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The Transylvanian basin is one of the major Tertiary sedimentary basins in the Carpathian-Pannonian region. Its thick sedimentary fill contains prominent Middle Miocene age salt that forms major diapir structures at the basin margins. The microstructural characteristics of the rock salt represent one of the main factors that determines the potential of a salt body for storage of hydrogen. The main aim of this study is to extend our understanding of the deformation mechanism of Praid rock salt located at the eastern margin of the Transylvanian basin. Based on petrography, we identified two types of rock salt: (1) layered salt with rather uniform grain size distribution showing alternation of greyish (clay mineral bearing) and white (clear halite) layers, and (2) massive grey salt with large, elongated halite crystals, accompanied by sub-micrometer size grains of halite. To shed light on the microstructure of the rock salt, we performed electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) mapping, and studied gamma-irradiated samples both in the massive and layered salt samples. Dislocation creep and pressure solution creep were identified which acted concurrently in the Praid rock salt. The total strain rate falls between 1.2 and 1.3×10−10 s−1. The results of this study reveal a complex deformation history of the salt body where coexisting and migrating fluids have played an important role. The outcome of this project contributes to the hydrogen storage potential assessment for the Transylvanian salt and to a better understanding of the structural evolution of the Transylvanian basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I estimate the effect of tightness on wages in Hungary and Slovakia. The Mortensen Pissarides model predicts a positive relationship but the empirical evidence is scarce. I instrument tightness by the distance of a district from the Austrian border, interacted with a dummy that marks the opening of the Austrian labour market to these countries in 2011. I find a positive effect of tightness on wages, which is in line with the conclusion of the models. If tightness increase by 1 per cent than ceteris paribus wages increase by roughly 0.2 per cent both in Hungary and Slovakia as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loss of plant functional diversity associated with biological invasion is a main subject of invasion biology, but still understudied in case of aquatic plants. We calculated functional richness, evenness, divergence and community-weighted mean trait values of aquatic plant communities for 20 plots, half invaded and half non-invaded by alien species, in a thermal effluent of West Hungary. Three traits [specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf area (LA)] were considered to explain how alien species alter ecosystem function. We differentiated interspecific and intraspecific trait variation and investigate its effect on the community-level functional diversity. We found that alien species invasion causes significant changes in the functional composition of aquatic plants whereby alien species become able to absorb light more efficiently, which will directly enhance their increased biomass production. Our study highlights the importance of local adaptation, showing that calculating functional diversity with global pooling of trait measurements causes significant over- or underestimation of functional diversity indices. Consequently, this can potentially result in erroneous conclusions regarding the impact of invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated sentiment analysis of textual data is one of the central and most challenging tasks in political communication studies. However, the toolkits available are primarily for English texts and require contextual adaptation to produce valid results—especially concerning morphologically rich languages such as Hungarian. This study introduces (1) a new sentiment and emotion annotation framework that uses inductive approaches to identify emotions in the corpus and aggregate these emotions into positive, negative, and mixed sentiment categories, (2) a manually annotated sentiment data set with 5700 political news sentences, (3) a new Hungarian sentiment dictionary for political text analysis created via word embeddings, whose performance was compared with other available sentiment dictionaries. (4) Because of the limitations of sentiment analysis using dictionaries we have also applied various machine learning algorithms to analyze our dataset, (5) Last but not least to move towards state-of-the-art approaches, we have fine-tuned the Hungarian BERT-base model for sentiment analysis. Meanwhile, we have also tested how different pre-processing steps could affect the performance of machine-learning algorithms in the case of Hungarian texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, several indices have been proposed for quantifying coronary microvascular resistance. We intended to conduct a comprehensive review that systematically evaluates indices of microvascular resistance derived from angiography. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify and analyze angiography-derived indices of microvascular resistance that have been validated against an invasive reference method. We aimed to compare their limits of agreement with their reference methods and explore their advantages and inherent limitations. Methods and results: We searched PubMed from inception until 2022 for studies on different techniques for quantifying microvascular resistance. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Five studies included techniques that applied calculations based solely on invasive angiography, and were validated against invasively measured thermodilution-derived index of microvascular resistance. The remaining two studies combined angiography with invasively measured intracoronary pressure data, and were validated against invasive Doppler measurements. We converted the ± 1.96 standard deviation limits of agreement with the reference method from the seven studies into percentages relative to the cut-off value of the reference method. The lower limits of agreement for angiography-based methods ranged from − 122 to − 60%, while the upper limits ranged from 74 to 135%. The range of the limits of agreement was considerably lower for the two combined angiography- and pressure-based methods, standing at − 52 to 60% and − 25 to 27%. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that combined angiography- and pressure-based methods provide a more reliable assessment of microvascular resistance compared to methods relying solely on angiography. Central illustration. Comparative assessment of image-based methods quantifying microvascular resistance with and without intracoronary pressure measurements. Angiography-based methods rely on angiography alone to calculate the microvascular resistance by utilizing angiographic frame counting to extrapolate coronary flow (Q) and subsequently deriving distal coronary pressure using fluid dynamic equations. Combined angiography- and pressure-based methods utilize invasive intracoronary pressure gradients measured during rest and maximal vasodilation to determine coronary flow in their calculation of microvascular resistance. The combined methods showed more acceptable levels of agreement with their reference methods compared to angiography-based methods alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The retention of foundational knowledge is crucial in learning and teaching mathematics. However, a significant part of university students do not achieve long-term knowledge and problem-solving skills. A possible tool to increase further retention is testing, the strategic use of retrieval to enhance memory. In this study, the effect of a special kind of testing versus worked examples was investigated in an authentic educational setting, in an algebra course for pre-service mathematics teachers. The potential benefits of using tests versus showing students worked examples at the end of each practice session during a semester were examined. According to the results, there was no difference between the effectiveness of the two methods in the medium term—on the midterm that students took on the 6th week and the final that students took on the 13th week of the semester, the testing group performed the same as the worked example group. However, testing was more beneficial regarding long-term retention in studying and solving problems in abstract mathematics. Analyzing the results of the post-test that students took five months after their final test, the authors found that the improvement of those students who learned the material with testing was significantly larger than that of the worked example group. These findings suggest that testing can have a meaningful effect on abstract algebra knowledge and a long-lasting impact on solving complex, abstract mathematical problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is abundant evidence that bone mineral content is highly heritable, while the heritability of bone quality (i.e. trabecular bone score [TBS] and quantitative ultrasound index [QUI]) is rarely investigated. We aimed to disentangle the role of genetic, shared and unique environmental factors on TBS and QUI among Hungarian twins. Our study includes 82 twin (48 monozygotic, 33 same-sex dizygotic) pairs from the Hungarian Twin Registry. TBS was determined by DXA, QUI by calcaneal bone ultrasound. To estimate the genetic and environmental effects, we utilized ACE-variance decomposition. For the unadjusted model of TBS, an AE model provided the best fit with > 80% additive genetic heritability. Adjustment for age, sex, BMI and smoking status improved model fit with 48.0% of total variance explained by independent variables. Furthermore, there was a strong dominant genetic effect (73.7%). In contrast, unadjusted and adjusted models for QUI showed an AE structure. Adjustments improved model fit and 25.7% of the total variance was explained by independent variables. Altogether 70–90% of the variance in QUI was related to additive genetic influences. We found a strong genetic heritability of bone quality in unadjusted models. Half of the variance of TBS was explained by age, sex and BMI. Furthermore, the adjusted model suggested that the genetic component of TBS could be dominant or an epistasis could be present. In contrast, independent variables explained only a quarter of the variance of QUI and the additive heritability explained more than half of all the variance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are controversial data about the effect of carotid endarterectomy regarding postoperative cognitive function. Our aim was to analyze the effect of cerebral tissue saturation monitored by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) on cognitive function. Perioperative data of 103 asymptomatic patients undergoing elective carotid surgery under general anesthesia were analyzed. Preoperatively and 3 months after the operation, MMSE (Mini Mental State Examination) and MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) tests were conducted. For cerebral monitoring, NIRS was used, and the lowest rSO2 value and the degree of desaturation were calculated. Cognitive changes were defined as one standard deviation change from the preoperative test scores, defined as postoperative neurocognitive decline (PNCD) and cognitive improvement (POCI). PNCD was found in 37 patients (35.92%), and POCI was found in 18 patients (17.47%). Female gender, patients with diabetes, and the degree of desaturation were independently associated with PNCD. The degree of desaturation during the cross-clamp period negatively correlated with the change in the MoCA scores (R = − 0.707, p = 0.001). The 15.5% desaturation ratio had 86.5% sensitivity and 78.8% specificity for discrimination. For POCI, a desaturation of less than 12.65% had 72.2% sensitivity and 67.1% specificity. POCI was associated with lower preoperative MOCA scores and a lower degree of desaturation. We found a significant relation between the change of postoperative cognitive function proven by the MoCA test and cerebral tissue saturation during the clamping period in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study investigates whether there are statistically independent age-related influences on the canine cognitive structure and how individual factors moderate cognitive aging on both cross-sectional and longitudinal samples. A battery of seven tasks was administered to 129 pet dogs, on which exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were employed to unveil the correlational structure underlying individual differences in cognitive performance. The best-fitting model featured a hierarchical structure with two first-order cognitive domains (individual problem solving, learning) and a second-order common factor. These higher order factors exhibited consistency over a period of at least 2.5 years. External validation linked the common factor positively to discrimination and reversal learning performance, exploration, neophilia, activity/excitability, and training level while negatively to cognitive dysfunction symptoms, suggesting that it is a good candidate for a general cognitive factor (canine g). Structural equation models identified three distinct age-related influences, operating on associative learning, on memory, and on canine g. Health status moderated the negative age-canine g relationship, with a stronger association observed in dogs with poorer health status, and no relationship for dogs in good health. On a longitudinal sample (N = 99), we showed that the direction and magnitude of change in canine g over up to 3 years is affected by various interactions between the dogs' age, communication score, baseline performance, and time elapsed since the baseline measurement. These findings underscore the presence of a general cognitive factor in dogs and reveal intriguing parallels between human and canine aging, affirming the translational value of dogs in cognition and aging research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to counteract age-related decline have resulted in the emergence of various interventions. However, everyday benefits are rarely reported in elderly people. Dogs provide an excellent model for studying aging and interventions due to their similarities to humans. Our aim was to investigate whether a combined physical and cognitive intervention (most effective in humans) could enhance the performance of pet dogs and lead to far transfer effects (improvement in not just the trained specific task). We examined the impact of three-month-long intervention therapies (cognitive, physical, combined) on the cognitive performance and behaviour of old, healthy dogs (N = 72; aged 7.68–14.54 years) using a 12-subtest behavioural test battery. We did not find the combined intervention group outperforming either the cognitive-only or physical-only therapy groups. Physical interventions, either alone or in combination, improved dogs' behavioural flexibility and social behaviour. Cognitive interventions, either alone or in combination, increased neophilia. Furthermore, all intervention therapies made dogs more engaged with their environment. Moreover, less old, around eight years old dogs, exhibited improved social behaviour, problem solving ability, and increased neophilia by their second test occasion. Additionally, dogs' performance was influenced by their health, training, daily play with the owner, and activity/excitability traits. In sum, both cognitive and physical intervention therapies can have an impact on the behaviour of old, healthy pet dogs. However, these therapies may be more effective when longer or applied at a younger age, as the healthy older dogs were less likely to show improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study investigates the potential correlation between generational differences, like age and previous experience with digital innovations, such as video games and smartphones, and the performance on the Da Vinci Skills Simulator, the cornerstone of robotic surgery training. Thirty participants were involved from three age groups: Generation Alpha, Generation Z, and Generation X. None had prior robotic surgical experience. Participants performed the Wrist Articulation 1 task on the Da Vinci Skills Simulator after two practice rounds. Analysis of performance metrics and statistical tests were conducted to assess the differences between groups. Additionally, participants had completed a survey on their habits related to video gaming, smartphone, and computer usage. A trend was observed where performance declined with age, meaning that Generation Alpha performed the most successfully compared to the other generations, although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.51). However, significant differences were found in Glass Movement (GM) by Generation Z showing superior precision, making less errors (p = 0.019). The study found no correlation between simulator performance and early or frequent exposure to smartphones or video games. Interestingly, frequent two-thumb typing on smartphones correlated with better performance in the GM metric (p = 0.006). Generation Z demonstrated greater precision in handling the simulator, reflecting that robotic surgery training might be best to be started at the beginning of residency programs. Young doctors using two-thumb typing develop robotic surgery skills faster. Further studies are needed to determine whether this quicker learning would also lead to better skills later on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orofacial clefts are among the most prevalent birth defects, with severe medical and psychosocial consequences. Cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL ± P) and cleft palate only (CPO) affect on average nearly 1/700 births worldwide. The cause of most non-syndromic cases is unknown. Maternal factors and disorders are assumed to modify the risk of orofacial clefting. In the present study, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze the effects of maternal underweight, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, as well as smoking, and alcohol consumption on the development of orofacial clefts. As CL ± CP and CPO have distinct pathogenetic backgrounds, these