers or drug targets in the treatment of cognitive disorders. By combining this method with additional research in animal models, we can determine the function of these molecules and their potential impact on therapy. This article discusses the latest research about the primary miRNAs, lncRNAs, and their exosomes that are affected by physical activity in terms of human cognitive function., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Many types of gynecological cancer (GC) are often silent until they reach an advanced stage, and are therefore often diagnosed too late for effective treatment. Hence, there is a real need for more efficient diagnosis and treatment for patients with GC. During recent years, researchers have increasingly studied the impact of microRNAs cancer development, leading to a number of applications in detection and treatment. MicroRNAs are a particular group of tiny RNA molecules that regulate regular gene expression by affecting the translation process. The downregulation of numerous miRNAs has been observed in human malignancies. Let-7 is an example of a miRNA that controls cellular processes as well as signaling cascades to affect post-transcriptional gene expression. Recent research supports the hypothesis that enhancing let-7 expression in those cancers where it is downregulated may be a potential treatment option. Exosomes are tiny vesicles that move through body fluids and can include components like miRNAs (including let-7) that are important for communication between cells. Studies proved that exosomes are able to enhance tumor growth, angiogenesis, chemoresistance, metastasis, and immune evasion, thus suggesting their importance in GC management., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Curcumin is a strong substance derived from turmeric, a popular spice, renowned for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory abilities. The study delved deeply into a thorough examination of various sources to evaluate the impact of both regular curcumin and nano-formulated curcumin on elements that impact physical performance, including muscular strain, discomfort, swelling, and oxidative tension. While engaging in exercise, the body experiences a rise in reactive oxygen species and inflammation. As a result, it is important to ensure a proper balance between internal and external sources of antioxidants to maintain stability in the skeletal muscle. Without this balance, there is a risk of muscle soreness, damage, and ultimately, a decline in exercise performance. Curcumin possesses the ability to enhance physical performance and reduce the symptoms of muscle fatigue and injury by virtue of its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Including curcumin supplements appears to have advantageous effects on various aspects of exercise, such as enhancing performance, assisting with recovery, lessening muscle damage and discomfort, and lowering levels of inflammation and oxidative stress. However, a thorough assessment is necessary to precisely gauge the healing advantages of curcumin in enhancing exercise ability and reducing recovery time., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Taurine is a non-proteinogenic amino acid derived from cysteine. It is involved in several phenomena such as the regulation of growth and differentiation, osmoregulation, neurohormonal modulation, and lipid metabolism. Taurine is important because of its high levels in several tissues such as the central nervous system (CNS), heart, skeletal muscles, retinal membranes, and platelets. In this report, we present the functional properties of taurine indicating that it has potential effects on various metal toxicities. Therefore, a comprehensive literature review was performed using the Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. According to the search keywords, 61 articles were included in the study. The results indicate that taurine protects tissues against metal toxicity through enhancement of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity, modulation of oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects, involvement in different molecular pathways, and interference with the activity of various enzymes. Taken together, taurine is a natural supplement that presents antitoxic effects against many types of compounds, especially metals, suggesting public consumption of this amino acid as a prophylactic agent against the incidence of metal toxicity., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background and Purpose: The previous work on koetjapic acid (KA) isolated from Sandoricum koetjape showed its efficacy towards colorectal cancer however KA has poor water solubility which poses the biggest hindrance to its efficacy. In the present paper, an attempt was made to study the anti-colon cancer efficacy of KA's potassium salt i.e . potassium koetjapate (KKA) applying in vitro and in vivo methods., Experimental Approach: KKA was produced by a semi-synthetic method. A human apoptosis proteome profiler array was applied to determine the protein targets responsible for the stimulation of apoptosis. Three doses of KKA were studied in athymic nude mice models to examine the in vivo anti-tumorigenic ability of KKA., Findings/results: The results of this study demonstrated that KKA regulates the activities of various proteins. It downregulates the expression of several antiapoptotic proteins and negative regulators of apoptosis including HSP60, HSP90, Bcl-2, and IGF-1 in HCT 116 cells with consequent upregulation of TRAILR-1 and TRAILR-2, p27, CD40, caspase 3, and caspase 8 proteins. Additionally, KKA showed an in vitro antimetastatic effect against HCT 116 cells. These results are feasibly related to the down-regulation of Notch, Wnt, hypoxia, and MAPK/JNK and MAPK/ERK signalling pathways in HCT 116 cells besides the up-regulation of a transcription factor for cell cycle (pRb-E2F) pathways. In addition, KKA revealed potent inhibition of tumor growth., Conclusion and Implications: In sum, the findings indicate that KKA can be a promising candidate as a chemotherapeutic agent against colorectal cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declared no conflict of interest in this study., (Copyright: © 2024 Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences.)

