The Central Valley of California (CVC) and Mid-Atlantic (MA) in the U.S. are critical sites for wintering waterfowl. Mapping waterfowl distributions using weather radar aids in the targeted adaptive management by highlighting important waterfowl habitats. Additionally, mapping broadscale waterfowl distributions improves food security by allowing government agencies and commercial poultry operations to better understand the interface between wild and domestic birds that is related to risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks. Improving understanding of predictors of wintering waterfowl distributions at both local and landscape scales will allow facility managers and regulatory agencies to make more informed risk management decisions. We used 9 years (2014–2023) of data from the US NEXRAD network to model winter waterfowl distributions in the CVC and MA as a function of weather, temporal, and environmental characteristics using boosted regression tree modelling. We captured the spatial-temporal variability in effect size of 28 different covariates within two geographic regions which are critical to nationwide waterfowl management and have a high density of commercial poultry. In general, environmental, and geographic predictors had the strongest relative effect on predicting wintering waterfowl distributions in both regions, while effects of land cover composition were more regionally and temporally specific. Increased daily mean temperature was a major predictor of increasing waterfowl distributions in both regions throughout the winter. Increasing waterfowl densities in the CVC are strongly tied to the flooding of the landscape and rice availability, whereas waterfowl in the MA, where water is less limiting, are generally governed by waste grain availability and emergent wetland on the landscape. Waterfowl distributions in the MA increased closer to the Atlantic coast and lakes, while in the CVC they were higher nearer to lakes. Our findings promote understanding of the predictors of winter waterfowl densities in relationship with biosecurity of commercial poultry nationally.

A document by Rayyan Vaid. Click on the document to view its contents.

Today in the modern world, allergic diseases, also described as atopic allergies, are classified as a type of multifactorial disorder due to the complex interplay between genetics, environment, and socioeconomic factors that influence the disease’s manifestation, severity, and one’s predisposition to allergic diseases. It is undeniable that many reported studies have pointed out that the mast cell is one of the main key players involved in triggering an allergic reaction. In order to improve our current understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying allergy, various mast cell lines have been employed in vitro to study the pathogenesis of allergic diseases for the past decades. However, there is no consensus on many fundamental aspects associated with their use, such as the effects of culture media composition and the type of inducer used for cell degranulation. As the standardization of research protocols and disease models is crucial, we hereby present the outcome of a systematic review of scientific articles that used three major in vitro mast cell lines (HMC-1, LAD2, and RBL-2H3) to study allergy. This systematic review described the cell source, culture conditions, inducers used for degranulation, and mediators released for examination. We hope that the present systematic review may help to standardize the use of in vitro mast cell lines in allergy research and serve as a user’s guide to understand the fundamental aspects of allergy as well to develop an effective allergy therapy in the future for the betterment of human good health and wellbeing.

Objective: To determine prevalence of asthma in Pune and its relation to family history of allergic disease. Study Design: Cross-sectional study in two schools of Pune. Method: International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood (ISAAC) based questionnaire was administered to 815 parents of students of 2 selected schools between ages of 5-15 years. Responses were analyzed and children with history suggestive of asthma were examined, investigated at a tertiary teaching hospital. Results: prevalence of asthma was 6.13%. Prevalence in males was 6.36% and in females was 8.05% (p= 0.639). Prevalence in English medium school was 7.36% as compared to Marathi medium school of 3.8%. Family history of asthma and allergic disease had strong association with asthma. PEFR at time of enrolment was decreased in many children irrespective of symptoms. Conclusion: Prevalence of asthma was 6.13%. Family history is strong determinant of asthma. Keywords: Asthma Prevalence, Family History, PEFR Correlation.

Objectives: Primary: 1. To Analyze prevalence of various endometrial pathologies among patients presenting with abnormal uterine bleeding. Secondary : 1. To study age wise distribution of various endometrial pathologies. 2. To study age wise clinical presentation (symptomatology) in patients with AUB. 3. To assess the feasibility and compare different techniques of collecting endometrial sample. Design and setting: A single center prospective cross sectional study at teaching institute Population/Sample : 150 females from 18-70 years presenting with abnormal uterine bleeding. Endometrial sample was obtained either by OPD Pipelle brush or Surgical Dilatation and Curettage method or hysteroscopy. Outcome measures : Endometrial sampling methods used, Endometrial Pathology, Age groups wise clinical and pathological correlation, Feasibility of technique used. Statistical Analysis was done by using Epi-Info-7 software. Results :Commonest age group presenting with AUB was 41-50 (40%) years ,64 % were para 3 or more, Proliferative and secretary changes, 53(35.3%) and 24(16%) cases while endometrial hyperplasia without atypia 18 (12%) cases and with atypia7cases(4.7% ),endometrial carcinoma 5 cases(3.3%) while endometrial polyp was seen in 8 cases(5.3% ). Heavy menstrual bleeding with normal duration was commonest presentation in 64%. Endometrial sampling technical failure was seen in 2 cases with pipelle biopsy while in 7 cases inadequate sample was obtained with pipelle and dilatation and curettage. Uterine perforation was seen in one case which was managed conservatively. Conclusion: Technical failure and inadequate sample needs to be addressed considering background high risk factors, TVS imaging and repeat sample and use of hysteroscopy may be offered case to case basis.