cleft subtypes were assessed separately. Altogether, 5,830 studies were identified and 64 of them met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Obesity significantly elevated the odds of clefting (OR = 1.28, CI:1.08–1.51) (ORCL±CP = 1.23, CI:1.01–1.50; ORCPO = 1.31, CI:0.97–1.77). Maternal underweight also significantly increased the odds of clefting (OR = 1.21 CI:1.06–1.38). In mothers with type 1 diabetes, the odds of cleft development were significantly elevated (OR = 1,75, CI:1.45–2.12). Essential hypertension was also associated with higher odds of developing cleft (OR = 1.55, CI:1.18–2.03). Smoking during pregnancy significantly elevated the odds of cleft development (OR = 1.55, CI:1.34–1.79) (ORCL±CP = 1.58, CI:1.36–1.83; ORCPO = 1.50, CI:1.15–1.96). Passive smoking was even more damaging than active tobacco use, but alcohol consumption had no effect. In conclusion, this study clearly showed the importance of maintaining normal maternal body weight and emphasized the importance of hypertension and type 1 diabetes care in the first months of pregnancy. It also highlighted similarnegative effects of passive and active smoking, while alcohol consumption did not seem to be a significant risk factor for cleft development. However, there is a complete lack of available studies on the interactions of these factors, which is an essential direction for improving prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a direct HPLC method was developed to determine the enantiomeric purity of the immunomodulatory drug, ozanimod. A systematic method development process was followed, incorporating risk assessment, identification of critical analytical procedure parameters, initial screening of stationary phases, and software-assisted optimization of method parameters. Eight different polysaccharide-based chiral columns were selected to assess chiral separation of enantiomers under polar organic elution mode. The most promising results were obtained using a methanol:2-propanol mixture on the amylose-based Chiralpak AD column. Following this, systematic modeling was conducted using DryLab software to optimize method conditions, including isocratic eluent composition, temperature, and flow rate. Baseline separation was achieved within fifteen minutes using the optimized parameters: Chiralpak AD column thermostated at 10 °C, and a mobile phase of methanol:2-propanol: diethylamine, 70:30:0.1 (v/v/v %), delivered at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The developed method was validated according to current guidelines and in silico robustness testing was conducted to determine tolerance limits for critical separation parameters and their impact on enantioresolution. Our findings demonstrate the utility of DryLab, typically employed for reversed-phase achiral separations, in optimizing chiral methods even in polar organic mode. Limitations of the selected approach the development of chiral separation methods are also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Felicitous underspecification—apparently flawless use of context-sensitive words in contexts where they cannot be assigned unique semantic values—is rather common in ordinary speech. King presents a hypothesis about the mechanism conversational participants employ handling felicitous underspecification, one that fits the rich data he surveys well. I will begin by illustrating how King's account could be put to use in making sense of what happens in a real life conversation. Then I will point out certain shortcomings of the explanation and offer suggestions about how they might be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO2-C (carbon) hybrid materials are promising electrocatalyst supports because the presence of TiO2 results in enhanced stability. Use of new types of carbonaceous materials such as reduced graphene oxide instead of traditional active carbon provides certain benefits. Although the rutile polymorph of TiO2 seems to have the most beneficial properties in these hybrid materials, the anatase type is more frequent in TiO2-rGO composites, especially in graphite oxide (GO) derived ones, as GO has several properties which may interfere with rutile formation. To explore and evaluate these peculiarities and their influence on the composite formation, we compared TiO2-C systems formulated with GO and Black Pearls (BP) carbon. Various physicochemical methods, such as attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR)-, solid state NMR-, Raman- and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), electron microscopy, etc. were used to characterize the samples from the different stages of our multistep sol–gel synthesis. Our experiments demonstrated that utilization of GO is indeed feasible for composite preparation, although its sodium contamination has to be removed during the synthesis. On the other hand, high temperature treatment and/or solvothermal treatment during composite synthesis resulted in decomposition of the functional groups of the GO and the functional properties of the final product were similar in case of both composites. However, Pt/TiO2-GO derived sample showed higher oxygen reduction reaction activity than Pt/TiO2-BP derived one. Based on the decrease of electrochemical surface area, the stability order was the following: Pt/C (commercial) < Pt/TiO2-BP derived C < Pt/TiO2-GO derived C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study delafloxacin resistance mechanisms in Escherichia coli strains were analyzed. Delafloxacin is a new fluoroquinolone, that is approved for clinical application however, resistance against this agent is scarcely reported. In our study 37 E. coli strains were included and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed for ciprofloxacin, delafloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, imipenem. Six delafloxacin resistant E. coli strains were selected for whole-genome sequencing and all of them exhibited resistance to other fluoroquinonlones and showed an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase phenotype. The six delafloxacin resistant E. coli strains belonged to different sequence types (STs) namely, ST131 (2 strains), ST57 (2 strains), ST162 and ST15840. Each delafloxacin resistant strain possessed multiple mutations in quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs). Notably, three mutations in gyrA Ser83Leu, Asp87Asn and parC Ser80Ile were in strains of ST162, ST57 and ST15840. However, the two strains of ST131 carried five combined mutations namely, gyrA Ser83Leu, Asp87Asn, parC Ser80Ile, Glu84Val, parE Ile549Leu. Association of delafloxacin resistance and production of CTX-M-15 in ST131, CMY-2 in ST162 and ST15840 was detected. In this study a new ST, ST15840 of clonal complex 69 was identified. Our results demonstrate, that at least three mutations in QRDRs are required for delafloxacin resistance in E. coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The projective norm graphs are central objects to extremal combinatorics. They appear in a variety of contexts, most importantly they provide tight constructions for the Turán number of complete bipartite graphs K t , s with s > (t - 1) ! . In this note we deepen their understanding further by determining their automorphism group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decades, as a consequence of wastewater discharges and other anthropogenic sources, severe nitrate (NO3−) pollution has developed in municipal environment causing global concern. Thus, eliminating the potential sources of pollution is one of the major challenges of the twenty-first century, whereby sanitation services are essential for ensuring public health and environmental protection. In the present study, long-term monitoring (2011–2022) of shallow groundwater NO3− contamination in municipal environment was carried following the construction of the sewerage network (2014) in the light of the pre-sewerage situation. Our primary aim was to assess the long-term effects of sewerage on nitrate NO3− levels in the shallow groundwater and evaluate the efficiency of these sanitation measures over time. Based on the results, significant pollution of the shallow groundwater in the municipality was identified. During the pre-sewer period, NO3− concentrations exceeded the 50 mg/L limit in the majority of monitoring wells significantly, upper quartile values ranged between 341 and 623 mg/L respectively. Using Nitrate Pollution Index (NPI) and interpolated NO3− pollution maps, marked spatial north–south differences were detected. In order to verify the presence of wastewater discharges in the monitoring wells, the isotopic ratio shifts (δ) for 18O and D(2H) were determined, confirming municipal wastewater effluent. Variations in NO3−/Cl− molar ratios suggest also contamination from anthropogenic sources, including septic tank effluent from households and the extensive use of manure. Data series of 7 years (2015–2022) after the investment indicate marked positive changes by the appearance of decreasing trends in NO3− values confirmed by Wilcoxon signed rank test and ANOVA. By comparing the pre- and post-sewerage conditions, the mean NO3− value decreased from 289.7 to 175.6 mg/L, with an