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Caregiving for children with haemophilia is a critical role that requires vigilance and significant lifestyle change, impacting on social activities, physical and psychological health and emotional experiences.

BACKGROUND: The colonization of land and the diversification of terrestrial plants is intimately linked to the evolutionary history of their symbiotic fungal partners. Extant representatives of these fungal lineages include mutualistic plant symbionts, the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in Glomeromycota and fine root endophytes in Endogonales (Mucoromycota), as well as fungi with saprotrophic, pathogenic and endophytic lifestyles. These fungal groups separate into three monophyletic lineages but their evolutionary relationships remain enigmatic confounding ancestral reconstructions. Their taxonomic ranks are currently fluid. RESULTS: In this study, we recognize these three monophyletic linages as phyla, and use a balanced taxon sampling and broad taxonomic representation for phylogenomic analysis that rejects a hard polytomy and resolves Glomeromycota as sister to a clade composed of Mucoromycota and Mortierellomycota. Low copy numbers of genes associated with plant cell wall degradation could not be assigned to the transition to a plant symbiotic lifestyle but appears to be an ancestral phylogenetic signal. Both plant symbiotic lineages, Glomeromycota and Endogonales, lack numerous thiamine metabolism genes but the lack of fatty acid synthesis genes is specific to AM fungi. Many genes previously thought to be missing specifically in Glomeromycota are either missing in all analyzed phyla, or in some cases, are actually present in some of the analyzed AM fungal lineages, e.g. the high affinity phosphorus transporter Pho89. CONCLUSION: Based on a broad taxon sampling of fungal genomes we present a well-supported phylogeny for AM fungi and their sister lineages. We show that among these lineages, two independent evolutionary transitions to mutualistic plant symbiosis happened in a genomic background profoundly different from that known from the emergence of ectomycorrhizal fungi in Dikarya. These results call for further reevaluation of genomic signatures associated with plant symbiosis.

Abstract Cu immobilized onto N-doped carbon spheres (Cu/N-doped CS) derived from soybean flour was synthesized via the hydrothermal method and certified as a green high-efficiency catalyst for the regioselective synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 1H-1,2,3-triazoles. The obtained N-doped carbon spheres from a combination of glucose and soy flour have a larger size and suitable affinity for load copper species. The morphology and structure of the as-prepared catalyst have been confirmed based on FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, BET, and ICP-OES characterizations. The catalytic performance of the Cu/N-doped carbon spheroids was investigated experimentally. It was found that the Cu/N-doped CS nanocomposite has a high efficiency and recyclability for 5 cycles without any appreciable loss in its catalytic activity in the synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 1H-1,2,3-triazoles via the three-component condensation reaction of various epoxide/alkyl or aryl halides, sodium azide, and phenylacetylene in a water medium. Furthermore, significant advantages such as stability, ease of preparation, low cost of the carbon resource, high regioselectivity, and good product yield have been achieved in the heterogeneous catalyst system attractive for large-scale in many industrial products.

Abstract WingAnalogy is a computer tool for automated insect wing morphology and asymmetry analysis. It facilitates project management, enabling users to import pairs of wing images obtained from individual insects, such as left and right, fore- and hindwings. WingAnalogy employs image processing and computer vision to segment wing structures and extract cell boundaries, and junctions. It quantifies essential metrics encompassing cell and wing characteristics, including area, length, width, circularity, and centroid positions. It enables users to scale and superimpose wing images utilizing Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). WingAnalogy computes regression, Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE), various cell-based parameters, and distances between cell centroids and junctions. The software generates informative visualizations, aiding researchers in comprehending and interpreting asymmetry patterns. WingAnalogy allows for dividing wings into up to five distinct wing cell sets, facilitating localized comparisons. The software excels in report generation, providing detailed asymmetry measurements in PDF, CSV, and TXT formats.