Objective: Previous studies have reported atypical delta phase in children with dyslexia, and that delta phase modulates the amplitude of the beta-band response via delta-beta phase-amplitude coupling (PAC). Accordingly, the atypical delta-band effects in children with dyslexia may imply related atypical beta-band effects, particularly regarding delta-beta PAC. Our primary objective was to explore beta-band oscillations in children with and without dyslexia, to explore potentially atypical effects in the beta band in dyslexic children., Methods: We collected EEG data during a rhythmic speech paradigm from 51 children (21 control; 30 dyslexia). We then assessed beta-band phase entrainment, beta-band angular velocity, beta-band power responses and delta-beta PAC., Results: We found significant beta-band phase entrainment for control children but not for dyslexic children. Furthermore, children with dyslexia exhibited significantly faster beta-band angular velocity and significantly greater beta-band power. Delta-beta PAC was comparable in both groups., Conclusion: Atypical beta-band effects were observed in children with dyslexia. However, delta-beta PAC was comparable in both dyslexic and control children., Significance: These findings offer further insights into the neurophysiological basis of atypical rhythmic speech processing by children with dyslexia, suggesting the involvement of a wide range of frequency bands., (Copyright © 2024 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Computational models that successfully decode neural activity into speech are increasing in the adult literature, with convolutional neural networks (CNNs), backward linear models, and mutual information (MI) models all being applied to neural data in relation to speech input. This is not the case in the infant literature., New Method: Three different computational models, two novel for infants, were applied to decode low-frequency speech envelope information. Previously-employed backward linear models were compared to novel CNN and MI-based models. Fifty infants provided EEG recordings when aged 4, 7, and 11 months, while listening passively to natural speech (sung or chanted nursery rhymes) presented by video with a female singer., Results: Each model computed speech information for these nursery rhymes in two different low-frequency bands, delta and theta, thought to provide different types of linguistic information. All three models demonstrated significant levels of performance for delta-band neural activity from 4 months of age, with two of three models also showing significant performance for theta-band activity. All models also demonstrated higher accuracy for the delta-band neural responses. None of the models showed developmental (age-related) effects., Comparisons With Existing Methods: The data demonstrate that the choice of algorithm used to decode speech envelope information from neural activity in the infant brain determines the developmental conclusions that can be drawn., Conclusions: The modelling shows that better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each modelling approach is fundamental to improving our understanding of how the human brain builds a language system., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Chear open-set performance test (COPT), which uses a carrier phrase followed by a monosyllabic test word, is intended for clinical assessment of speech recognition, evaluation of hearing-device performance, and the fine-tuning of hearing devices for speakers of British English. This paper assesses practice effects, test-retest reliability, and the variability across lists of the COPT., Method: In experiment 1, 16 normal-hearing participants were tested using an initial version of the COPT, at three speech-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Experiment 2 used revised COPT lists, with items swapped between lists to reduce differences in difficulty across lists. In experiment 3, test-retest repeatability was assessed for stimuli presented in quiet, using 15 participants with sensorineural hearing loss., Results: After administration of a single practice list, no practice effects were evident. The critical difference between scores for two lists was about 2 words (out of 15) or 5 phonemes (out of 50). The mean estimated SNR required for 74% words correct was -0.56 dB, with a standard deviation across lists of 0.16 dB. For the participants with hearing loss tested in quiet, the critical difference between scores for two lists was about 3 words (out of 15) or 6 phonemes (out of 50).