increasing number of monitoring wells with concentrations below the limit. Our results emphasise the critical role of sanitation investments, while also indicating that the decontamination processes occur at a notably slow pace. Detailed, long-term monitoring is therefore essential to ensure accurate follow-up of the ongoing changes. The results can provide information for local citizens and authorities to improve groundwater management tools in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hippocampus has a crucial role in the formation, consolidation and recall of memories as well as in navigation related processes. These functions are in the focus of neuroscience and different disciplines have contributed to this research field for decades. Two-photon imaging in awake animals is a valuable new aspect for these observations, especially when it is supported by electrophysiology. In this study, we applied high speed two-photon hippocampal imaging through a chronically implanted, soft, transparent microelectrode (STM) device incorporated into a cranial window chamber in awake mice. We monitored the impedance of the recording sites over the course of the experiments to observe long-term changes in recording quality. The large-scale ipsilateral local field potential (LFP) recordings from the dorsal hippocampus provided reliable sharp wave-ripples (SPW-Rs), multi-unit activity (MUA) and single-unit activity (SUA) for up to two months. Calcium imaging of GCaMP6f. labeled cells from the CA1 pyramidal layer under the transparent device was possible even after six months in thy1-GCaMP6f. transgenic mice. We investigated the immune response with GFAP staining after the end of the long-term experiments. Based on our results, this dedicated transparent electrode device proved to be suitable for simultaneous two-photon imaging and large-scale electrophysiological measurements in chronic experiments in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite advanced imaging techniques, more information on the extent of joint degeneration and modifications in tendon collagen content is required for selecting the appropriate type of shoulder prosthesis. The goal of this study was to compare the thermal parameters of various tissue samples from patients who had shoulder arthroplasty and to correlate the thermal shifts with the outcomes of radiological and histopathological assessments. Rotator cuff (ROC) tendon, hyaline cartilage, and subchondral bone samples were obtained throughout surgery for a comminuted 4-part proximal humerus fracture or cuff tear arthropathy. Thermal parameters were measured using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry (DTA/TG). ROC: The effect of advanced collagen damage was visible in denaturation curves of osteoarthritis samples. Only moderately increased thermal enthalpy and melting temperature were found in the tissue of the trauma patients. Cartilage: Thermal parameters revealed that structural change generated by pathologic conditions exceeded the effects of trauma. Bone: Thermal parameters from degenerative samples revealed more structural damage and calcification decrease than thermal parameters from trauma samples. Correlation: A statistically significant relationship between the extent of osteoarthritis and the thermal variables of cartilage and subchondral bone was discovered. Authors suggest that thermal analysis may be useful in the diagnostic process of orthopedic and posttraumatic shoulder diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the influence of Organizational Smart Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Algorithms (STARA) capabilities on Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices, Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) practices, and also its direct impact on Sustainable Performance (SP) outcomes within the manufacturing landscape of Bangladesh. A quantitative approach was employed, gathering data from 395 employees in the Bangladeshi manufacturing sector through a survey questionnaire using a seven-point Likert scale. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to analyze the data, focusing on testing hypotheses related to the relationships between organizational STARA capabilities, GHRM, GSCM, and SP. The study found positive relationships between organizational STARA (OSC) capabilities and GHRM, GSCM, and SP. All hypotheses were accepted, GHRM ← STARA (β = 0.210), GSCM ← STARA (β = 0.247), and SP ← STARA (β = 0.135). Additionally, it revealed that GHRM and GSCM mediate the relationship between organizational STARA capabilities and SP. This research contributes to filling the existing gap in the literature by providing empirical evidence on the integration of STARA capabilities with GHRM and GSCM practices, specifically within the context of the Bangladeshi manufacturing sector. It also highlights the mediating role of GHRM and GSCM in enhancing sustainable performance through STARA capabilities. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for organizations operating in the manufacturing sector, suggesting strategies for leveraging STARA capabilities to enhance sustainability, efficiency, and competitiveness. Policymakers and stakeholders can use these insights to formulate policies and initiatives to promote the adoption of sustainable practices in manufacturing. Article Highlights: Investing in OSC boosts green HR practices, improving sustainability and efficiency. Enhanced OSC supports better supply chain management and greener operations. Integrating OSC through GHRM and GSCM leads to superior sustainable performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bidirectional communication between neurons and glial cells is crucial to establishing and maintaining normal brain function. Some of these interactions are activity-dependent, yet it remains largely unexplored how acute changes in neuronal activity affect glial-to-neuron and neuron-to-glial dynamics. Here, we use excitatory and inhibitory designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADD) to study the effects of acute chemogenetic manipulations of a subpopulation of layer 5 cortical projection and dentate gyrus neurons in adult (Rbp4Cre) mouse brains. We show that acute chemogenetic neuronal activation reduces synaptic density, and increases microglia and astrocyte reactivity, but does not affect parvalbumin (PV+) neurons, only perineuronal nets (PNN). Conversely, acute silencing increases synaptic density and decreases glial reactivity. We show fast glial response upon clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) administration in cortical and subcortical regions. Together, our work provides evidence of fast, activity-dependent, bidirectional interactions between neurons and glial cells. Acute manipulations of neuronal activity of cortical projection neurons using DREADDs affects synaptic connectivity and leads to rapid response and changes in glial cell dynamics in cortical and subcortical regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cariprazine is metabolised mainly by CYP3A4 and to a lesser extent by CYP2D6. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of erythromycin, a moderate cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A4 inhibitor, on the pharmacokinetics of cariprazine in male patients with schizophrenia, and to assess the influence of CYP2D6 phenotypes on cariprazine metabolism. Methods: Forty-two patients received oral doses of 1.5 mg cariprazine alone for 28 days (to reach steady state), followed by a co-administration of cariprazine 1.5 mg daily with erythromycin 500 mg twice daily (BID) and Enterol 250 mg BID for 21 days, followed by a 14-day post-treatment period. Blood samples were collected at predefined time points and analysed for cariprazine, its two active metabolites: desmethyl cariprazine (DCAR) and didesmethyl cariprazine (DDCAR), and erythromycin using validated high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods. CYP2D6 phenotypes were determined by genotyping. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using non-compartmental analysis. Results: Erythromycin increased the area under the curve (AUCτ) and peak concentration (Cmax) of Total cariprazine (cariprazine + DCAR + DDCAR) by about 40–50% but did not affect the time to peak concentration (Tmax). The CYP2D6 phenotypes had no substantial effect on the pharmacokinetics of cariprazine and its metabolites, either alone or in combination with erythromycin. Cariprazine was well tolerated and safe. Conclusion: The findings suggest that co-administration of cariprazine with moderate CYP3A4 inhibitors may require dose adjustment or monitoring; however, pharmacogenetic testing for CYP2D6 is not necessary for optimising cariprazine therapy. Trial Registration: Trial registration number (EudraCT Number): 2018-003721-28. Date of registration: 21-SEP-2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanisation results in the loss and alteration of natural wetlands and ponds. However, garden ponds in cities and towns can potentially act as rich reservoirs of aquatic biodiversity and stepping stones for dispersal. Homeowners with a range of different motivations, including biodiversity values, install garden ponds. Here, our main aim was to study whether the design and management choices of garden pond owners depended on the location of ponds (capital city vs. countryside), when ponds were installed (pond age), or whether fish were introduced. We surveyed 834 garden pond owners across Hungary using a citizen science questionnaire, asking questions on pond size, location, construction date and materials, vegetation structure, introduction of fish and management practices. From 753 validated responses, we found that the introduction of fish into ponds and high urbanisation were strongly associated with local features and management practices, especially large ponds with a water circulation feature, irrespective of pond age. A typical garden pond in Hungary is ~ 20 m2, < 10 years old, made of rubber lining, contains fish, aquatic vegetation and circulating water, and is actively managed. There was a spatial separation of ponds based on local features between ponds in the capital city (Budapest) and elsewhere. These findings suggest that garden pond owners in the city were more likely to make different choices in pond design and management compared to owners in regional areas. Our results also suggest that pond owners may primarily select management practices to improve habitat quality for ornamental fish. Our findings have important implications for maintaining aquatic biodiversity in urban areas, where garden ponds may be the only aquatic habitat available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) can only be stimulated by UV light, making its real application for photocatalytic water treatments ineffective, particularly under sunlight and visible light irradiation. As a result, significant efforts have been conducted over the last decades to fabricate visible light-active TiO2 photocatalysts through band-gap engineering. Herein, nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (N-TiO2) photocatalysts were effectively prepared by utilizing a simple sol–gel process with ethanol as a single solvent and urea as the nitrogen source under ambient temperature and pressure. The effects of urea concentration (0, 2, 4, 6 urea/TTIP mol ratio) on the optical, structural, morphological, and photocatalytic properties of the photocatalysts were investigated. SEM morphology revealed an aggregated nano-spherical shape in all samples. HR-TEM and SAED patterns showed an anatase phase of 2-N-TiO2. The X-ray diffraction analysis also showed a pure anatase phase for pure TiO2, 2-N-TiO2, and 4-N-TiO2. However, the crystalline phase transformed to amorphous for 6-N-TiO2. The crystallite size reduced from 14.16 to 9.76 nm upon increasing urea concentration. The band-gap energy of N-TiO2 also decreased from 3.25 to 2.95 eV. Furthermore, the photocatalytic experiment was examined for the degradation of colorless and colored pollutants, such as salicylic acid (SA), methyl blue (MB), and rhodamine B (RhB). The results showed the photocatalytic activity of 2-N-TiO2 exhibited an optimum efficiency compared to the 4-N-TiO2 and 6-N-TiO2, for photocatalytic degradation of SA (k = 0.0265 min−1), MB (k = 0.0180 min−1) and RhB (k = 0.1071 min−1), under visible light irradiation. Therefore, the results suggest that crystallite size, urea (as an N dopant) concentration, and organic model pollutants were critical parameters for the photocatalytic activity of N-TiO2 under visible irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is accompanied by an increased prevalence of degenerative conditions, including those affecting ocular health, which significantly impact quality of life and increase the burden on healthcare systems. Among these, retinal aging is of particular concern due to its direct link to vision impairment, a leading cause of disability in the elderly. Vision loss in the aging population is associated with heightened risks of cognitive decline, social isolation, and morbidity. This study addresses the critical gap in our understanding of modifiable lifestyle factors, such as physical exercise, that may mitigate retinal aging and its related pathologies. We investigated the effects of different exercise regimens—voluntary (recreational-type) and forced (high-intensity)—on the retinal health of aging Wistar rats (18-month-old), serving as a model for studying the translational potential of exercise interventions in humans. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: a young control (3-month-old) for baseline comparison, an aged sedentary control, an aged group engaging in voluntary exercise via a running wheel in their cage, and an aged group subjected to forced exercise on a treadmill for six sessions of 20 min each per week. After a 6-month experimental period, we assessed retinal function via electroretinography (ERG), measured retinal thickness histologically, and analyzed protein expression changes relevant to oxidative stress, inflammation, and anti-aging mechanisms. Our findings reveal that voluntary exercise positively impacts retinal function and morphology, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation markers while enhancing anti-aging protein expression. In contrast, forced exercise showed diminished benefits. These insights underscore the importance of exercise intensity and preference in preserving retinal health during aging. The study highlights the potential of recreational physical activity as a non-invasive strategy to counteract retinal aging, advocating for further research into exercise regimens as preventative therapies for age-related ocular degenerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pipe 200 kimberlite in northern Lesotho on the southeast margin of the Kaapvaal Craton is a diamond-poor deposit despite its proximity to economically viable kimberlites like the Liqhobong kimberlite. We study harzburgite xenoliths' mineral composition, geochemistry, and pressure–temperature evolution to understand factors influencing diamond destruction. The xenoliths are classified into five types based on their petrography and geochemistry. The diversity in the mineral assemblage correlates with a sampling depth of ~ 100 to 175 km (~ 2.8 to < 5.0 GPa). The signatures of metasomatism are evident in type 3 and 4 xenoliths, where garnet breaks down to form a cluster (henceforth assemblage) of phlogopite, chromite, and diopside. Fine-grained melts associated with an uplift in the mantle to shallower depths of < 90 km (< 2.3 GPa) encompass the minerals in the assemblage, which display resorption at the boundaries. Water contents (structural hydroxyl) of olivine and possibly orthopyroxene are lower in the xenoliths with metasomatism-induced breakdown of garnet. The structural hydroxyl distribution in the nominally anhydrous minerals shows flat distribution profiles of re-equilibration due to residence in the kimberlite magma. It is supported by the disruption of the inter-mineral water partition coefficient due to olivine water diffusion during residence in the kimberlite magma. The barren nature of the Pipe 200 kimberlite is attributed to the signatures of mantle metasomatism and residence in kimberlite magma, which led to the diamond destruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amongst fishes, zebrafish (Danio rerio) has gained popularity as a model system over most other species and while their value as a model is well documented, their usefulness is limited in certain fields of research such as behavior. By embracing other, less conventional experimental organisms, opportunities arise to gain broader insights into evolution and development, as well as studying behavioral aspects not available in current popular model systems. The anabantoid paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis), an "air-breather" species has a highly complex behavioral repertoire and has been the subject of many ethological investigations but lacks genomic resources. Here we report the reference genome assembly of M. opercularis using long-read sequences at 150-fold coverage. The final assembly consisted of 483,077,705 base pairs (~483 Mb) on 152 contigs. Within the assembled genome we identified and annotated 20,157 protein coding genes and assigned ~90% of them to orthogroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Xerostomia, or dry mouth, can be a temporary or persistent symptom resulting from various factors, such as medication use, therapeutic radiation, chemotherapy, autoimmune conditions (e.g., Sjögren's syndrome), and hormonal imbalances. Xerostomia often leads to associated mucositis, which significantly impacts patients' quality of life. The nano-bio-fusion (NBF) gingival gel, a gel-type functional toothpaste containing vitamins C, E, propolis, and herbal extracts in a nano-emulsion state, has shown potential in accelerating the healing of oral mucosal lesions. Methods: A total of 127 patients (102 females, 25 males) with persistent xerostomia were treated from 2018 to 2023. Of these, 32 patients were treated exclusively with NBF Gel, while 95 patients received NBF Gel in combination with other medications, such as pilocarpine. The underlying causes of xerostomia included irradiation and chemotherapy (12 patients), medication (40 patients), hormonal