Abstract Background Horseshoe kidney is the most common renal fusion anomaly, and Wilms tumor is the most frequent renal malignancy in children. The occurrence of Wilms tumor in association with horseshoe kidney is a scarce anomaly. However, the arising of a teratoid type, which is a rare variant of Wilms tumor in a horseshoe kidney, is exceptionally unique. Case presentation This report presents a 5-year-old male admitted with horseshoe kidney involved by a large heterogeneous calcified mass that was diagnose on biopsy as Wilms tumor blastemal dominant. According to the local and regional extension and metastatic tumor in the lungs, the patient underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and then surgery. Post-operative pathologic findings confirmed the diagnosis of teratoid Wilms tumor. Conclusions The occurrence of renal anomalies associated with a malignancy might be more frequent in the clinical environment. There are numerous differential diagnoses for renal tumors and masses, but the possibility of exceptional anomalies should not be denied, and clinicians should be prepared for these occasions. Although studies propose that chemotherapy has a trivial effect on teratoid Wilms tumors, it is essential to evaluate the tumor for any possibility of regression in non-teratoid regions before proceeding to upfront tumoral resection.

ies, focusing on the success of these new products and the profitability of insurance companies. Methods: The Choice Experiment method is based on two basic parts, including Lancaster's value theory and Random utility function theory. According to Lancaster, a person benefits from the attributes and characteristics of a product compared to the state where he directly uses the product. Therefore, a change in price leads to a change in the Choice of a set of goods over other goods, which creates a higher cost. The theory of random utility function is the second structural part of the selection test method. Based on this theory, all the components of the utility function that result from people's choices are not directly visible to the researcher. In this research, five attributes, moral hazard, franchise, insurance premium estimate, ability to update insurance premium, and price as the main variables in two levels were considered for investigation. In such a way that the audience has two levels for each of the attributes (has the moral hazard /does not have the moral hazard, has the franchise /does not have the franchise, has the insurance premium estimate /does not have the insurance premium estimates, can update insurance premium /cannot update insurance premium, and the price attribute is up to 3000000 Tomans/up to 3750000 Tomans). To collect the necessary data and information, in February 2024, questionnaires were sent to all active private insurance companies in Mazandaran province, which had experienced experts with more than 3 years of relevant work experience, of which 45 questionnaires were completed. The Choice Experiment was valid. The conditional logit method was used to estimate the model. Hence, to ensure the correct use of the conditional logit method to estimate the model, first, using the Hausman-McFadden test, the hypothesis of independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA) was examined. For this purpose, first, the model was estimated in an unrestricted form with the presence of all options; Then, by removing one of the options, the model was estimated in a restricted form and according to the x2 (chi-square) statistic, a decision was made about the desired model. If the null hypothesis that there is no difference between the coefficients (in other words, the hypothesis of independence of irrelevant alternatives) is not rejected, the conditional logit method can be used to estimate the model. Results: Based on the obtained results, the value of the chi-square statistic was equal to -1.62, which indicates the confirmation of the null hypothesis and establishing the independence of irrelevant alternatives; Accordingly, conditional logit regression is the most suitable model for investigating the effective attributes of price insurance in its acceptance by insurance companies. According to the results, the sign of the coefficients of the franchise, insurance premium, and price variables is positive and by the theory; Also, the variables of moral hazard and the ability to update have an inverse relationship with the utility of price insurance by insurance companies. The coefficient of the final effect of the moral hazard variable is equal to -0.072, which means that with other variables being constant if the characteristic of a unit's moral hazard increases, the marginal utility or willingness to pay insurers will decrease by 0.072 units. The value of the final effect of the insurance premium variable is 0.098, which states that if the premium attribute increases one unit, in a situation where other attributes are constant, the willingness to pay or the marginal utility of the insurers increases by 0.098 units. Conclusion: Accordingly, the sign of the coefficients of the franchise, insurance premium calculation, and price variables is positive and according to the theory. Also, variables of moral hazard and the ability to update insurance premiums have an inverse relationship with the utility of price insurance by insurers. The effect of the attributes of price insurance is the highest in the form of franchise, insurance premium calculation, moral hazard, and the ability to update insurance premiums. Also, considering that 70% of insurance companies' experts welcome price insurance, including it in the insurance portfolio offered by insurance companies can improve the profitability of insurance companies and on the other hand, improve the business environment related to agriculture if the insurance premium is determined and strengthen food security. By developing price insurance, the policymaker can compensate to a large extent the current damage caused by insurance of agricultural products.

