Search Results (716)

Phthalates are widely used chemicals with ubiquitous human exposure. Evidence indicated that phthalate exposure was associated with an increased risk of aging-related diseases. Klotho is a transmembrane protein with anti-aging functions, and its association with phthalates remains unknown. To find the association between phthalate exposure and serum α-Klotho, a cross-sectional study was performed in 4482 adults (40–79 years old) who completed the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2007–2016). As shown in the results of multivariable linear regression analyses, mono(carboxynonyl) phthalate (MCNP) and mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP) were inversely associated with α-Klotho, and the regression coefficients of MCNP and MBP were −1.14 (95% confidence interval (CI): −2.00, −0.27) and −0.08 (95% CI: −0.14, −0.02). Subgroup analyses based on the quartiles of each phthalate metabolite showed that both MCNP and MBP were only inversely associated with α-Klotho in the subgroups of the highest levels. For mono-isobutyl phthalate (MIBP), the inverse association with α-Klotho was only statistically significant in the subgroup of the lowest level, and the regression coefficient was −26.87 (95% CI: −52.53, −1.21). Our findings suggest that α-Klotho might be involved in the association of phthalate exposure with aging-related diseases. Future research investigating the causality between phthalates and α-Klotho and its underlying mechanisms is encouraged. Full article

With the increasing demand for expected data volume daily, current telecommunications infrastructure can not meet requirements without using enhanced technologies adopted by 5G and beyond networks. Due to their diverse features, 5G technologies and services will be phenomenal in the coming days. Proper planning procedures are to be adopted to provide cost-effective and quality telecommunication services. In this paper, we planned 5G network deployment in two frequency ranges, 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz, using a mixed cell structure. We used metaheuristic approaches such as Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO), Sparrow Search Algorithm (SSA), Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA), Marine Predator Algorithm (MPA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Ant Lion Optimization (ALO) for optimizing the locations of remote radio units. The comparative analysis of metaheuristic algorithms shows that the proposed network is efficient in providing an average data rate of 50 Mbps, can meet the coverage requirements of at least 98%, and meets quality-of-service requirements. We carried out the case study for an urban area and another suburban area of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. We analyzed the outcomes of 5G greenfield deployment and 5G deployment using existing 4G infrastructure. Deploying 5G networks using existing 4G infrastructure, resources can be saved up to 33.7% and 54.2% in urban and suburban areas, respectively. Full article

This paper reports the results of a mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) metallomic study in the liver tissues of Psectrogaster amazonica and Raphiodon vulpinus from the Brazilian Amazon. Two-dimensional electrophoresis, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry were performed. Hg and Se determinations allowed the calculation of Hg:Se and Se:Hg molar ratio and Se values for health benefits (Se HBVs). The Se:Hg values were >1 for both fish species, whereas the Se HBVs were >5 for P. amazonica and >10 for R. vulpinus, indicating that both possess Se reserves to control Hg toxicity. The metallomic data allowed the identification of 11 Hg/Se-associated protein spots in the two fish species, with concentrations in the range of 9.70 ± 0.14 and 28.44 ± 0.31 mg kg⁻¹ of Hg and 16.15 ± 0.21 and 43.12 ± 0.51 mg kg⁻¹ of Se. Five metal binding proteins (MBP) in the Hg/Se-associated protein spots in the liver proteome of P. amazonica and eight in R. vulpinus were identified, indicating the possible formation of Hg/Se complexes on the MBP structures. The activities analysis of catalase, superoxide dismutase, GPx enzymes, and lipoperoxide concentrations demonstrated that Hg-induced oxidative stress did not occur, possibly because both fish species possess Se reserves necessary to inhibit the Hg’s deleterious effects. Full article

