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Research on mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, which have become prevalent among pre-adolescents and lead to impaired functioning in family, academic, and social domains, is critically important. One prominent theoretical approach to explaining anxiety and depression symptoms is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and its Psychological Inflexibility Model. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between psychological inflexibility levels in pre-adolescents and their anxiety and depression levels. The Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale--Child Version (RCADS) and the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y8) Child Form were used as data collection tools. Data were collected from 327 sixth-grade students (178 male and 149 female) attending three different public schools in Gaziantep, and a simple linear regression model was established with the obtained data. The findings indicated that psychological inflexibility significantly predicts internalizing disorder levels (R = 0.716, R Square = 0.513; p <0.01), total anxiety levels (R = 0.668, R Square = 0.446; p <0.01) and depression levels (R = 0.692, R Square = 0.479; p <0.01) of pre-adolescents. These results contribute to the literature on explaining anxiety and depression in pre-adolescents, and future studies should investigate the relationship between psychological inflexibility and externalizing problems such as aggression and anger.

Abstract An alkaline active L-glutaminase (BALG) producing bacterium was screened and identified from seamount sediment samples of the Arabian Sea. The isolate was confirmed to be Bacillus australimaris NIOT30 based on morphological characteristics and 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. The glutaminase gene, balg was PCR amplified, cloned and expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) host. The molecular weight of purified BALG was estimated to be 36 kDa and the enzyme showed a specific activity of 507 ± 27 Umg−1 against L-glutamine under optimal assay conditions of pH 7.0 and temperature at 37 °C for 15 min. The enzyme showed maximum activity at pH 7 and retained 95% activity at pH 10. BALG retained a relative activity of about 82% and 45% at 45 °C and 60 °C respectively. The kinetic parameters of BALG, Km and Kcat/Km were determined to be of 210 ± 11 mM and 4.4 × 102 M s−1 respectively. Homology modeling and substrate ligand interaction studies revealed the stability of the enzyme-substrate complex. The present study highlights the characterization of a highly active L-glutaminase from B. australimaris NIOT30. Further, mutational analyses of ligand binding residues would show insights into the affinity of L-Glutaminase.

This research aimed to examine the impact of resveratrol and catalase on the motility, plasma membrane integrity, acrosomal membrane integrity, and mitochondrial activity of Ankara buck semen following freeze-thawed process. In this study, semen samples obtained from four mature bucks were divided into four groups: control (C), resveratrol 500 µM/ml (R), catalase 50 IU/ml (CAT), and resveratrol 500 µM/ml + catalase 50 IU/ml (CATR). After dilution with Tris/egg yolk extender, the semen samples were frozen in liquid nitrogen and then thawed for assessment. The CATR group gave the highest values across all evaluated parameters (motility, plasma membrane integrity, acrosomal membrane integrity, and mitochondrial activity) compared to the other groups (61 ± 1.0%, 72.6 ± 0.70%, 70.73 ± 0.67%, 60.9 ± 0.79%, respectively) (p

Abstract Parameter prediction for PV solar cells plays a crucial role in controlling and optimizing the performance of PV modules. In this study, the parameter prediction of a four‐diode PV model was carried out using the Improved Grey Wolf Optimization (IGWO) algorithm, which builds upon the Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) algorithm. The parameters required for the four‐diode PV model were optimized based on a predefined objective function. Subsequently, the obtained data were compared with the data from RTCFrance Solar Cell to validate the accuracy and reliability of the optimization results. The evaluation of the optimization results revealed that the Sum Square Error (SSE) values for PSOGWO, AGWOCS, GWOCS, and GWO were 3.96E‐05, while the MSE value for IGWO was 3.6309E‐05. These findings clearly demonstrate that the proposed IGWO algorithm outperforms the other algorithms used in the study, based on the minimized SSE values. This study emphasizes the importance of parameter prediction in optimizing PV performance, and it contributes to thefield by introducing the novel IGWO algorithm for the four‐diode PV model. The algorithm's superior performance, as demonstrated through extensive testing and comparison with existing algorithms, validates its efficacy in accurately predicting the parameters for the PV solar cell model.