Background Since the COVID-19 outbreak, various studies have shown that hypokalemia is a common disorder, and it has been established that abnormalities in inflammatory biomarkers and complete blood count test (CBC) parameters are associated with the severity of the disease. So, this study investigates the association between hypokalemia and abnormalities in biomarkers of inflammation and CBC parameters, as well as the severity of COVID-19. Methods This single-centered cross-sectional study was conducted on 527 adult COVID-19 patients admitted to Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman, Iran, between March 2021 and March 2022. All patients had positive PCR tests, and their data was collected from electronic records. The relationship between hypokalemia and laboratory results, length of hospitalization, ICU admission, and mortality was analyzed by SPSS 27. Results A total of 527 COVID-19 patients with an average age of 53.6 years and an average duration of hospitalization of 7.89 days were reviewed retrospectively. Most of the patients were hospitalized in the general wards (90.5%) and recovered (89.2%). In this study, the prevalence of hypokalemia was 12%, and there was no significant correlation with demographic data or laboratory findings, including ESR, CRP, LDH, lymphocyte, and platelet counts. There was also no association between hypokalemia and length of hospitalization, ICU admission, or mortality. Conclusion In total, it was found that 12% of COVID-19 patients had hypokalemia, and no significant association was found between hypokalemia and demographic data, laboratory findings, duration of hospital stay, ICU admission, or mortality.

Having a multitude of choices can be advantageous, yet an abundance of options can be detrimental to the decision-making process. Based on existing research, the present study combined electroencephalogram and self-reported methodologies to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of choice overload. Behavioral data suggested that an increase in the number of options led to negative evaluations and avoidance of choice tendencies, even in the absence of time pressure. Event-related potential results indicated that the large choice set interfered with the early visual process, as evidenced by the small P1 amplitude, and failed to attract more attentional resources in the early stage, as evidenced by the small amplitude of P2 and N2. However, the LPC amplitude was increased in the late stage, suggesting greater investment of attentional resources and higher emotional arousal. Multivariate pattern analysis revealed that the difference between small and large choice set began at around 120ms and the early and late stages were characterized by opposite activation patterns. This suggested that too many options interfered with early processing and necessitate continued processing at a later stage. In summary, both behavioral and ERP results confirm the choice overload effect, and it was observed that individuals tend to subjectively exaggerate the choice overload effect.

Dengue Viral Infection (DVI) has emerged as one of tropical belts’ most common mosquito-borne diseases worldwide. This study was an attempt to evaluate the patterns of renal involvement in DVI and its effect on morbidity and mortality arising from the illness. This study was conducted on 170 patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of Dengue fever in the Emergency department of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, from July 2022 to September 2023. All clinical and laboratory parameters of the patient were recorded. To evaluate patterns of renal involvement, patients underwent urine dipstick, urine routine and microscopy, spot urine protein/creatinine ratio, creatinine and ultrasonography. Patients with renal involvement were followed up for four weeks and 12 weeks. The median age was 36 years, with 60% male patients. A total of 51 patients (30%) had renal involvement, and 36 (21.17%) had Acute Kidney injury. Ten patients developed KDIGO Stage 3 AKI, of which 7 required renal replacement therapy. Forty-seven (27.6%) patients developed urinary abnormalities (which included proteinuria, hematuria, and active sediments in urine). Patients with renal involvement had significantly higher mortality (p-value <0.001). Among the patients who survived, renal abnormalities resolved in all except one, who progressed to chronic kidney disease. Renal biopsy was done in three patients, and cast nephropathy was seen in all. This study establishes that renal involvement accompanies higher mortality in patients with DVI, thereby underscoring the importance of its evaluation for the management and prognostication of patients.

Early detection of cancer predisposition syndromes (CPS) is crucial to determine optimal treatments and follow-up, and to provide appropriate genetic counseling. This study outlines an approach in a pediatric oncology unit, where 50 randomly selected patients underwent clinical assessment, leading to 44 eligible for genetic testing. We identified 3 pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in genes associated with CPS and 6 Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUS) potentially associated with cancer development. We emphasize the importance of a thorough and accurate collection of family history and physical examination data and the full coordination between pediatric oncologists and geneticists.