We propose two decoding algorithms for quasi-cyclic LDPC codes (QC-LDPC) and implement the more efficient one in this paper. These algorithms depend on the split row for the layered decoding method applied to the Min-Sum (MS) algorithm. We designate the first algorithm “Split-Row Layered Min-Sum” (SRLMS), and the second algorithm “Split-Row Threshold Layered Min-Sum” (SRTLMS). A threshold message passes from one partition to another in SRTLMS, minimizing the gap from the MS and achieving a binary error rate of 3 × 10⁻⁵ with Imax = 4 as the maximum number of iterations, resulting in a decrease of 0.25 dB. The simulation’s findings indicate that the SRTLMS is the most efficient variant decoding algorithm for LDPC codes, thanks to its compromise between performance and complexity. This paper presents the two invented algorithms and a comprehensive study of the co-design and implementation of the SRTLMS algorithm. We executed the implementation on a Xilinx Kintex-7 XC7K160 FPGA, achieving a maximum operating frequency of 101 MHz and a throughput of 606 Mbps. Full article

Failure of myelin regeneration by oligodendrocytes contributes to progressive decline in many neurological diseases. Here, using in vitro and in vivo rodent models, functional blockade, and mouse brain demyelination, we demonstrate that Sonic hedgehog (Shh) expression in a subset of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells precedes the expression of myelin basic protein (MBP), a major myelin sheath protein. Primary cultures of rodent cortical oligodendrocytes show that Shh mRNA and protein are upregulated during oligodendrocyte maturation before the upregulation of MBP expression. Importantly, almost all MBP-positive cells are Shh positive during differentiation. During remyelination, we identify a rapid induction of Shh mRNA and peptide in oligodendroglial cells present in the demyelinated corpus callosum of mice, including a population of PDGFRα-expressing cells. Shh invalidation by an adeno-associated virus strategy demonstrates that the downregulation of Shh impairs the differentiation of oligodendrocytes in vitro and decreases MBP and myelin proteolipid protein expression in the demyelinated mouse brain at late stages of remyelination. We also report a parallel expression of Shh and MBP in oligodendroglial cells during early post-natal myelination of the mouse brain. Thus, we identify a crucial Shh signal involved in oligodendroglial cell differentiation and remyelination, with potential interest in the design of better-targeted remyelinating therapeutic strategies. Full article

Background/Objectives. To evaluate T&N-staging diagnostic performance of [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT (FAPI) in a suspected/confirmed lung cancer surgical cohort. Methods: Patients were enrolled in a prospective monocentric trial (EudraCT: 2021-006570-23) to perform FAPI, in addition to conventional-staging-flow-chart (including [18F]F-FDG PET/CT-FDG). For the current purpose, only surgical patients were included. PET-semiquantitative parameters were measured for T&N: SUVmax, target-to-background-ratios (using mediastinal blood pool-MBP, liver-L and pulmonary-parenchyma-P). Visual and semiquantitative T&N PET/CT performances were analysed per patient and per region for both tracers, with surgical histopathology as standard-of-truth. Results: 63 FAPI scans were performed in 64 patients enrolled (26 May 2022–30 November 2023). A total of 50/63 patients underwent surgery and were included. Agreement (%) with histopathological-T&N-StagingAJCC8thEdition was slightly in favour of FAPI (T-66% vs. 58%, N-78% vs. 70%), increasing when T&N dichotomised (T-92% vs. 80%, N-78% vs. 72%). The performance of Visual-Criteria for T-per patient (n = 50) resulted higher FAPI than FDG. For N-per patient (n = 46), sensitivity and NPV were slightly lower with FAPI. Among 59 T-regions surgically examined, malignancy was excluded in 6/59 (10%). FAPI showed (vs. FDG): sensitivity 85% (vs. 72%), specificity 67% (vs. 50%), PPV 96% (vs. 93%), NPV 33% (vs. 17%), accuracy 83% (vs. 69%). Among 217 N-stations surgically assessed (overall 746 ln removed), only 15/217 (7%) resulted malignant; FAPI showed (vs. FDG): sensitivity 53% (vs. 60%), PPV 53% (vs. 26%), NPV 97% (vs. 97%), and significantly higher specificity (97% vs. 88%, p = 0.001) and accuracy (94% vs. 86%, p = 0.018). Semiquantitative-PET parameters performed similarly, better for N (p < 0.001) than for T, slightly in favour (although not significantly) of FAPI over FDG. Conclusions: In a suspected/confirmed lung cancer surgical cohort, PET/CT performances for preoperative T&Nstaging were slightly in favour of FAPI than FDG (except for suboptimal N-sensitivity), significantly better only for N (region-based) specificity and accuracy using visual assessment. The trial’s conventional follow-up is still ongoing; future analyses are pending, including non-surgical findings and theoretical impact on patient management. Full article

