Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a challenging psychiatric condition with limited treatment responses to standard therapies like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive-behavioral therapy. This letter to the Editor is intended to raise awareness within the scientific community about the potential use of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) as an alternative treatment, targeting the glutamatergic system dysfunctions and the inflammatory cytokines implicated in OCD. Preliminary studies suggest that NAC, at doses of 2,000-3,000 mg daily, can significantly alleviate OCD symptoms. Despite its promise and favourable safety profile, further research is imperative to establish optimal dosages and long-term efficacy. To date, the lack of suitable pharmaceutical forms with appropriate dosages hinders its empirical clinical application. In conclusion, NAC offers a potential adjunctive treatment for OCD, meriting more rigorous investigation.

The high curing temperatures required for traditional benzocyclobutene (BCB) materials have posed limitations on their applicability in high-temperature-sensitive fields. To address this challenge, our work focuses on the synthesis of a novel tetraphenylethylene (TPE)-functionalized BCB monomer, TPE-BCB, achieved through the introduction of an ether bond onto the BCB’s four-membered ring via Williamson reaction. TPE-BCB demonstrates remarkable low-temperature curing properties, characterized by a ring-opening peak temperature of 190 °C, representing a 25% reduction compared to conventional BCBs. Fully cured TPE-BCB resins exhibit exceptional dielectric and mechanical properties, coupled with minimal water absorption. Additionally, the incorporation of TPE with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics enhances the resins’ luminescence and photolithographic capabilities. Notably, our TPE-BCB resins achieve impressive photolithography performance with a resolution ratio of up to 10 µm. In contrast to conventional BCB-functionalized resins, TPE-BCB offers the dual advantage of low-temperature curing and luminescence. This development marks a significant step in the advancement of low-temperature curing BCB materials and serves as a pioneering example in the realm of multi-layer wafer bonding materials.

Background Due to changes in dietary habits tree nuts (TN) are consumed in many households and TN allergy appears to be increasing. One risk factor seems to be allergies to other food such as peanuts. The aim of our study was to investigate, how often peanut-sensitized infants and toddlers are co-sensitized to cashew, hazelnut and walnut and to determine the likelihood of its clinical relevance by their 2S albumin-specific (s)IgE. Methods Sera of 101 peanut-sensitized children, 5 to 24 months of age (median 16 months) were analyzed regarding sIgE to hazelnut, walnut and cashew and to their 2S-albumins Cor a 14, Jug r 1 and Ana o 3 as well as to Ara h 1 and 2, by using the NOVEOS TM immunoanalyzer system. Results 96% of the peanut-sensitized children were co-sensitized to at least one TN with 94.1% to hazelnut, 87.1% to walnut and 84.2% to cashew. More than half (58.4%) of the children were sensitized to at least one 2S albumin with similar rates for infants and toddlers, 26.7% to all three. Moreover, sensitization rates were similar in peanut allergic and tolerant children. Estimating the likelihood of clinical relevance, 15.8% of all peanut-sensitized children had an at least 90% probability to be hazelnut and/or cashew allergic. Conclusion TN sensitization seems to be common among peanut-sensitized infants and toddlers. Many had a high likelihood to be TN allergic. Therefore, it should be considered to determine TN-sIgE in peanut-sensitized children if TN are not consumed so far.

Leucism, in which pigmentation is lost over part or the entire body of an animal, has a range of possible genetic causes. Here, we report leucism in an individual tiger keelback (Rhabdophis tigrinus) found on Jeung Island, Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea, during a survey of the distribution of reptiles in the area. The individual was observed sunbathing in the bushes next to a pond. This individual exhibited ecdysis, thus it considered that have normal feeding activity. Our report represents the first observation of leucism in R. tigrinus, and thus, further analysis is needed of this phenotype to more clearly understand its impact on the species and its natural history.

Feathers comprise a series of evolutionary innovations but also harbor colour, a key biological trait known to co-vary with life history or complex traits. Those relationships are particularly true in melanin-based pigmentation species due to known pleiotropic effects of the melanocortin pathway – originating from melanin-associated phenotypes. Here we explore the molecular basis of melanin coloration and expected co-variation at the molecular level in the melanin-based, colour polymorphic system of the tawny owl (Strix aluco). An extensive body of literature has revealed that grey and brown tawny owl colour morphs differ in a series of life history and behavioral traits. Thus, it is plausible to expect co-variation also at molecular level between colour morphs. To investigate this possibility, we assembled the first draft genome of the species against which we mapped ddRADseq reads from 220 grey and 150 brown morphs - representing 10 years of pedigree data from a population in Southern Finland - and explored genome-wide associations with colour phenotype. Our results revealed putative molecular signatures of cold adaptation strongly associated with the grey phenotype, namely a non-synonymous substitution in MCHR1, plus 2 substitutions in non-coding regions of FTCD and FAM135A whose genotype combinations obtained a predictive power of up to 100% (predicting grey colour). These suggest molecular basis of cold environment adaptations predicted to be grey-morph specific. Our results potentially reveal part of the molecular machinery of melanin-associated phenotypes and provide novel insights towards understanding the functional genomics of colour polymorphism in melanin-based pigmented species.