RNA therapeutics are emerging as a unique opportunity to drug currently “undruggable” molecules and diseases. While their advantages over conventional, small molecule drugs, their therapeutic implications and the tools for their effective in vivo delivery have been extensively reviewed, little attention has been so far paid to the technological platforms exploited for the discovery of RNA therapeutics. Here, we provide an overview of the existing platforms and ex vivo assays for RNA discovery, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as their main fields of application, with specific focus on RNA therapies that have reached either phase 3 or market approval.

The ability to fabricate an entire smart sensor patch with read-out electronics using commercial printing techniques may have a wide range of potential applications. Although the solution-processed oxide thin film transistors (TFTs) are capable of providing high mobility electron transport, resulting in large ON-state current and power output, there is hardly any literature report that uses the printed oxide TFTs, at the sensor interfaces. In contrast, here we propose and demonstrate that printed amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide (a-IGZO) based deep-subthreshold operated TFTs can be used to fabricate an entire sensor analog front-end electronics comprising signal amplifiers, and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), which can successfully digitalize the analog sensor signal up to frequency range of 1 kHz. In addition, exploiting the high current oxide TFTs, a current drive circuit has been designed, and placed after the ADC unit. This current drive circuit is essential to offer sufficient power output, which can then be used to fabricate an easy-to-detect visual recognition of the sensor signal at a predefined threshold value crossover. Notably, the entire smart sensor patch is demonstrated to operate at a low supply voltage of ≤2 V, thereby ensuring that it can be an on-chip, energy source compatible, and standalone detection unit.

Objective Loyalty is important for hospitals because it not only enhances the quality of care and outcomes for individual patients but also contributes to the overall success, reputation, and sustainability of the healthcare institution. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior developed by Icek Ajzen, this study aims to examine the mediating role of social media usage and behavioral intention in the impact of trust on loyalty. Methods Data were collected from 387 individuals through Web 2.0. The study was designed considering the most recent hospital experience (public-private). Variables predicting loyalty were identified using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. For the model, the SRMR value was calculated as 0.045, NFI value as 0.872, and GoF value as 0.52, determining a good fit of the model. Results The study revealed that the patient’s trust directly influences loyalty. Additionally, it was determined that social media usage (excluding patient satisfaction) and behavioral intention mediate between trust and loyalty. Conclusion In an ever-changing healthcare landscape, loyalty is of significant importance for enhancing the competitive edge and improving both the financial and non-financial performance of hospitals. This study provides a model highlighting the critical roles of trust, social media and behavioral intention elevating loyalty.”

Background – While the definition of anaphylaxis is clear, its grade of severity remains a subject of debate, especially since different published classifications provide different grading score, and the same reaction may not receive the same score from different classifications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the possible discrepancies in severity scoring system for anaphylaxis in patients with a positive food challenge (OFC), using the WHO for the 11 th version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as the main reference. Methods – We conducted a retrospective observational study at the University Hospital of Montpellier, France, including patients with a positive OFC, between 2018 and 2022. We classified the severity of each reaction, as per the ICD-11 classification, but also as per four other widely used and validated classifications for grading anaphylaxis severity. Results – 235 patients presented a positive OFC between January 2018 and December 2022: 143 suffered from anaphylaxis, according to the ICD-11 classification. 76.2% of them were classified as grade 2 according to the ICD-11 classification, and 23.8% as grade 3. When comparing the different classifications, a complete concordance was recorded in 8 patients (5.6%) only. All classifications showed a good sensitivity (ranging from 99.3 to 100%), but different specificity (from 67.4 to 93.5%), and discrepancies between them were shown in most patients. Conclusion – Our work highlights the need to refine the different scoring systems, to accurately capture anaphylactic reactions and ensure appropriate management, and, in the end, to adopt a universal, intuitive, and easy-to-use classification, such as the ICD-11 one.