Rice provides poor yields in acidic soils due to several nutrient deficiencies and metal toxicities. The low availability of phosphorus (P) in acidic soils offers a natural condition for screening genotypes for grain yield and phosphorus utilization efficiency (PUE). The objective of this study was to phenotype a subset of indica rice accessions from 3000 Rice Genome Project (3K-RGP) under acidic soils and find associated genes and alleles. A panel of 234 genotypes, along with checks, were grown under low-input acidic soils for two consecutive seasons, followed by a low-P-based hydroponic screening experiment. The heritability of the agro-morphological traits was high across seasons, and Ward’s clustering method identified 46 genotypes that can be used as low-P-tolerant donors in acidic soil conditions. Genotypes ARC10145, RPA5929, and K1559-4, with a higher grain yield than checks, were identified. Over 29 million SNPs were retrieved from the Rice SNP-Seek database, and after quality control, they were utilized for a genome-wide association study (GWAS) with seventeen traits. Ten quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) for three yield traits and five QTNs for PUE were identified. A set of 34 candidate genes for yield-related traits was also identified. An association study using this indica panel for an already reported 1.84 Mbp region on chromosome 2 identified genes Os02g09840 and Os02g08420 for yield and PUE, respectively. A haplotype analysis for the candidate genes identified favorable allelic combinations. Donors carrying the superior haplotypic combinations for the identified genes could be exploited in future breeding programs. Full article

This paper presents a hardware-based audio encryption system using a 2D chaotic map and dynamic S-box design implemented on an Artix-7 FPGA platform. Three distinct chaotic maps—logistic–fraction (2D-LF), logistic–sine (2D-LS), and fraction–sine (2D-FS)—were investigated and implemented on an FPGA. The 2D-LF map was employed in the encryption system for its throughput and power efficiency performance. The proposed encryption system benefits from the randomness of chaotic sequences for block permutation and S-box substitution to enhance the diffusion and confusion properties of the encrypted speech signal. The system’s encryption strength is validated through performance evaluations, using the mean squared error (MSE), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), correlation coefficients, and NIST randomness tests, which confirm the unpredictability of the encrypted speech signal. The hardware implementation results show a throughput of 2880 Mbps and power consumption of 0.13 W. Full article

Myeloid blast-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (MBP-CML) is a rare disease with a dismal prognosis. It is twice as common as lymphoid blast-phase CML, and its prognosis is poorer. Despite the success with tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the treatment of chronic-phase CML, the same does not hold true for MBP-CML. In addition to the Philadelphia chromosome, other chromosomal and molecular changes characterize rapid progression. Although some progress in elucidating the biology of MBP-CML has been made, there is need to discover more in order to develop more satisfactory treatment options. Currently, most common treatment options include tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as monotherapy or in combination with acute myeloid leukemia-based intensive chemotherapy regimens. Some patients may develop resistance to TKIs via BCR-ABL1-dependent or BCR-ABL1-independent mechanisms. In this paper, we provide an overview of the biology of MBP-CML, the current treatment approaches, and mechanisms of resistance to TKIs. In order to improve treatment responses in these patients, more emphasis should be placed on understanding the biology of myeloid blastic transformation in CML and mechanisms of resistance to TKIs. Although patient numbers are small, randomized clinical trials should be considered. Full article