Soils affect the distribution of hydrological processes by partitioning precipitation into different components of the water balance. Therefore, understanding soil-water dynamics at a catchment scale remains imperative to future water resource management. In this study the value of hydropedological insights to calibrate a processes based model. Soil morphology was used as soft data to assist in the calibration of the SWAT+ model at five different catchment sizes (48 km 2, 56 km 2, 174 km 2, 674 km 2 and 2421 km 2) in the Sabie River catchment, South Africa. The aim of this study was to calibrate the SWAT+ model to accurately simulate long-term monthly streamflow predictions as well as to reflect internal soil hydrological processes using a procedure focusing on hydropedology as a calibration tool in a multigauge system. Results indicated that calibration improved streamflow predictions where R 2 and Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) improved substantially, R 2 improved by 2 to 8% and NSE from negative correlations to values exceeding 0.5 at four of the five catchment scales compared to the uncalibrated model. Results confirm that soil mapping units can be calibrated individually within SWAT+ to improve the representation of hydrological processes. Particularly, the spatial linkage between hydropedology and hydrological processes, which is captured within the soil map of the catchment, can be adequately reflected within the model structure after calibration. This research should lead to an improved understanding of hydropedology as soft data to improve hydrological modelling accuracy.

The study aims to quantify the effect of Dufour number, on flow patterns and heat transfer rates in the exponentially accelerated vertical plate with MHD flow and chemical reaction. The unsteadiness of the flow suggests that time-dependent changes in velocity, temperature, and other relevant parameters are considered. MHD further complicates analysis with the electromagnetic interactions between the fluid and the field. The fluid, be characterized as a gray, absorbing/emitting radiation medium, indicating that it absorbs and emits thermal radiation but does not exhibit scattering behavior. Set of partial differential equations are then resolve using FEM. Graphical results are then discussed. Profiles vary with different, Dufour number, radiation, or temperature-dependent heat source/sink parameter. By varying the values of these governing parameters, on the skin-friction coefficient, Nusselt number, and Sherwood number are also analyzed.

INTRODUCTIONThe prognosis of adult relapse or refractory B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (r/r B-ALL) is dismal, with a complete remission rate of approximately 18%-44% if receiving salvage chemotherapy[1]. In recent years, immunotherapy represented by blinatumomab, inotuzumab ozogamicin (InO) and chimeric antigen T-cell (CART) therapy has demonstrated profound efficacy in r/r B-ALL[3-5]. However, those who have persistent positive measurable residual disease (MRD) still remain a high risk of relapse and poor outcome [2]. So far, only blinatumomab is approved for the treatment of MRD in B-ALL[4]. CD22 is detected to be expressed in more than 90% of B-ALL patients, indicating that CD22 is an ideal therapeutic target for B-ALL [6]. InO is an antibody-drug conjugate comprising a humanized anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody conjugate to calicheamicin. According to the INO-VATE study, significantly higher rate of complete remission was observed in r/r B-ALL patients who received InO monotherapy compared with traditional chemotherapy (73.8% vs 30.9%, P <0.0001) This encouranging data lead to the approvment of InO for the treatment of r/r B-ALL by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2017 [3]. Hitherto, the application of InO in the treatment of MRD has not been reported.