Objective: To describe the microbiome of the vagina and fallopian tubes, and its relation with hydrosalpinx. Design: Prospective case-control study. Population and Settings: Women who underwent salpingectomy for hydrosalpinx or other indications at our medical center . Main Outcome Measures: Samples obtained during surgery and were subjected to 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and analyses of alpha diversity and beta diversity meseaures were compared between sites and groups. Differential abundances of bacteria associated with vaginal dysbiosis was compared between cases and controls. Results: Nine women with hydrosalipnx, and 23 women without hydrosalpinx were included in the study. The mean age of studied women was 41 (range: 29-54), and most (89%) were premenopausal. After in silico decontamination, only 30% of control fallopian tubes samples, and 10% of case fallopian tubes samples, had evidence of bacterial presence. The vaginal microbiota of control patients showed greater abundance of lactobacilli whereas the vaginal microbiome of case patients contained relatively more bacterial vaginosis associated bacteria such as Prevotella, Gardenrella and Atopobium. A significant difference was found in alpha and beta diversity between the vaginal and FT microbiomes in control patients, as fallopian tubes samples were more diverse. We found that women with hydrosalpinx had a more “dysbiotic” vaginal microbiome, and in women without hydrosalpinx, microbial composition within the vagina and FT differed, possibly representing two distinct ecological environments. Conclusion: women undergoing salpingectomy for various reasons harbored bacteria within their FT, women with hydrosalpinx generally did not. This suggests that even though infection may be an underlying cause of hydrosalpinx, bacteria may not be present by the time patients require surgery.

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Title: Major aortopulmonary collateral artery aneurysms- a rare cause of airway narrowing

Wearable photothermal materials can capture light energy in nature and convert it into heat energy, which is critical for flexible outdoor sports. However, the conventional flexible photothermal membranes with low specific surface area restrict the maximum photothermal capability, and loose structure of electrospun membrane limits durability of wearable materials. Here, an ultrathin nanostructure candle soot/ multi-walled carbon nanotubes / poly (l-lactic acid) (CS/MWCNTs/PLLA) photothermal membrane is first prepared via solvent-induced recrystallization. The white blood cell membrane-like nanowrinkles with high specific surface area are achieved for the first time and exhibit optimal light absorption. The solvent-induced recrystallization also enables the membrane to realize large strength and durability. Meanwhile, the membranes also show two-sided heterochromatic features and transparency in thick and thin situations, respectively, suggesting outstanding fashionability. Nanowrinkled photothermal membranes by novel solvent-induced recrystallization show high flexibility, fashionability, strength, and photothermal characteristics, which have huge potential for outdoor warmth.

Life history theory predicts increased parental investment comes with fitness costs, often expressed as negative effects on survival and future reproduction. Though annual telomere shortening has been shown to increase with higher reproductive output, we use calcium supplementation as a novel approach to experimentally alter overall reproductive investment and measure telomere shortening exclusively linked to the breeding season. Calcium is a nutrient critical to avian reproduction as the intake of natural calcium is needed for egg production, embryo development, and nestling growth. Altering the amount of calcium availability during the breeding season allows us to examine the individual biological response to the experimental modification of reproduction, and allows us to account for the reproductive costs associated with egg production and laying of the entire clutch. We used calcium supplementation in nesting Tachycineta bicolor (tree swallow) and measured telomere length before and after breeding to better understand the costs of reproduction and life history trade-offs. Measuring telomere length at the beginning and end of each breeding season facilitated evaluation of telomere shortening occurring only during the breeding period of this species. We found that mothers supplemented with calcium had higher reproductive success and greater telomere shortening, though their offspring had longer telomeres at 12 days old. Here we show tree swallow mothers supplemented with calcium had higher reproductive output and offspring with longer telomeres, yet these mothers suffered the cost of shorter expected lifespan, as indicated by relatively more shortening of their telomeres during the reproductive season. Our results provide clear support for previous work on trade-offs between reproduction and longevity and challenge previous calcium supplementation studies that suggest excess calcium reduces the cost of reproduction thereby improving fitness in calcium supplemented parents.

The Late Pleistocene climate fluctuations have had a major impact on phylogeographic structure and historical dynamics of marine fishes in the marginal seas of the western Pacific Ocean. The puffer fish Lagocephalus spadiceus, has high nutritional and economic value in the South China Sea. To allow the examination of the demographic history and population structure of the L. spadiceus, the mitochondrial DNA COI and Cyt b gene datasets of 300 individuals from eight populations in the South China Sea was sequenced. High haplotype diversity (0.874 ± 0.013) and low nucleotide diversity (0.00075 ± 0.00058) were observed. The phylogenetic tree and haplotypes network revealed no significant genetic differentiation along the coast of the northern South China Sea. Neutrality tests, mismatch distribution analysis, and Bayesian skyline plots suggested that L. spadiceus experienced population expansion during the Late Pleistocene. Ocean currents and climate change play important roles in shaping the geographical distribution and genetic population structure of L. spadiceus.