This study investigated the use of frontal electroencephalography (EEG) to monitor varying levels of isoflurane anesthesia in dogs. The patient state index (PSI), burst suppression ratio (SR), and waveforms, were continuously recorded while mean arterial blood pressure (MBP), heart rate, responses to electric stimuli, and subjective anesthetic “depth” were assessed every 3 min. At deep anesthesia (2.5× MAC − 3.2%), the PSI (6.5 ± 10.8) and MBP (45.6 ± 16.4 mmHg) were the lowest, and SR was the highest (78.3 ± 24.0%). At 1× MAC (1.3%), the PSI and MBP increased significantly to 47.8 ± 12.6 and 99.8 ± 13.2, respectively, and SR decreased to 0.5 ± 2.5%. The EEG was predominantly isoelectric at 2×–2.5× MAC, indicating unconsciousness and unresponsiveness. As anesthesia lightened, waveforms transitioned to flatter and faster activity patterns with a response to noxious stimuli, suggesting regained consciousness. The PSI and MBP exhibited a stronger correlation (ρ = 0.8098, p = 0.001) than the relationship of PSI with heart rate (ρ = −0.2089, p = 0.249). Five of the six dogs experienced rough recovery, possibly due to high SR and low MBP. These findings suggest that EEG monitoring in dogs can be a valuable tool for the real-time tracking of brain states and can be used to guide the management of isoflurane anesthesia. Full article

As an essential thrombolytic agent, the tissue plasminogen activator receives increasing attention due to its longer half-life, lower immunogenicity, and easier administration, which are superior to other thrombolytic agents. In this study, the isolated and purified plasminogen activator from the sandworm (Perinereis aibuhitensis) was expressed in E. coli (Escherichia coli) to investigate its potential for simplifying the development process. The sandworm plasminogen activator was previously successfully cloned and expressed in E. coli with low yield and activity in the culture supernatant. This low yield and activity prompted us to optimize its DNA sequence. Furthermore, to raise the efficiency in the separation of the target protein, the protein’s solubility was enhanced by fusing it with maltose-binding protein (MBP) tags. Eventually, the fibrinolytic activity was successfully restored after digestion with tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease. This study provides an innovative method of efficiently expressing and purifying plasminogen activators from sandworm in E. coli and broadens its applications in therapeutic treatment of cardiovascular diseases, including thrombosis, stroke, and coronary atherosclerotic heart disease. Full article

The avocado crop is relevant for its economic importance and because of its unique evolutionary history. However, there is a lack of information regarding the molecular processes during the defense response against fungal pathogens. Therefore, using a genome-wide approach in this work, we investigated the transcriptional response of the Mexican horticultural race of avocado (Persea americana var. drymifolia), including miRNAs profile and their possible targets. For that, we established an avocado–Fusarium hydroponic pathosystem and studied the response for 21 days. To guarantee robustness in the analysis, first, we improved the avocado genome assembly available for this variety, resulting in 822.49 Mbp in length with 36,200 gene models. Then, using an RNA-seq approach, we identified 13,778 genes differentially expressed in response to the Fusarium infection. According to their expression profile across time, these genes can be clustered into six groups, each associated with specific biological processes. Regarding non-coding RNAs, 8 of the 57 mature miRNAs identified in the avocado genome are responsive to infection caused by Fusarium, and the analysis revealed a total of 569 target genes whose transcript could be post-transcriptionally regulated. This study represents the first research in avocados to comprehensively explore the role of miRNAs in orchestrating defense responses against Fusarium spp. Also, this work provides valuable data about the genes involved in the intricate response of the avocado during fungal infection. Full article

Soil salinization is currently one of the main abiotic stresses that restrict plant growth. Plant endophytic bacteria can alleviate abiotic stress. The aim of the current study was to isolate, characterize, and assess the plant growth-promoting and saline and alkaline stress-alleviating traits of Peribacillus simplex M1 (P. simplex M1) isolates from maize. One endophytic bacterial isolate, named P. simplex M1, was selected from the roots of maize grown in saline–alkali soil. The P. simplex M1 genome sequence analysis of the bacteria with a length of 5.8 Mbp includes about 700 genes that promote growth and 16 antioxidant activity genes that alleviate saline and alkaline stress. P. simplex M1 can grow below 400 mM NaHCO₃ on the LB culture medium; The isolate displayed multiple plant growth-stimulating features, such as nitrogen fixation, produced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and siderophore production. This isolate had a positive effect on the resistance to salt of maize in addition to the growth. P. simplex M1 significantly promoted seed germination by enhancing seed vigor in maize whether under normal growth or NaHCO₃ stress conditions. The seeds with NaHCO₃ treatment exhibited higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels than the maize in P. simplex M1 inoculant on maize. P. simplex M1 can colonize the roots of maize. The P. simplex M1 inoculant plant increased chlorophyll in leaves, stimulated root and leaf growth, increased the number of lateral roots and root dry weight, increased the length and width of the blades, and dry weight of the blades. The application of inoculants can significantly reduce the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and increase the activity of plant antioxidant enzymes (Catalase (CAT), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), and Peroxidase (POD)), which may thereby improve maize resistance to saline and alkaline stress. Conclusion: P. simplex M1 isolate belongs to plant growth-promoting bacteria by having high nitrogen concentration, indoleacetic acid (IAA), and siderophore, and reducing the content of ROS through the antioxidant system to alleviate salt alkali stress. This study presents the potential application of P. simplex M1 as a biological inoculant to promote plant growth and mitigate the saline and alkaline effects of maize and other crops. Full article