Abstract Background The cost of labeling to collect training data sets using deep learning is especially high in medical applications compared to other fields. Furthermore, due to variances in images depending on the computed tomography (CT) devices, a deep learning based segmentation model trained with a certain device often does not work with images from a different device. Methods In this study, we propose an efficient learning strategy for deep learning models in medical image segmentation. We aim to overcome the difficulties of segmentation in CT images by training a VNet segmentation model which enables rapid labeling of organs in CT images with the model obtained by transfer learning using a small number of manually labeled images, called SEED images. We established a process for generating SEED images and conducting transfer learning a model. We evaluate the performance of various segmentation models such as vanilla UNet, UNETR, Swin-UNETR and VNet. Furthermore, assuming a scenario that a model is repeatedly trained with CT images collected from multiple devices, in which is catastrophic forgetting often occurs, we examine if the performance of our model degrades. Results We show that transfer learning can train a model that does a good job of segmenting muscles with a small number of images. In addition, it was confirmed that VNet shows better performance when comparing the performance of existing semi-automated segmentation tools and other deep learning networks to muscle and liver segmentation tasks. Additionally, we confirmed that VNet is the most robust model to deal with catastrophic forgetting problems. Conclusion In the 2D CT image segmentation task, we confirmed that the CNN-based network shows better performance than the existing semi-automatic segmentation tool or latest transformer-based networks.

The BMPR-1B gene, a significant fertility gene, has been examined for its relationship with fertility characteristics in various sheep populations globally. This investigation explored the impact of the BMPR-1B gene on litter size within the Akkaraman sheep population residing in the Elâzığ Region. To locate the FecB gene in Akkaraman sheep, 104 milk samples were collected, and genetic material was isolated using the salting out technique. During the 2021–2022 period, no significant correlations were observed between the genetic make-up of Akkaraman sheep and factors including age, mastitis and disease history, milk yield, birthing type, and the number of births (p > 0.05). However, there was a noteworthy relationship identified between the distribution of genetic make-up and live weight, indicating a potential influence of genetics on the live weight of Akkaraman sheep (p < 0.05). In this study, the BMPR-1B gene determined multiple births and it was determined that Akkaraman sheep were monomorphic in terms of this gene. In light of this information, it was concluded that more comprehensive studies should be carried out regarding this gene determining multiple births in the Akkaraman sheep breed.

Research on the diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) K232A marker in cattle shows inconsistent results across regions, largely due to small sample sizes, limited genetic variation, and data restricted to few lactations, which complicates establishing a reliable genotype–phenotype correlation. This research aimed to determine the effect of the K232A polymorphism of the bovine DGAT1 gene on milk production and quality traits in dairy cattle. We used 1104 cattle, including 828 Holstein Friesian and 276 Jersey cows. The analysis utilized extensive data from six lactations of cows raised on four commercial dairy farms. We genotyped the population using the polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique and Sanger sequencing for verification. We then evaluated the 305 d and test-day milk yields as well as fat and protein yields and percentages. The number of inseminations per conception and calving ease were also assessed as reproduction indices. Genotype–phenotype associations were quantified using linear mixed models. The AA genotype was absent in Jersey cows, and the heterozygous genotype was predominant in both breeds. The K232A marker was significantly associated with test-day milk yield, fat, and protein content in Jersey cows. Further, it substantially affected the fat percentage of milk in Holstein Friesian cows (p<0.001). We found that the KK genotype is highly desirable for milk quality and especially fat content. This comprehensive assessment demonstrated that the KK genotype of the DGAT1 K232A polymorphism significantly influenced fat and protein contents in dairy cattle.

PURPOSE: To determine whether qualitative and quantitative enhancement parameters obtained from contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) can be used in predicting malignancy. METHODS: After review board approval, consecutive 136 suspicious lesions with definite diagnosis were retrospectively analyzed on CEM. Acquisition was routinely started with craniocaudal view and ended with mediolateral oblique view of the affected breast. Lesion conspicuity (low, moderate, high), internal enhancement pattern (homogeneous, heterogeneous, rim), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), percentage of signal difference (PSD) and relative enhancement from early to late view were analyzed. PSD and relative enhancements were used to determine patterns of descending, steady or ascending enhancements. Receiver operating characteristic analysis, Cohen’s kappa statistics and Spearman correlation tests were used. RESULTS: There were 29 benign and 107 malignant lesions. 64% of the malignant lesions exhibited high conspicuity compared to 14% of the benign lesions (P < 0.001). CNR values were higher in malignant lesions compared to benign ones (P ≤ 0.004). CNR from early view yielded 82% sensitivity, 72% specificity and PSD yielded 79% sensitivity, 65% specificity. Descending pattern and rim enhancement observed in 44% and 21% of breast cancers, respectively, and both provided 96% positive predictive value for malignancy. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic accuracy of quantitative parameters was higher than that of qualitative parameters. High CNR, rim enhancement, and descending pattern were features commonly seen in malignant lesions, while low CNR, homogeneous enhancement, and ascending pattern were commonly seen in benign lesions.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to determine the inheritance pattern and genetic cause of congenital radial hemimelia (RH) in cats. METHODS: Clinical and genetic analyses were conducted on a Siamese cat family (n = 18), including two siblings with RH. Radiographs were obtained for the affected kittens and echocardiograms of an affected kitten and sire. Whole genome sequencing was completed on the two cases and the parents. Genomic data were compared with the 99 Lives Cat Genome data set of 420 additional domestic cats with whole genome and whole exome sequencing data. Variants were considered as homozygous in the two cases of the siblings with RH and heterozygous in the parents. Candidate variants were genotyped by Sanger sequencing in the extended pedigree. RESULTS: Radiographs of the female kitten revealed bilateral absence of the radii and bowing of the humeri, while the male kitten showed a dysplastic right radius. Echocardiography suggested the female kitten had restrictive cardiomyopathy with a positive left atrial-to-aortic root ratio (LA:Ao = 1.83 cm), whereas hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was more likely in the sire, showing diastolic dysfunction using tissue Doppler imaging (59.06 cm/s). Twenty-two DNA variants were unique and homozygous in the affected kittens and heterozygous in the parents. Seven variants clustered in one chromosomal region, including two frameshift variants in cardiomyopathy associated 5 (CMYA5) and five variants in junction mediating and regulatory protein, P53 cofactor (JMY ), including a missense and an in-frame deletion. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The present study suggested an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance with variable expression for RH in the Siamese cat family. Candidate variants for the phenotype were identified, implicating their roles in bone development. These genes should be considered as potentially causal for other cats with RH. Siamese cat breeders should consider genetically testing their cats for these variants to prevent further dissemination of the suspected variants within the breed.