Abstract Rose flowers (Rosa hybrida L.) are highly perishable and have a limited vase life. This study evaluated the effects of preharvest foliar applications of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and calcium chloride (CaCl2), individually and combined, on antioxidant responses and vase life of cut Jumilia rose flowers. Treatments included foliar sprays of GABA at 0, 20, 40, and 60 mM and CaCl2 at 0, 0.75%, and 1.5%, applied in a factorial design within a completely randomized setup before harvest. Results showed GABA and CaCl2 interaction (especially, 60 mM GABA and 1.5% CaCl2) significantly increased enzymatic antioxidants including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase, as well as non-enzymatic antioxidants such as flavonoids, carotenoids, phenolics, and antioxidant activity in petals compared to control. SOD activity in roses, treated with CaCl2 (1.5%) and GABA (60 mM), peaked at 7.86 units. mg−1 protein min−1, showing a nearly 2.93-fold increase over the control (2.68 units. mg−1 protein min−1). A parallel trend was observed for CAT activity. These treatments also reduced petal malondialdehyde content and polyphenol oxidase activity. Protein content and vase life duration increased in all treatments. Plants treated with a combination of GABA (20 mM) and CaCl2 (0.75%), GABA (60 mM) and CaCl2 (1.5%), or GABA (40 mM) individually exhibited the longest vase life duration. The co-application of GABA and CaCl2 improved the antioxidant activity and postharvest quality of cut roses by reducing PPO activity and MDA contents, increasing protein content and prolonging vase life. This treatment is a potential postharvest strategy to improve antioxidant capacity and delay senescence in cut roses.

IntroductionCortical thinning is well-documented in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), yet its association with speech deterioration remains understudied. This study characterizes anatomical changes in the brain within the context of speech impairment patterns in individuals with ALS, providing insight into the disease's multiregional spread and biology.MethodsTo evaluate patterns of cortical thickness in speakers with ALS with and without functional speech changes compared to healthy controls (HCs) using whole-brain and region of interest (ROI) analyses. Forty individuals with ALS and 22 HCs underwent a T1-weighted 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Individuals with ALS were divided into two groups based on the preserved speech [ps-ALS] (n = 18) or deteriorated speech [ds-ALS] (n = 22) as measured by the ALSFRSF-R speech subscore (=4 or

Abstract Background The colonization of land and the diversification of terrestrial plants is intimately linked to the evolutionary history of their symbiotic fungal partners. Extant representatives of these fungal lineages include mutualistic plant symbionts, the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in Glomeromycota and fine root endophytes in Endogonales (Mucoromycota), as well as fungi with saprotrophic, pathogenic and endophytic lifestyles. These fungal groups separate into three monophyletic lineages but their evolutionary relationships remain enigmatic confounding ancestral reconstructions. Their taxonomic ranks are currently fluid. Results In this study, we recognize these three monophyletic linages as phyla, and use a balanced taxon sampling and broad taxonomic representation for phylogenomic analysis that rejects a hard polytomy and resolves Glomeromycota as sister to a clade composed of Mucoromycota and Mortierellomycota. Low copy numbers of genes associated with plant cell wall degradation could not be assigned to the transition to a plant symbiotic lifestyle but appears to be an ancestral phylogenetic signal. Both plant symbiotic lineages, Glomeromycota and Endogonales, lack numerous thiamine metabolism genes but the lack of fatty acid synthesis genes is specific to AM fungi. Many genes previously thought to be missing specifically in Glomeromycota are either missing in all analyzed phyla, or in some cases, are actually present in some of the analyzed AM fungal lineages, e.g. the high affinity phosphorus transporter Pho89. Conclusion Based on a broad taxon sampling of fungal genomes we present a well-supported phylogeny for AM fungi and their sister lineages. We show that among these lineages, two independent evolutionary transitions to mutualistic plant symbiosis happened in a genomic background profoundly different from that known from the emergence of ectomycorrhizal fungi in Dikarya. These results call for further reevaluation of genomic signatures associated with plant symbiosis.