The prevalent "core phonological deficit" model of dyslexia proposes that the reading and spelling difficulties characterizing affected children stem from prior developmental difficulties in processing speech sound structure, for example, perceiving and identifying syllable stress patterns, syllables, rhymes and phonemes. Yet spoken word production appears normal. This suggests an unexpected disconnect between speech input and speech output processes. Here we investigated the output side of this disconnect from a speech rhythm perspective by measuring the speech amplitude envelope (AE) of multisyllabic spoken phrases. The speech AE contains crucial information regarding stress patterns, speech rate, tonal contrasts and intonational information. We created a novel computerized speech copying task in which participants copied aloud familiar spoken targets like "Aladdin." Seventy-five children with and without dyslexia were tested, some of whom were also receiving an oral intervention designed to enhance multi-syllabic processing. Similarity of the child's productions to the target AE was computed using correlation and mutual information metrics. Similarity of pitch contour, another acoustic cue to speech rhythm, was used for control analyses. Children with dyslexia were significantly worse at producing the multi-syllabic targets as indexed by both similarity metrics for computing the AE. However, children with dyslexia were not different from control children in producing pitch contours. Accordingly, the spoken production of multisyllabic phrases by children with dyslexia is atypical regarding the AE. Children with dyslexia may not appear to listeners to exhibit speech production difficulties because their pitch contours are intact. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Speech production of syllable stress patterns is atypical in children with dyslexia. Children with dyslexia are significantly worse at producing the amplitude envelope of multi-syllabic targets compared to both age-matched and reading-level-matched control children. No group differences were found for pitch contour production between children with dyslexia and age-matched control children. It may be difficult to detect speech output problems in dyslexia as pitch contours are relatively accurate., (© 2023 The Authors. Developmental Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aflatoxins (AFs), an important category of pollutants, are formed in many foods and adversely affect human health. Therefore, their determination is critical to ensuring human food health. An efficient dispersive solid-phase microextraction technique was developed as a simple and straightforward sample preparation technique for determination of four aflatoxins using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fluorescence detector. A novel efficient, green sorbent for extracting AFs was synthesized based on hydrothermal and chemical strategies. The amounts of three sorbent components were optimized using a mixture design (simplex lattice design), including 14 experiments. The optimal amount of amino-bimetallic Fe/Ni-MIL-53 nanospheres, chitosan, and magnetic Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles as sorbent components was 0.87, 0.67, and 0.47 g, respectively. Also, various factors affecting the process of AF determination were studied and optimized in two successive experimental designs, including the definitive screening design and the Box-Behnken design. Under optimal conditions, the linear ranges for measuring aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1, and aflatoxin G2 were 0.05-82.6, 0.07-86.4, 0.08-85.7, and 0.07-89.5 ng mL -1 , respectively. The relative standard deviations under inter-day and intra-day conditions for measuring AFs at three analyte concentrations were determined in triplicate analysis and were in the ranges of 3.7-4.6% and 4.9-6.1% for water sample analysis, respectively. The qualitative detection limits for determining AFs were between 0.01 and 0.05 ng mL -1 . The pre-concentration factor of the method for measuring AFs ranged from 739.7 to 802.1. The proposed method was used for determining AFs in several real samples, including herbal distillate, black tea, corn, and real water samples. The relative recovery and standard deviation were 87.8-97.8% and 4.10-6.82%, respectively., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Today, it is felt as necessary to promote the psychological empowerment of individuals, especially at the postgraduate level using an appropriate educational approach. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of flipped class (FC) and team-based learning (TBL) in enhancing psychological empowerment., Methods: This semi-experimental study (pretest-posttest model) was conducted on postgraduate students in the Faculty of Medicine. Ninety students were included in the study using census method. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, forty students were divided into two groups of 20 in a non-random way according to their gender and educational level. The workshop teacher randomly selected one of the groups as a TBL and the other as an FC. A two-day workshop was held for each group (12 hours of training in total). The educational method was TBL in one group and FC in another. Spritzer's Psychological Empowerment questionnaire was used for data collection in pre- and post-test (one month apart). This questionnaire includes 12 questions (based on a five-point Likert scale) to assess the 4 aspects of job meaningfulness, feeling to be qualified, feeling to be effective, and feeling to have the freedom of choice. The minimum and maximum scores are 12 and 60, respectively. The experts of the field have confirmed its reliability. Its Cronbach-Alpha values were reported in previous studies at 0.86 and 0.89, respectively. Data were analyzed using statistical tests in SPSS16 and Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney non-parametric tests., Results: The Mann-Whitney U-test indicated no significant difference between the total mean of the two groups (FC: 35.20±1.73, TBL: 34.30±1.26) in the pre-test (P=0.157). However, there was a significant difference between the psychological empowerment scores of the two groups in the post-test (P<0.001). The Wilcoxon test showed a significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores for each group (P<0.05) and the psychological empowerment scores increased in the post-test for the two groups. However, the mean of post-test score in the TBL group (M: 42.55±1.82, P<0.001) was higher than the FC group (M: 38.45±2.64, P>0.001)., Conclusion: Due to the influence of the TBL technique on psychological empowerment at the postgraduate level, it seems that TBL is more useful and practical for enhancing psychological empowerment., Competing Interests: None declared., (Copyright: © Journal of Advances in Medical Education & Professionalism.)

With the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing influence of the Internet in critical sectors of industry and society, cyberattacks have not only not declined, but have risen sharply. In the meantime, ransomware is at the forefront of the most devastating threats that have launched the lucrative illegal business. Due to the proliferation and variety of ransomware forays, there is a need for a new theory of categories. The intricacy and multiplicity of components involved in digital extortions entails the construction of a knowledge representation system that is able to organize large volumes of information from heterogeneous sources in a formal structured format and infer new knowledge from it. This paper suggests and develops a dedicated ontology of digital blackmails, called Rantology, with a particular focus on ransomware assaults. The logic coded in this ontology allows to assess the maliciousness of programs based on various factors, including called API functions and their behaviors. The proposed framework can be used to facilitate interoperability between cybersecurity experts and knowledge-based systems, and identify sensitive points for surveillance. The evaluation results based on several criteria confirm the adequacy of the suggested ontology in terms of clarity, modularity, consistency, coverage and inheritance richness., (© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Antidepressants are an important class of drugs to treat various types of depression. The determination of antidepressants is crucial in biological samples to control adverse effects in humans and study pharmacokinetics and bioavailability. Direct measurement of antidepressants in biological and water samples is a considerable challenge for analysts due to their low concentration, the high matrix effects of real samples, and the presence of metabolites of these drugs in biological samples. The challenge leads to using sample preparation processes as a critical step in determining antidepressants. Extraction and microextraction procedures have been widely utilized as sample preparation procedures for these drugs. The purposes of extraction or microextraction methods for antidepressant medications are to preconcentrate the analyte, reduce the matrix effects, increase the selectivity of the procedures, and convert the sample to a suitable format for introducing it into detection systems. In the review, the various extraction and microextraction methods of these drugs in biological, real water, and wastewater samples were investigated. The theory of each technique was briefly addressed to understand the features and factors affecting each method. The extraction and microextraction methods were classified based on their application for antidepressants, and the advantages and disadvantages of each technique were reviewed. The new developments to overcome the limitations of each procedure were discussed. The investigation indicated the number of applications of liquid-phase microextraction for extracting antidepressants has been almost equal to that of solid-phase microextraction.