A probabilistic limit equilibrium framework combining empirical load transfer factor and anisotropy of soil cohesion is developed to conduct pile-reinforced slope reliability analysis. The anisotropy of soil cohesion is determined conditioned on that the thrust force direction is parallel to the major principal direction and it is easily combined with load transfer factor, which are related with soil parameters, and pile parameters. The proposed method is illustrated against a homogeneous soil slope. The sensitivity studies of pile parameters on FS (calculated at respective means of soil parameters) and β demonstrated that the anisotropy of soil cohesion tends to pose significant effect on reliability index β than on FS. The effect of anisotropy of soil cohesion on FS is found to be slightly different under different pile locations, whereas its effect on β is observed to be least if piles are drilled at the middle part of slope and more significant effect is observed when piles are drilled at the lower and upper part of slope. The plots from the sensitivity studies provide an alternative tool for pile designs aiming at the target reliability index β. The proposed method contributes to the pile-reinforced slope stability within limit equilibrium framework.

With the increasing demand for customization, flow shop scheduling tends to process multi-variety small batch products. Thus, there are frequent switches between batches. Frequent switchovers between different sets are required during batch changeover, where machine setups may be necessary. This paper investigates scheduling optimization and work-in-process inventory optimization problems in a hybrid flow shop with rolling processing requirements. Developing continuous processing conditions to meet rolling processing requirements presents a significant challenge. In this work, continuous processing conditions are derived. Subsequently, a linear programming model is designed to find an optimal solution for this scheduling problem. Formulas for calculating work-in-process inventory are presented. To enhance work-in-process storage, a greedy algorithm with bubble sort and a Q-learning algorithm with a modified ε-policy are proposed to find an optimized product sequence and reduce work-in-process inventory, respectively. Numerical experiments evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed methods.

Additive manufacturing techniques like Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) allow for the creation of prototypes in a wide range of shapes and sizes by using powder material. Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is a polymer that sees extensive usage in the manufacture of functional parts across a wide extent of industries, including the automotive and aerospace sectors as well as the realms of medicine and athletics. Output properties include density and hardness greatly impacted by the various laser sintering settings, which in turn affect the quality of TPU-manufactured products. Therefore, the higher accuracy of end-use functional components relies heavily on the selection of sintering settings. This research investigates the relationship between the hardness and density of laser sintered parts and factors like part orientation, laser power , and layer thickness . Using the Taguchi parametric technique L9, we ran trials with varying values for each process parameter to zero in on the optimal settings and quantify the relative importance of each variable. The results demonstrate that laser power, layer thickness, and component orientation are the most critical factors in optimising the density and hardness of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) using SLS processing.

Though agriculture has been linked to the decline in bird populations due to the associated changes in vegetation structure and composition, its potential to sustain birds has been explored over time. A sustainable agricultural landscape should be one that has the capacity to support bird species all year. To this end, we investigated the factors influencing pre- and post-harvest farm conditions on bird abundance, richness, and feeding guilds in three different crop fields in Jos-East and North, central Nigeria. We used line transects to survey birds and vegetation variables from 30 fields each of legumes, maize, and mixed (maize and soya bean) during the pre- and post-harvest periods in central Nigeria. We first compared the variation in bird species richness, abundance, and feeding guild abundance across the three field types over the two periods. We then modeled the effects of field conditions and vegetation parameters on feeding guild abundance, species abundance, and species richness as response variables. Our results revealed significant variations in bird species richness, abundance, and feeding guild abundance across field types. The omnivorous guild was significantly higher pre-harvest than post-harvest whereas insectivorous and granivorous were significantly higher in-field than at the edge. Bird species richness, abundance, and feeding guild abundance were significantly higher pre-harvest than post-harvest and in-field than at the edge. In addition, in-field tree density had a significant positive influence on bird abundance and species richness as well as feeding guild abundance. This study shows that pre- and post-harvest conditions of crop fields can moderate the number and richness of birds on farmlands while the retention of trees on farmlands contributes to higher bird assemblages.

Predicting protein function from protein sequence, structure, interaction, and other relevant information is important for generating hypotheses for biological experiments and studying biological systems, and therefore has been a major challenge in protein bioinformatics. Numerous computational methods had been developed to advance protein function prediction gradually in the last two decades. Particularly, in the recent years, leveraging the revolutionary advances in artificial intelligence (AI), more and more deep learning methods have been developed to improve protein function prediction at a faster pace. Here, we provide an in-depth review of the recent developments of deep learning methods for protein function prediction. We summarize the significant advances in the field, identify several remaining major challenges to be tackled, and suggest some potential directions to explore. The data sources and evaluation metrics widely used in protein function prediction are also discussed to assist the machine learning, AI, and bioinformatics communities to develop more cutting-edge methods to advance protein function prediction.