Nonlinear Time History Analysis (NTHA) contains a complex and rigorous process for structural seismic evaluation. Nonlinear static (Pushover) analysis can simplify this process. This paper aims to develop an energy-based seismic assessment methodology using pushover analysis. This methodology can estimate the response of mid-rise buildings with much fewer computational operations than NTHA and consider higher mode effects. Other advantages of the proposed procedure include using the capacity curve of Multiple Degrees Of Freedom (MDOF) systems directly instead of the Equivalent Single Degree Of Freedom (ESDOF) and computing the energy demand of the structure based on the mean spectrum corresponding to the desired hazard level instead of the various earthquake record spectrums. The proposed methodology converts the pushover capacity curve to the energy capacity curve for each mode, and the energy demand curve is superimposed on it. The intersection of these two curves is considered the target response. NTHA and Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) are employed to validate and compare the proposed methodology with other ones. Also, 4, 8, and 9-story steel moment frame buildings are selected, modeled, and analyzed using OpenSEES software. The results show that the proposed methodology can estimate the responses of the building with reasonable accuracy compared to the mean results of the NTHA. Also, the proposed method significantly reduces the error of the responses compared to the MPA. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that the proposed energy-based methodology can be a simple, efficient, and rapid alternative for NTHA.

Abstract Scaling in insect wings is a complex phenomenon that seems pivotal in maintaining wing functionality. In this study, the relationship between wing size and the size, location, and shape of wing cells in dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) is investigated, aiming to address the question of how these factors are interconnected. To this end, WingGram, the recently developed computer‐vision‐based software, is used to extract the geometric features of wing cells of 389 dragonflies and damselfly wings from 197 species and 16 families. It has been found that the cell length of the wings does not depend on the wing size. Despite the wide variation in wing length (8.42 to 56.5 mm) and cell length (0.1 to 8.5 mm), over 80% of the cells had a length ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 mm, which was previously identified as the critical crack length of the membrane of locust wings. An isometric scaling of cells is also observed with maximum size in each wing, which increased as the size increased. Smaller cells tended to be more circular than larger cells. The results have implications for bio‐mimetics, inspiring new materials and designs for artificial wings with potential applications in aerospace engineering and robotics.

Total laryngectomy (TL) is as a well-established treatment for advanced laryngeal malignancies, entailing the complete removal of the larynx. Speech rehabilitation following TL is crucial for improving the quality of life and facilitating social reintegration. Electrolaryngeal (EL) speech, a widely used voice restoration technique utilizing external excitation signals, often produces artificial and monotonous sound quality. Efforts to enhance EL speech include the application of statistical voice conversion and neural approaches to speech enhancement. These approaches typically aim to map spectral features into acoustic characteristics, including the fundamental frequency ( $F_{0}$ ). However, challenges arise owing to substantial discrepancies and pattern differences between extracted features for EL and normal speech, compounded by limited clinical training data. To address this issue, we explored $F_{0}$ pattern prediction based on frame-wise phoneme information using bidirectional long short-term memory recurrent neural networks. Beyond direct predictions based on phoneme labels, we expanded our analysis to include real-valued phoneme embeddings and conducted predictions for clustered embeddings representing low-dimensional input representations. Our findings demonstrate that both regression and classification predictive modeling can map frame-wise phoneme information into natural $F_{0}$ patterns. Additionally, phoneme labels can be considered as shared features between EL and normal speech, allowing for improved prediction accuracies by incorporating phoneme information from normal speech into the training sets for EL speech. Furthermore, by learning phoneme embeddings and creating input features for $F_{0}$ prediction based on the clustering of these embeddings, accurate $F_{0}$ patterns can be predicted, and the challenge of finding a strategy to reduce the dimensionality of the input features can be effectively alleviated.