Coat colour and pattern are a distinguished feature in mammalian carnivores, shaped by climatic cycles and habitat type. It can be expressed in various ways, such as gradients, polymorphisms, and rare colour variants. Although natural selection explains much of the phenotypic variation found in the wild, genetic drift and heterozygote deficiency, as prominent in small and fragmented populations, may also affect phenotypic variability through the fixation of recessive alleles. The aim of this study was to test whether rare colour variants in the wild could relate to a deficiency of heterozygotes, resulting from habitat fragmentation and small population size. We present an overview of all rare colour variants in the order Carnivora, and compiled demographic and genetic data of the populations where they did and did not occur, to test for significant correlations. We also tested how phylogeny and body weight influenced the presence of colour variants with phylogenetic generalized linear mixed models (PGLMMs). We found 40 colour-variable species and 59 rare colour variants. In 17 variable phenotypic populations for which genetic diversity was available, the average AR was 4.18, HO = 0.59, and HE = 0.66, and FIS = 0.086. We found that variable populations displayed a significant reduction in heterozygosity and allelic richness compared to non-variable populations across species. We also found a significant negative correlation between population size and inbreeding coefficients. Therefore, it is possible that small effective size had phenotypic consequences on the extant populations. The high frequency of the rare colour variants (averaging 20%) also implies that genetic drift is locally overruling natural selection in small effective populations. As such, rare colour variants could be added to the list of phenotypic consequences of inbreeding in the wild.

A document by fateme bokaee. Click on the document to view its contents.

The current study explores an emerging cardiac metric, heart rate fragmentation (HRF), as a novel biomarker for allostatic load (AL). HRF may better address the limitations of existing cardiac biomarkers (e.g., confounds and interpretation consistency) in applied research settings, with nonclinical samples. The study’s objectives were: 1) can HRF represent response to psychological stress and 2) can resting HRF be used as a measure of predicting subclinical mental health symptoms. One hundred and fifty-six (n = 156; 75% female) undergraduate students were fitted with a chest band to monitor cardiovascular activity, and completed online demographic and psychosocial surveys in which they were grouped as healthy or displaying probable mental health symptoms (pMH; n = 94, 60.25%) based on respective inventory thresholds for depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Cardiovascular activity was measured capturing the three R’s of cardiac vagal control: a resting baseline, a reactive acute stressor task, and a paced breathing recovery. Results supported the first hypothesis, in that that HRF significantly differentiated between each RRR condition (p < 0.001). While healthy and pMH individuals did not significantly differ within individual conditions, exploratory analyses revealed healthy individuals displayed significantly larger change in HRF reactivity between conditions (p’s < 0.001) in comparison to pMH, which displayed a more blunted pattern. Overall, this study establishes associations between HRF and mental health, and serves as a promising new biomarker that may identify AL in samples that may be otherwise considered “healthy”, while addressing the limitations of prior biomarkers in non-clinical studies.

Lindenia tetraphylla (Van der Linden, 1825) eggs exhibit an egg structure that is very rare in other Gomphidae species. They have a well-developed surface reticulation structure. The anterior pole of the egg has a small, rounded micropylar area consisting of 7 orifices arranged radially around a central area. The posterior pole has a sessile, truncated cone that carries 55-65 coiled filaments. This study provides a detailed analysis of the ultrastructure of L. tetraphylla eggs using scanning electron microscopy, and the functional and taxonomic significance of the eggshell are discussed.

With the development of medical treatment partnership and “internet + medical service” in China, this study proposes a remote patient perceived value satisfaction model (RPPVSM) with online medical service for specialties from the perspective of patient perceived value. Taking Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital Specialist Alliance (SPHSA) as the research subject, RPPVSM was constructed based on ACSI and TAM. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was modified to have a better degree of fitness and validation outcomes of the hypothesis as follows: Perceived ease of use has a significantly positive impact on perceived value with coefficient being 0.248; perceived usefulness has a significantly positive impact on the satisfaction with coefficient being 0.577; perceived value has a significantly positive impact on satisfaction with coefficient being 0.163. Perceived synergy has a significantly positive impact on perceived value with coefficient of 0.547; perceived ease of use will have a significantly positive impact on satisfaction through the perceived value variable with coefficient of mediation being 0.094; perceived synergy has a significant impact on satisfaction through perceived value with mediation coefficient being 0.196. The results suggest that the inclusion of the patient’s perception value index in the medical information platform is conducive to the construction of RPPVSM.

This paper presents a shadow signal generator that produces square and triangular waveforms. The oscillator frequency can be changed using an external circuit (shadow oscillator). This method will make the conversion speed better than the conventional oscillators. The technique is based on utilizing an external circuit to modify the comparator’s tripping point. The circuit is built using widely available commercial integrated circuits, 1% accurate resistors, and DC supplies with a ±5V voltage. The recommended setup is suitable for instrumentation where the oscillation frequency is directly proportional to the variation in the resistance of the sensor. The functionality of the proposed design was confirmed by experimentation and simulation. The oscillation’s frequency can be changed to be nearly 10 times greater than its starting value, according to the results.