imbalance (28 patients), and Sjögren's syndrome (47 patients). NBF Gel was applied 2–3 times daily to the tongue and oral mucosa. Treatment effectiveness was evaluated through physical examinations and a patient-reported scale ranging from 1 (no improvement) to 10 (complete improvement), focusing on the healing of mucosal lesions rather than saliva production. Results: Both treatment groups showed significant improvements in the healing of xerostomia-associated mucositis, particularly in severe cases with visible lesions. Patients treated with NBF Gel reported improved symptoms related to mucosal health, while those who received combination therapy also experienced reduced side effects of pilocarpine due to dose reduction. The most substantial improvements were observed in patients with drug-induced and hormonally-caused xerostomia-related mucositis. No adverse side effects from NBF Gel were reported during the study. Conclusion: NBF gingival gel proved to be beneficial in accelerating the healing of mucositis associated with xerostomia, regardless of the underlying cause, including medication use, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormonal imbalances, and Sjögren's syndrome. It presents a promising adjunctive treatment to improve mucosal health and quality of life for patients suffering from xerostomia-associated mucositis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planar point sets with many triple lines (which contain at least three distinct points of the set) have been studied for 180 years, started with Jackson and followed by Sylvester. Green and Tao (Discret Comput Geom 50(2):409–468, 2013) have shown that the maximum possible number of triple lines for an n-element set is ⌊ n (n - 3) / 6 ⌋ + 1 . Here we address the related problem of describing the structure of the asymptotically near-optimal configurations, i.e., of those for which the number of straight lines which go through three or more points has a quadratic (i.e., best possible) order of magnitude. We pose the problem whether such point sets must always be related to cubic curves. To support this conjecture we settle various special cases; some of them are also related to the four-in-a-line problem of Erdős. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compute the indicial roots of the Lichnerowicz Laplacian on Ricci-flat cones and give a detailed description of the corresponding radially homogeneous tensor fields in its kernel. For a Ricci-flat conifold (M, g) which may have asymptotically conical as well as conically singular ends, we compute at each end a lower bound for the order with which the metric converges to the tangent cone. As a special subcase of our result, we show that any Ricci-flat ALE manifold (M n , g) is of order n and thereby close a small gap in a paper by Cheeger and Tian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid-like follicular renal cell carcinoma (TLFRCC), an emerging subtype of renal cell carcinoma, presents diagnostic challenges due to its resemblance to normal thyroid tissue. Here, we report a rare case of TLFRCC in a pediatric patient, a demographic rarely affected by this subtype. Histologically resembling a typical TLFRCC, our case exhibited unique features including post-neuroblastoma development, occurrence in a male teenager, and diffuse MelanA expression, which has not been previously reported in TLFRCC. Comprehensive genomic profiling revealed the EWSR1::PATZ1 fusion, confirming its genetic basis. Due to the advanced tumor stage, the patient received combined immunotherapy, and after a 9-month follow-up, remains tumor-free. Our case broadens the diagnostic spectrum of pediatric renal cell carcinomas, highlighting the importance of comprehensive molecular profiling in rare subtypes such as TLFRCC. Further research is needed to better understand TLFRCC's genetic landscape and optimize therapeutic strategies, especially in pediatric populations with evolving treatment protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyalomma marginatum, a vector for the high-consequence pathogen, the Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), needs particular attention due to its impact on public health. Although it is a known vector for CCHFV, its general virome is largely unexplored. Here, we report findings from a citizen science monitoring program aimed to understand the prevalence and diversity of tick-borne pathogens, particularly focusing on Hyalomma ticks in Hungary. In 2021, we identified one adult specimen of Hyalomma marginatum and subjected it to Illumina-based viral metagenomic sequencing. Our analysis revealed sequences of the uncharacterized Volzhskoe tick virus, an unclassified member of the class Bunyaviricetes. The in silico analysis uncovered key genetic regions, including the glycoprotein and the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) coding regions. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a close relationship between our Volzhskoe tick virus sequences and other unclassified Bunyaviricetes species. These related species of unclassified Bunyaviricetes were detected in vastly different geolocations. These findings highlight the remarkable diversity of tick specific viruses and emphasize the need for further research to understand the transmissibility, seroreactivity or the potential pathogenicity of Volzhskoe tick virus and related species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FeTe monolayer islands situated on a topological insulator Bi2Te3 (0001) surface were recently reported to exhibit the opening of an energy gap below temperatures T ~ 6 K, which could be due to a superconducting phase transition. In this work, we present a magnetic field dependent transport study proving that this gap is indeed of superconducting origin. Upon cooling, several drops in resistance are observed in the temperature range between 6 K and 2 K, indicating multiple transitions. Using the Ginzburg-Landau theory, we show that the critical magnetic field of the dominant high-temperature transition at ~ 6 K is governed by orbital Cooper pair breaking in larger FeTe islands, large enough to exceed the superconductive coherence length ξ . At smaller island sizes, transitions at lower temperatures < 6 K become more prominent, showing significantly increased critical fields dominated by paramagnetic pair breaking. The multiphase superconducting behaviour is in line with an observed wide distribution of FeTe islands width 5–100 nm and seems to reflect disorder effects at the interface to Bi2Te3. The proof of local superconductivity makes the FeTe interface to the topological insulator Bi2Te3 substrate a potential host of topological superconductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher burnout is a worldwide problem, and discontent of the educators often leads to social action in forms of demonstrations and strikes. Studies often link teacher burnout to interpersonal and workplace factors. Social and societal factors, however, are rarely considered in the development of the symptoms. Our study aimed to reveal how the strength of teacher identity and different types of relative deprivation are associated with teacher burnout. A representative sample of 1797 Hungarian teachers participated in our survey study which aimed to measure exhaustion and disengagement as symptoms of burnout beside strength of teacher identity, working hours, egoistic and fraternalistic relative deprivation. The results of the Structural Equation Analysis showed that teacher identity is negatively linked to burnout symptoms. On the other hand, both types of relative deprivation and working hours are positively linked to burnout. The analysis of mediating paths also confirmed the Janus-faced effect of teacher identity: contrarily to its direct negative link to burnout, a positive mediating effect of teacher identity was revealed through fraternalistic relative deprivation. The findings indicate that the general judgement of teachers within society may contribute to burnout. Therefore, burnout research should focus on social comparison processes beside exploring intrapersonal and workplace factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present research, thermal investigation of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) was performed in order to compare their relaxation transitions. Two different active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), namely naproxen (NAP) and spironolactone (SPIR), were used as model drugs and combined with polyvinylpyrrolidone vinyl acetate (PVPVA64) copolymer to form stable ASDs. The reason for the API selection was their different interacting potentials based on the presence (in the case of NAP) and the lack of H-bond donor group (in the case of SPIR). Determination of both Tg and sub-Tg transitions suggested that ASDs containing NAP and PVPVA64 are 'interacting' systems with respect to the H-bonding. Besides, temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopic experiments confirmed that the naphthalene ring of the NAP has a significant role in the sub-Tg relaxations. In contrast, SPIR-PVPVA64 systems proved to be 'non-interacting' ASDs according to the MDSC, TSDC, and Raman