Abstract Backpacks are a convenient means of carrying the load. Its continuous usage has led to severe shoulder injuries and back pain due to the dynamic forces exerted by the weight of the backpack on the shoulders of the wearer during running or walking. A traditional backpack moves up and down repeatedly with the shoulder of the wearer during walking or running. Such repetitive movements of the backpack cause discomfort and strain on the wearer's shoulders. Hence, a mechanism is proposed here that can be assembled with the normal backpack in a way that the backpack stays at a constant position with respect to the ground by moving it relative to the wearer. The proposed mechanism was designed, fabricated, and assembled with a normal backpack and checked for the impact force experienced by the wearer with different loads of 10 kg, 12.5 kg, and 15 kg. An Arduino-based setup with a load cell sensor was implemented into the mechanism to measure the impact forces exerted on the wearer’s shoulder. The impact forces experienced by the wearer were found to be considerably lower when using the enhanced backpack with the mechanism compared to a normal backpack without the mechanism for a load equal to or more than 15 kg.

Background/Aims Quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) is believed to identify patients at risk of poor outcomes in those with suspected infection. We aimed to evaluate the ability of modified qSOFA (m-qSOFA) to identify high-risk patients among those with acutely deteriorated chronic liver disease (CLD), especially those with acute-onchronic liver failure (ACLF). Methods We used data from both the Korean Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (KACLiF) and the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver ACLF Research Consortium (AARC) cohorts. qSOFA was modified by replacing the Glasgow Coma Scale with hepatic encephalopathy, and an m-qSOFA ≥2 was considered high. Results Patients with high m-qSOFA had a significantly lower 1-month transplant-free survival (TFS) in both cohorts and higher organ failure development in KACLiF than those with low m-qSOFA (Ps

Salmonellosis is of great importance for humans and animals. Companion animals, particularly dogs, can be asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella, and thus have been ignored as a source of salmonellosis. They can also spread multidrug resistant Salmonella strains via dog feces, causing inconvenience in the treatment of human salmonellosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica isolates from collected dog feces belonging to dogs residing at the Municipal Dog Shelter, Anatolian Shepherd Dog Farm, and from blood, stool, and joint fluid samples from humans with symptoms of gasroenteritis, abdominal, and joint pain. In addition to this, the antibiotic resistance profiles of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica isolates were examined. A total of 45 human and 11 dog Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica isolates were obtained. The 11 Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica recovered from dogs were identified as S. Infantis, S. Enteritidis, and S. Typhimurium, which correspond to serovars priotorized for human health. Almost all human isolates (42/45) and all dog Salmonella isolates (11/11) were found to be resistant to one or five, and one or four of the tested antibiotics, respectively, but not for CFZ, CAZ, CST in human and CFZ, CAZ, CST, ETP in dog Salmonella isolates. Common resistance profiles in dog and human origin Salmonella isolates were GEN/AMK, AMP/GEN/CIP/SXT, AMP/CIP, SXT. Exhibition of the common resistance profiles against antibiotics recommended in the treatment of human salmonellosis should not be ignored. Companion animals should be monitored for carrying Salmonella and spreading antibiotic resistant bacteria.