Abstract A short shelf life usually limits the distribution and supply of pomegranate arils. Since zinc (Zn) has an indispensable role in the nutrient integrity of our diet and is effective in suppressing pathogens, this study was done as two separate experiments of pre-harvest spraying and postharvest dipping of arils with two zinc supplements, including nano zinc oxide (nZnO) and zinc sulfate (ZnSO4). The optimized concentration of both sources was used in the experiment. The pre-harvest treatment failed to extend the shelf life of arils, and, ultimately, the arils decayed after 15 days. However, the postharvest zinc treatment significantly (P

This research introduces a compartmental model designed to address the critical challenge of cost-effective pandemic modeling and analysis. The proposed framework extends the Susceptible, Exposed, Infectious, and Recovered (SEIR) model by incorporating environmental pathogen dynamics and a mortality factor within the compartmental model. To identify an optimal strategy for disease control, we formulate an optimization problem. To expedite the solution of this nonlinear optimization problem, we leverage Geometric Programming (GP), which is well-suited for handling convex optimization problems related to parameter control within the compartmental model. Additionally, we employ Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to explore potential solutions. Our simulation results underscore a key finding: the optimal disease control strategy is a dynamic function of time. This insight highlights the need to go beyond conventional tactics like managed isolation and quarantine, thereby improving our approach to pandemic management.

Introduction: Fetal birth weight, as one of the most important indicators for evaluating the health of newborns, is influenced by various factors such as maternal diabetes. Fetal weight estimating is necessary for planning the type and time of delivery. The present study was performed with aim to compare the estimated fetal weight before birth with the actual weight of the baby after birth in diabetic mothers.Methods: This descriptive-cross-sectional study was done from April 2022 to April 2023 on 71 diabetic mothers in the obstetrics and gynecology department of Imam Reza and Qaem hospitals in Mashhad. All the characteristics of the mother were recorded in the researcher-made checklist. The fetal weight before termination of pregnancy was estimated by ultrasound and also by Johnson's clinical formula, and then the actual weight of the baby was measured after delivery. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 22). To compare the fetal estimated weight with the actual weight after birth, Pearson's test was used to evaluate the type of correlation (p

Concrete and other semi-brittle materials are pressure sensitive. Their resistance to shear depends on the confining pressure acting normal to the shear plane. This behaviour is modelled using experimentally calibrated failure criteria, such as the Mohr–Coulomb failure surface. Pressure sensitivity is also strongly evident in fibre-reinforced, strain-hardening cementitious composites (SHCC), despite the internal confinement these materials possess on account of their fibre content. However, because of the great range and variety of mixes used in such materials, no general failure criteria have yet been proposed. In this paper, the pressure-sensitive shear strength of SHCC containing short discontinuous PVA fibres is modelled with a three-parameter failure criterion. The parameters of the criterion are calibrated to the experimental results obtained from several tests that combine shear and normal pressure. These include uniaxial tension and compression, split tests, triaxial compression, and a series of push-off tests with and without reinforcement crossing the shear sliding plane. The calibration of the failure criterion explicitly accounted for the magnitude of internal confinement which is generated in the cementitious matrix in response to fibre tension. The criterion is appropriate for general purpose analysis of the stress state of SHCC, but most importantly it is used to assess the SHCC contribution to the shear strength of structural elements.

Index-based insurance is an innovative concept for evaluating agricultural risks and payouts, which uses an index instead of traditional on-site loss assessment. Area yield insurance, as an index-based approach, is an effective strategy to mitigate moral hazard and adverse selection issues. This study aims to develop area yield insurance as a new insurance plan in Iran for two major crops: wheat and barley. It utilized kernel and joint kernel distributions to price the insurance and assessed producer welfare benefits by comparing the certainty equivalence (CE) of farmers’ utility with and without the policy. Data were collected from East Azerbaijan Province, including county-level yield data for irrigated and rainfed wheat and barley from 1975 to 2019 and 446 individual-level yield data from 2015 to 2019. A two-stage method was used to model yield risk: the first stage fits a trend model, while the second estimates the yield distributions with the detrended data. The results showed a significant difference in premiums calculated by the two distributions, with joint kernel distribution offering the best empirical fit and reasonable premiums. The findings indicate that area yield crop insurance provides positive welfare benefits and should serve as a viable alternative or complement to existing yield insurance plans. The successful implementation of this policy in various countries suggests it can be a suitable risk management program for developing countries like Iran.