measurements. This study highlights that the combination of the results of different thermoanalytical investigations with spectroscopic methods helps to understand the molecular background of the relaxations in ASDs and thus contributes to the conscious design of stable amorphous pharmaceuticals in the early stage of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronary artery bypass surgery can result in endothelial dysfunction due to ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury. Previous studies have demonstrated that DuraGraft helps maintain endothelial integrity of saphenous vein grafts during ischemic conditions. In this study, we investigated the potential of DuraGraft to mitigate endothelial dysfunction in arterial grafts after IR injury using an aortic transplantation model. Lewis rats (n = 7–9/group) were divided in three groups. Aortic arches from the control group were prepared and rings were immediately placed in organ baths, while the aortic arches of IR and IR + DuraGraft rats were preserved in saline or DuraGraft, respectively, for 1 h before being transplanted heterotopically. After 1 h after reperfusion, the grafts were explanted, rings were prepared, and mounted in organ baths. Our results demonstrated that the maximum endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation to acetylcholine was significantly impaired in the IR group compared to the control group, but DuraGraft improved it (control: 89 ± 2%; IR: 24 ± 1%; IR + DuraGraft: 48 ± 1%, p < 0.05). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed decreased intercellular adhesion molecule-1, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, caspase-3 and caspase-8 expression, while endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 immunoreactivity was increased in the IR + DuraGraft grafts compared to the IR-group. DuraGraft mitigates endothelial dysfunction following IR injury in a rat bypass model. Its protective effect may be attributed, at least in part, to its ability to reduce the inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention supports decision making by selecting the features that are relevant for decisions. Selective enhancement of the relevant features and inhibition of distractors has been proposed as potential neural mechanisms driving this selection process. Yet, how attention operates when relevance cannot be directly determined, and the attention signal needs to be internally constructed is less understood. Here we recorded from populations of neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of mice in an attention-shifting task where relevance of stimulus modalities changed across blocks of trials. In contrast with V1 recordings, decoding of the irrelevant modality gradually declined in ACC after an initial transient. Our analytical proof and a recurrent neural network model of the task revealed mutually inhibiting connections that produced context-gated suppression as observed in mice. Using this RNN model we predicted a correlation between contextual modulation of individual neurons and their stimulus drive, which we confirmed in ACC but not in V1. How conflicting contingencies between stimulus and outcome can be resolved by attention are not fully understood. Here authors, combining computational model and experimental approaches, show that mouse anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) effectively operates on low-dimensional neuronal subspaces to combine stimulus-related information with internal cues to drive actions under conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mushroom cultivation is an important branch of the agricultural industry, and global mushrooms production has increased more than sixfold in the last decade. This industry uses large amounts of agricultural, forestry, livestock, and industrial wastes and their by-products. However, it also generates millions of tons of spent mushroom compost (SMC) (approximately 100 million tons per year) which has emerged as a significant issue that hinders the growth of the mushroom business and impacts the environment. Many crop diseases, which cause significant economic losses, are introduced by soil-borne plant pathogens. Spreading spent mushroom compost (SMC) to agricultural soils is a natural way to control plant diseases. Using organic waste material instead of chemicals, which is the most widely used method in agriculture today, is also a more environmentally responsible option. The generated SMC can potentially be used as a soil conditioner, an organic fertilizer, and suitable medium for growing various vegetable crops. The application of SMC has been found to be beneficial in the control of crop diseases by inducing microbiostasis, direct toxicity, or by inducing systemic resistance of the host plant. In the current review, the practical application of SMC in the cultivation of tomato, pepper, lettuce, cucumber, and eggplant was addressed. The application of SMC as a soil amendment showed a significant improvement in soil properties, including soil NPK, organic matter content, and soil beneficial microorganisms. Our review indicated that SMC could be used as a low-cost, alternative growing medium in vegetable production or as a soil amendment to add nutrients and restore soil fertility in agricultural lands. The SMC may be able to replace peat, a non-renewable natural resource, and thereby mitigating the adverse effects of excessive peat extraction in wetlands, bogs, marshes, and peatlands. This review uses unique data on the effective use of SMC in agricultural disease management, reducing the need for chemical pesticides that have adverse effects on both the environment and human health. It also provides a safe method for reusing, recycling, and integrating SMC into a circular economy that reduces its negative environmental effects and carbon footprint impacts. This work also offers a novel application of SMC as a low-cost substitute for peat or other growing media that pose environmental risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ticks are ectoparasite vectors of pathogens affecting human and animal health worldwide. Rational integration of different control interventions including plant-derived repellents and acaricides, management of natural predators, and vaccines is required for innovative approaches to reduce the risks associated with ticks and tick-borne diseases. How tick populations are naturally controlled is always a question. Tick interactions with other arthropods including predators evolved from ancient times. In this study, Cretaceous (ca. 100 Mya) Burmese amber inclusions were identified as probably related to Compluriscutula vetulum (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae) tick larvae and spider silk. As illustrated in this study, ancient interactions between ticks and spiders may support arthropod predatory behavior as a natural control intervention. Rational integrative management of different tick control interventions including natural predators under a One Health perspective will contribute to effectively and sustainably reducing the risks associated with ticks and tick-borne diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic condition affecting 6–10% of women of reproductive age, with endometriosis-related pain and infertility being the leading symptoms. Currently, the gold standard treatment approach to surgery is conventional laparoscopy (CL); however, the increasing availability of robot-assisted surgery is projected as a competitor of CL. This study aimed to compare the perioperative outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopy (RAL) and CL in endometriosis surgery. Objectives: We aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of these two procedures. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in three medical databases. Studies investigating different perioperative outcomes of endometriosis-related surgeries were included. Results are presented as odds ratios (OR) or mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Our search yielded 2,014 records, of which 13 were eligible for data extraction. No significant differences were detected between the CL and RAL groups in terms of intraoperative complications (OR = 1.07, CI 0.43–2.63), postoperative complications (OR = 1.3, CI 0.73–2.32), number of conversions to open surgery (OR = 1.34, CI 0.76–2.37), length of hospital stays (MD = 0.12, CI 0.33–0.57), blood loss (MD = 16.73, CI 4.18–37.63) or number of rehospitalizations (OR = 0.95, CI 0.13–6.75). In terms of operative times (MD = 28.09 min, CI 11.59–44.59) and operating room times (MD = 51.39 min, CI 15.07–87.72;), the RAL technique remained inferior. Conclusion: RAL does not have statistically demonstrable advantages over CL in terms of perioperative outcomes for endometriosis-related surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Female fashion models are more at risk for developing eating disorders than non-models due to the intense occupational pressure they face. The present study focuses on assessing whether female models are more prone to report orthorexia nervosa signs and symptoms than non-models. Methods: Female fashion models (n = 179, mean age: 25.9 SD = 4.40 years) and