Nowadays, Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) are widely deployed in communication areas due to their ease of implementation, dynamic self-organization, and cost-effectiveness. The design of routing protocols is critical for ensuring the performance and reliability of WMNs. Although there have been numerous experimental works on WMNs in the past decade, only a few of them have been tested in real-world scenarios. This article presents a comparative analysis of three proactive routing protocols, OLSR, BATMAN, and Babel, using Raspberry Pi 4 devices. The evaluation, conducted at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, covers both indoor and outdoor scenarios, focusing on key metrics such as bandwidth, Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR), and jitter. In outdoor scenarios, OLSR achieved the highest bandwidth at 2.9 Mbps, while BATMAN and Babel lagged. Indoor tests revealed that Babel initially outperformed with the highest bandwidth of 57.19 Mb/s but suffered from scalability issues, while BATMAN and OLSR exhibited significant declines in performance as network size increased. For PDR, BATMAN performed best with a decline from 100% to 42.8%, followed by OLSR with a moderate drop, and Babel with the greatest decrease. For jitter, OLSR showed the most stable performance, increasing from 0.281 ms to 2.58 ms at eleven nodes, BATMAN exhibited moderate increases, and Babel experienced the highest rise. Full article

The impact of nitrogen and phosphorus deposition alternations, as well as apoplastic litter quality and quantity, on soil nutrient cycling and soil carbon pool processes in forest ecosystems is of considerable importance. Soil ecological enzyme chemistry is a powerful tool for elucidating the nutrient limitations of microbial growth and metabolic processes. In order to explore the responding mechanisms of soil ecological enzyme chemistry to the simultaneous changes in apoplast input and nitrogen and phosphorus deposition in temperate coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests, an outdoor simulating experiment was conducted. The results demonstrate that the treatments involving apoplastic material and nitrogen and phosphorus additions had significantly impacted soil nutrient levels across different forest types. Apoplastic treatments and N-P additions had a significant effect on the soil total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), soil total soluble nitrogen (TSN), soil available phosphorus (SAP), soil total nitrogen (TN), soil total phosphorus (TP), and microbial biomass carbon (MBC). However, the effects on soil microbial biomass (MBN) and microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP) were insignificant. The apomictic treatments with N and P addition did not result in a statistically significant change in soil C-hydrolase activities (β-1,4-glucosidase BG, β-1,4-xylosidase BX, cellobiohydrolase CBH, phenol oxidase POX, and peroxidase PER), N-hydrolase activities (β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase NAG and L-leucine aminopeptidase LAP), or P-hydrolase activities (Acid phosphatase AP). Although the apomictic treatments did not yield a significant overall impact on carbon hydrolase activity, they influenced the activity of specific enzymes, such as CBH, LAP, and PER, to varying degrees. The effects on BG, BX, CBH, AP, and C-hydrolase activities were significant for different stand types. The impact of apomictic treatments and N-P additions on soil nitrogen hydrolase activities was inconsequential with a minimal interactive effect. The highest correlation between PER, LAP, and N-hydrolase activities was observed in conjunction with elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus addition (N3L0, original litter treatment, and high amounts of N and P addition). These findings may provide a theoretical foundation for the management of ecosystem function in broad-leaved Korean pine forests. Full article