The amplitude envelope of speech carries crucial low-frequency acoustic information that assists linguistic decoding. The sensory-neural Temporal Sampling (TS) theory of developmental dyslexia proposes atypical encoding of speech envelope information < 10 Hz, leading to atypical phonological representations. Here a backward linear TRF model and story listening were employed to estimate the speech information encoded in the electroencephalogram in the canonical delta, theta and alpha bands by 9-year-old children with and without dyslexia. TRF decoding accuracy provided an estimate of how faithfully the children's brains encoded low-frequency envelope information. Between-group analyses showed that the children with dyslexia exhibited impaired reconstruction of speech information in the delta band. However, when the quality of speech encoding for each child was estimated using child-by-child decoding models, then the dyslexic children did not differ from controls. This suggests that children with dyslexia encode neither "noisy" nor "normal" representations of the speech signal, but different representations., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, the design, performance, and characteristics of a low-temperature argon plasma jet with cascading electrode technique (APJCE) are presented. APJCE is designed based on a tip-ring structure with a cascading ring. The effect of plasma jet driven by repetitive high-voltage microsecond pulses in APJCE structure was measured qualitatively in local surface temperature detection system. Then, by applying the generated plasma jet to biological surface and measuring and characterizing the electrical parameters, we obtained a plasma jet, which is electrically and thermally in the cold plasma regime. Simulation of the electric field distribution in the nozzle also yielded similar results to the experimental results. Finally, by cascading electrodes, we guided the plasma column to the nozzle output so that the plasma temperature within four centimeters of the nozzle output is 37 °C. The resulting plasma jets were studied by atomic emission spectroscopy and the intensity of the spectral lines of the atmospheric argon plasma jet spectra was obtained as a final experimental result at the output., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Many environmental pollutants, natural compounds, as well as endogenous chemicals exert their biological/toxicological effects by reacting with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Previous evidence shed new light on the role of AhR in skin physiology by regulating melanin production. In this study, we investigated the effect of oxidative imbalance induced by AhR ligands on the melanogenesis process in B16 murine melanoma cells. Exposure to 6-formylindolo[3,2-b] carbazole (FICZ) or benzo-α-pyrene (BαP) led to enhanced expression of CTNNB1, MITF, and TYR genes following increased tyrosinase enzyme activity and melanin content in an AhR-dependent manner. Analysis of the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as reduced glutathione (GSH) / oxidized glutathione (GSSG) ratio revealed that treatment with AhR ligands is associated with oxidative stress which can be ameliorated with NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) or diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI). On the other hand, NAC and DPI enhanced melanogenesis induced by AhR ligands by reducing the level of ROS. We have shown for the first time that a cellular redox status is a critical event during AhR ligand-induced melanogenesis., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), a highly diverse disease, is the most widespread pediatric malignancy characterized by cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities such as altered microRNA (miR) expression signatures. MiRs are a class of short noncoding RNAs. Dysregulation in the expression of miRs plays a crucial role in different types of cancers. Vincristine is an antineoplastic drug with a broad spectrum of activity against different hematologic malignancies and is the first-line treatment for B-ALL. Previous studies have proposed miR-17 and miR-181/b as oncomirs and miR-34/a as a tumor suppressor in Nalm6 cells, thus in the current study, we investigated the effects of vincristine treatment on the expression of miR-17, miR-34/a and miR-181/b expression levels. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay was conducted to estimate the optimal concentration of vincristine in the Nalm-6 cell line. Expression of miRs was calculated using real-time PCR. Our results showed significant downregulation of miR-17 (FC = 0.226; P < 0.0004) in Nalm6 cells after vincristine treatment. Conversely, miR-34/a (FC = 4.823; P < 0.0001) was significantly upregulated. Also, the expression of miR-181/b (FC = 0.156; P < 0.3465) was not significantly different between the vincristine treated group and the control group. In conclusion, it is proposed that one of the mechanisms by which vincristine improves B-ALL is by modulating the expression of specific miRs. These specific miRs will serve as good diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The cement industry is one of the main world industries with exposure to a wide range of hazardous chemical and physical occupational agents that may increase free radicals and lead to disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate oxidative stress, biochemical markers, and psychological parameters among cement plant workers. In this cross-sectional study, 40 workers exposed to cement and 40 office employees were selected as the exposed and non-exposed groups, respectively. Exposure to cement dust, silica, and noise were, respectively, assessed using the NIOSH 0600, NIOSH 7601, and noise dosimetry methods. Oxidative stress biomarkers including malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and biochemical parameters were measured in the serum of all participants. Depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) questionnaire. The results demonstrated that the level of MDA as a marker of oxidative stress was significantly higher in the exposed group. The level of antioxidant enzymes including SOD and CAT were also significantly higher in the exposed group. The level of TAC was lower in the exposed group, but the difference was not statistically significant. The levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate transaminase (AST), and the scores of depression and stress were also significantly higher in the exposed group. According to our results, noise, cement dust, and silica exposure were associated with oxidative stress, and this may be one of the mechanisms in which they adversely affect liver function and mental health.

According to the sensory-neural Temporal Sampling theory of developmental dyslexia, neural sampling of auditory information at slow rates (<10 Hz, related to speech rhythm) is atypical in dyslexic individuals, particularly in the delta band (0.5-4 Hz). Here we examine the underlying neural mechanisms related to atypical sampling using a simple repetitive speech paradigm. Fifty-one children (21 control children [15M, 6F] and 30 children with dyslexia [16M, 14F]) aged 9 years with or without developmental dyslexia watched and listened as a 'talking head' repeated the syllable "ba" every 500 ms, while EEG was recorded. Occasionally a syllable was "out of time", with a temporal delay calibrated individually and adaptively for each child so that it was detected around 79.4% of the time by a button press. Phase consistency in the delta (rate of stimulus delivery), theta (speech-related) and alpha (control) bands was evaluated for each child and each group. Significant phase consistency was found for both groups in the delta and theta bands, demonstrating neural entrainment, but not the alpha band. However, the children with dyslexia showed a different preferred phase and significantly reduced phase consistency compared to control children, in the delta band only. Analysis of pre- and post-stimulus angular velocity of group preferred phases revealed that the children in the dyslexic group showed an atypical response in the delta band only. The delta-band pre-stimulus angular velocity (-130 ms to 0 ms) for the dyslexic group appeared to be significantly faster compared to the control group. It is concluded that neural responding to simple beat-based stimuli may provide a unique neural marker of developmental dyslexia. The automatic nature of this neural response may enable new tools for diagnosis, as well as opening new avenues for remediation., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The subtribe Loliinae is one of the largest subtribes of Poeae with about 600 species. Festuca is a large genus with close relations to other genera as Lolium, Castellia, and Vulpia. The taxonomic history of the Festuca-Lolium species group is very complicated. The polyploidy and hybridization make it more confusing. Due to the morphological similarities between genera identification is very difficult, the aim of the present study is to provide the taxonomic characters for the delimitation of the taxa of subtribe Loliinae. We used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques for the evaluation of the lemma and palea surface micromorphology for 33 species of this subtribe. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to show the species groupings. Factor analysis based on the principal component analysis showed the diagnostic importance of each of the characters. The lemma and palea epidermal patterns of Castellia, Festuca, and Lolium were examined, and results revealed that Lolium and Vulpia sensu lato species made separate groups nested in the Festuca clusters. The length of the long cell of the lemma, prickle in the lemma and palea, the wall shape of long cells of the lemma, wax type, silica bodies of lemma and palea, and the short cells in palea were important diagnostic characters for the species studied. The measured and evaluated set of lemma and palea micromorphological features was unable to provide the delimitation of the Festuca genus as subgeneric or sectional level. Present observations illustrated a heterogeneous assemblage as Festuca that needs further study for delimitation., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The amyloid beta precursor protein (APP) plays a pathophysiological role in the development of Alzheimer's disease as well as a physiological role in neuronal growth and synaptogenesis. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)/WNT/Catenin Beta 1 (CTNNB1)/Notch signaling pathways stamp in many functions, including development and growth of neurons. However, the regulatory role of AhR-/WNT-/CTNNB1-/Notch-induced APP expression and its influence on hippocampal-dependent learning and memory deficits is not clear. Male BALB/C mice received 6-formylindolo[3,2-b]carbazole (an AhR agonist), CH223191(an AhR antagonist), DAPT (an inhibitor of Notch signaling), and XAV-939 (a WNT pathway inhibitor) at a single dose of 100 μg/kg, 1, 5 , and 5 mg/kg of body weight, respectively, via intraperitoneal injection alone or in combination. Gene expression analyses and protein assay were performed on the 7th and 29th days. To assess the hippocampal-dependent memory, all six mice also underwent contextual fear conditioning on the 28th day after treatments. Our results showed that endogenous ligand of AhR has a regulatory effect on APP gene. Also, the interaction of AhR/WNT/CTNNB1 has a positive regulatory effect, but Notch has a negative regulatory effect on the mRNA and protein expression of APP, which have a correlation with mice's learning skills and memory., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Dispersive micro solid-phase extraction procedure using a novel and selective sorbent prepared from four components was developed as a sample preparation strategy for extracting five organophosphorus pesticides, including fenitrothion, malathion, ethion, and chlorpyrifos, and diazinon in several vegetables, fruit juices, and cow's milk samples. Due to the high importance of the sorbent in the microextraction process, the percentages of sorbent components, including metal-organic framework (ZIF-67), chitosan, magnetic Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles, and silica nanoparticles, were optimized by a simplex lattice mixture design. After optimizing the sorbent composite, effective parameters on the extraction of organophosphorus pesticides were optimized using a definitive screening design and Box-Behnken design, respectively. A surfactant (Triton X100) as a dispersion agent with a low volume (10 μL) was utilized in the microextraction procedure to reduce the sorbent dispersion time and increase the sorbent dispersion efficiency. Under the optimal conditions, linearity for the determination of fenitrothion, malathion, ethion, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon was in the concentration ranges of 0.13-1100, 0.27-1000, 0.38-1000, 0.21-1200, and 0.11-1100 ng mL -1 with a determination coefficient higher than 0.9906, respectively. The quantitation limits, detection limits, and relative standard deviations (n = 5) were lower than 0.38 ng mL -1 , 0.11 ng mL -1 , and 4.59% for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides. The method application for measuring OPPs on cucumber, carrot, tomato, apple juice, orange juice, and cow's milk indicated the presence of residual amounts of malathion in a cucumber sample, diazinon in a carrot sample, and chlorpyrifos in a tomato sample., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Currently there are no reliable means of identifying infants at-risk for later language disorders. Infant neural responses to rhythmic stimuli may offer a solution, as neural tracking of rhythm is atypical in children with developmental language disorders. However, infant brain recordings are noisy. As a first step to developing accurate neural biomarkers, we investigate whether infant brain responses to rhythmic stimuli can be classified reliably using EEG from 95 eight-week-old infants listening to natural stimuli (repeated syllables or drumbeats). Both Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) approaches were employed. Applied to one infant at a time, the CNN discriminated syllables from drumbeats with a mean AUC of 0.87, against two levels of noise. The SVM classified with AUC 0.95 and 0.86 respectively, showing reduced performance as noise increased. Our proof-of-concept modelling opens the way to the development of clinical biomarkers for language disorders related to rhythmic entrainment., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)