an age adjusted control group (n = 261, mean age: 25.0 SD = 4.97 years) were selected by snowball sampling. Participants filled out an online survey containing anthropometric questions and the 18-item Eating Habits Questionnaire. Results: According to BMI, fashion models were underweight (mean BMI = 18.1 SD = 1.68) while control participants' BMI was in the normal range (mean = 22.1 SD = 4.23, p < 0.001). On all three of Eating Habits Questionnaire subscales fashion models showed significantly higher average value (Knowledge subscale: M = 2.42 among models versus M = 2.08 in the control group, p < 0.01, Cohen's d = 0.52; Problems subscale: M = 1.93 among models versus M = 2.61 in the control group, p < 0.01, Cohen's d = 0.49; Feelings subscale: M = 3.20 among models versus M = 2.96 in the control group, p < 0.01, Cohen's d = 0.38). Orthorexic tendencies were reported by 35.1% of the models versus 20.2% of controls. Conclusion: Fashion models are at risk for the development of eating disorders. Even though not yet included in the DSM-5, the assessment of orthorexia nervosa among fashion models seems to be important. It is suggested to take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of disordered eating habits among models as they can lead to the development of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Level of evidence: Level III, well-designed cohort study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists are now commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. GLP-1R signaling in the spinal cord has been suggested to account for the mild tachycardia caused by GLP-1R agonists, and may also be involved in the therapeutic effects of these drugs. However, the neuroanatomy of the GLP-1/GLP-1R system in the spinal cord is still poorly understood. Here we applied in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry to characterize this system, and its relation to cholinergic neurons. GLP-1R transcript and protein were expressed in neuronal cell bodies across the gray matter, in matching distribution patterns. GLP-1R-immunolabeling was also robust in dendrites and axons, especially in laminae II–III in the dorsal horn. Cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons expressed GLP-1R protein at exceedingly high levels. Only small subpopulations of cholinergic neurons expressed GLP-1R, including a subset of sympathetic preganglionic neurons at the rostral tip of the intermediolateral nucleus. GLP-1 axons innervated all regions where GLP-1R neurons were distributed, except laminae II–III. Scattered preproglucagon (Gcg) mRNA-expressing neurons were identified in the cervical and lumbar enlargements. The results will facilitate further studies on how GLP-1 regulates the sympathetic system and other autonomic and somatic functions via the spinal cord. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at testing the hypothesis that free-floating plants may facilitate the growth of submerged plants under hypertrophic conditions and intermediate plant density. The effects of Lemna presence on the growth of two submerged plants (Elodea nuttallii and Ceratophyllum demersum) over a nitrogen gradient were experimentally investigated. This was complemented with analysing the presence of C. demersum and E. nuttallii in Hungary and in Germany in relation to the density of free-floating plants. Results showed a negative exponential pattern between underwater light intensity and Lemna cover. Ceratophyllum and Elodea relative growth rate decreased with increasing nitrogen concentrations and additional low Lemna density stimulated Ceratophyllum and suppressed Elodea. Elodea decreased linearly with Lemna density while Ceratophyllum showed a unimodal response. Total algal biomass (epiphytic and planktonic) was higher in Ceratophyllum than in Elodea treatments and decreased rapidly with increasing Lemna density. The field studies showed a positive relationship between Ceratophyllum and a negative one between Elodea and free-floating plant cover. This study clearly showed that free-floating plants can have either facilitating or inhibiting impact on the growth of submerged plants depending on cover density and macrophyte species. The facilitating effect on Ceratophyllum is most likely due to suppressing epiphytic algal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cortico-cortical evoked potentials (CCEPs) elicited by single-pulse electric stimulation (SPES) are widely used to assess effective connectivity between cortical areas and are also implemented in the presurgical evaluation of epileptic patients. Nevertheless, the cortical generators underlying the various components of CCEPs in humans have not yet been elucidated. Our aim was to describe the laminar pattern arising under SPES evoked CCEP components (P1, N1, P2, N2, P3) and to evaluate the similarities between N2 and the downstate of sleep slow waves. We used intra-cortical laminar microelectrodes (LMEs) to record CCEPs evoked by 10 mA bipolar 0.5 Hz electric pulses in seven patients with medically intractable epilepsy implanted with subdural grids. Based on the laminar profile of CCEPs, the latency of components is not layer-dependent, however their rate of appearance varies across cortical depth and stimulation distance, while the seizure onset zone does not seem to affect the emergence of components. Early neural excitation primarily engages middle and deep layers, propagating to the superficial layers, followed by mainly superficial inhibition, concluding in a sleep slow wave-like inhibition and excitation sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of psychological interventions (PI) for malignant diseases is controversial. We aimed to investigate the effect of PI on survival and quality of life (QoL) in patients with cancer. We performed a systematic search of MEDLINE, Cochrane, and Embase databases to identify randomized controlled trials comparing PI to standard care (PROSPERO registration number CRD42021282327). Outcomes were overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and different domains of QoL. Subgroup analysis was performed based on the provider-, type-, environment-, duration of intervention; cancer stage, and type. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model. The OS and RFS did not differ significantly between the two groups (OS:HR = 0.97; CI 0.87–1.08; RFS:HR = 0.99; CI 0.84–1.16). However, there was significant improvement in the intervention group in all the analyzed domains of QoL; in the global (SMD = 0.65; CI 0.35–0.94), emotional (SMD = 0.64; CI 0.33–0.95), social (SMD = 0.32; CI 0.13–0.51) and physical (SMD = 0.33; CI 0.05–0.60) domains. The effect of PI on QoL was generally positive immediately, 12 and 24 weeks after intervention, but the effect decreased over time and was no longer found significant at 48 weeks. The results were better in the breast cancer group and early stages of cancer. PIs do not prolong survival, but they significantly improve the QoL of cancer patients. PI should be added as standard of care 3–4 times a year, at least for patients with early-stage cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parvalbumin (PV)-expressing GABAergic neurons of the basal forebrain (BFPVNs) were proposed to serve as a rapid and transient arousal system, yet their exact role in awake behaviors remains unclear. We performed bulk calcium measurements and electrophysiology with optogenetic tagging from the horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca (HDB) while male mice were performing an associative learning task. BFPVNs responded with a distinctive, phasic activation to punishment, but showed slower and delayed responses to reward and outcome-predicting stimuli. Optogenetic inhibition during punishment impaired the formation of cue-outcome associations, suggesting a causal role of BFPVNs in associative learning. BFPVNs received strong inputs from the hypothalamus, the septal complex and the median raphe region, while they synapsed on diverse cell types in key limbic structures, where they broadcasted information about aversive stimuli. We propose that the arousing effect of BFPVNs is recruited by aversive stimuli to serve crucial associative learning functions. Whether and how parvalbumin-expressing neural population from Basal forebrain (BFPVNs) nuclei play a role in associative learning are not fully understood. Here authors show that BFPVNs mediate aversive associative learning via playing crucial roles in encoding outcome-related information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper, Cabbolet argues that the PBR theorem is nonreal since in the ensemble interpretation of quantum mechanics the entangled measurement used in the derivation of the PBR theorem is nonexisting. However, Cabbolet (1) does not provide any argument for the nonexistence of entangled measurements beyond the incompatibility of the existence of entangled measurements and the existence of ψ -epistemic models which we already know from the PBR theorem; and (2) he does not show why it is more reasonable to abandon entangled measurements instead of ψ -epistemic models. Hence, the PBR theorem remains intact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]