Despite the performed progressive research work, the interpretation of negative group delay (NGD) function remains not familiar to non-specialist design and fabrication circuit engineers. The functionality misunderstanding limits the NGD circuit applications compared to other classical electronic functions. The present paper is dealing on the design of tunable property circuit by operating with positive and negative delay behaviors. The topology of the tunable circuit by using low-pass (LP) type NGD one is described. The design formulas for calculating the circuit resistor and capacitor parameters from the desired delay are expressed. The design feasibility of the tunable circuit composed of LP-NGD cell and RC-circuit is validated with a proof-of-concept (PoC) implemented on a test board. Two different signals with pulse and arbitrary waveforms having tens-milliseconds duration were considered during the validation tests. As expected by tuning a varistor from 0.4 kΩ to 1 kΩ, the negative delay behavior varying from about -0.4 ms was verified thanks to the time-advanced effect due to the LP-NGD property. Then, the output signal delay was observed to become positive when the varistor is tuned from 1 kΩ to 3 kΩ.

Stomata play a pivotal role in regulating gas exchange between terrestrial plants and the atmosphere controlling water and carbon cycles at organismal, ecosystem and global levels. Accordingly, our objective was to investigate the impact of ultraviolet-B radiation, a neglected environmental factor varying with ongoing global change, on stomatal morphology and function by means of a comprehensive meta-analysis. We found 45 peer-reviewed publications containing altogether 143 case studies for analysis. The overall UV effect at the leaf level is to decrease stomatal conductance, stomatal aperture and stomatal size, although stomatal density was increased. The significant decline in conductance is marked in short-term experiments, with more modest decreases noted in long-term UV studies. We found that short-term experiments in growth chambers are not representative of long-term field UV effects on stomatal conductance. Further, we found a stronger UV effect in grasses than in herbs, while the reduction of stomatal conductance was insignificant in trees. It is hypothesised that these alterations in stomatal function have important potential consequences for plant life. In the short term, UV-mediated stomatal closure may reduce transpiration and alleviate drought stress. However, in the long term more complex changes in stomatal aperture, size and density may reduce carbon sink capacity, and enhance leaf and surface warming, potentially exacerbating the negative effects of drought and/or heatwaves on plant ecosystems and endangering long-term plant survival.

This article studied the process of subcritical carbon dioxide isobaric extraction of chive seed oil. Box Behnken design was used for experimental design and optimization, and the effects of main parameters such as extraction pressure (11-23 MPa), temperature (50-70 ℃), and extraction time (60-150 minutes) on the experimental results were analyzed, the response surface method (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) were applied for modeling and predicting of the extraction yield. the performance of RSM and ANN models were analyzed and compared by statistical parameters such as coefficient of determination (R 2), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and chi-square (χ 2). the RSM model is more accurate than the ANN model. Subsequently, optimization was carried by two different approaches viz. RSM and ANN-GA, by comparing the RSM and ANN models and the results of RSM and ANN-GA optimization, the RSM model is closer to perfection than the predictions of ANN. the optimal extraction conditions obtained by the RSM model were: extraction pressure of 15.63 MPa, separation temperature of 57.3°C, extraction time of 121.2 min,and predicted value 15.89%, mean value of three sets of parallel experiments 15.79%, the fatty acid composition analysis of leek seed oil optimized by RSM showed that linoleic acid (60.871%), oleic acid (19.185%), palmitic acid (11.517%) and stearic acid (3.174%) were the main components, and the content of four fatty acids was more than 94%.

Background: Recent data suggest that a subset of early stage melanoma patients may benefit from adjuvant immunotherapy. Objective: To identify findings in biopsy or surgical pathology reports associated with poor prognosis in patients diagnosed with stage I and II cutaneous melanoma. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 68 stage I and II cutaneous melanoma patients treated at our institution from 2010 to 2022. Inclusion criteria were patients with stage I or II melanoma with both a biopsy and surgical pathology report. The primary outcome of the study was the prognostic value of biopsy findings on progression free survival (PFS). Kaplan-Meier and Cox-proportional hazards models were used to evaluate risk factors for progression. Results: Patients with ulceration on biopsy had a 16.1x greater risk of progression than those without ulceration [HR 16.1, 95% CI: 2.60-99.5]. Patients with absent lymphocytes on biopsy had a 9.5x greater risk of progressing compared to those with lymphocytes present [HR 9.45, 95% CI: 1.99-44.8]. Ulceration or absent TILs were associated with significantly worse PFS. Conclusions: Ulceration and absence of TILs on biopsy are associated with increased risk of progression in stage I and II melanoma patients.