Distinct Groups Research Articles

Kształtowanie kultury współdziałania funkcjonariuszy Straży Granicznej w Polsce

Effectiveness of public organization is determined by the organizational culture. The border services, fit in this context. This article aims to analyze the key aspects of the culture of cooperation between Border Guard officers in Poland. The study involved a chain of connections between cultural elements – distinguished values and group norms that make up the culture of cooperation. A number of interesting correlations was observed when the research methodology was adjusted accordingly.

ANOTHER STRAND IN THE WEB. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN NEA PAPHOS AND THE REGION OF NORTH‐WESTERN CYPRUS BASED ON AN INTEGRATED INVESTIGATION OF THE MIDDLE AND LATE ROMAN COOKING POTTERY

SummaryThe focus of this paper is the Middle and Late Roman (third–seventh centuries AD) cooking pottery recovered during the excavations at the Agora in Nea Paphos. Macroscopic investigation suggested that a part of this assemblage was imported from north‐western Cyprus. To verify this assumption, selected samples were analysed with thin section petrography and wavelength dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry. The results of an integrated macroscopic and laboratory analysis indicated the presence of two typologically distinguishable groups characterized by the same fabric. Comparative studies suggest that they were likely produced in the area of Dhiorios located in north‐western Cyprus. It was also noted that the cooking pottery vessels characterized by the same fabric were being imported to Nea Paphos already in the first century AD. The continuity of the production and exportation of the Dhiorios pottery suggests the economic importance of north‐western Cyprus throughout the entire Roman period.

Typologies of Psychiatric Diagnoses Among Inpatients with Recent Suicide Attempts

Objective Psychiatric multimorbidity is a well-documented risk factor for suicide. However, diagnostic heterogeneity and patterns of comorbidity likely exists within the population of those who attempt suicide. Person-centered statistical approaches, such as latent class analysis (LCA), extract distinguishable groups differentiated by prevalence and comorbidity of psychiatric disorders. Method The present study used LCA to identify typologies of psychiatric heterogeneity in a sample of 213 inpatients (M age = 33.04 [SD = 12.67]; 57.3% female; 62.4% White; 23.9% Hispanic/Latino) with a history of suicide attempt who were recruited for a suicide prevention clinical trial. Class differences in suicide history characteristics; demographic characteristics; and cognitive-affective and behavioral risk factors, obtained from an initial evaluation involving the administration of a semi-structured diagnostic interview, suicide risk assessment, and battery of self-report measures, were explored. Results LCA identified three classes in the best-fitting solution: Depressive-High Comorbidity (n = 68), Depressive-Low Comorbidity (n = 86), and Bipolar (n = 59). The Depressive-Low Comorbidity class reported less severe suicidal ideation (p < .001), anxiety (p < .001), stress (p < .001), unlovability beliefs (p = .006), and impulsivity (p < .001). The Depressive-Low Comorbidity class also reported fewer actual attempts than the Bipolar class (p = .001) and fewer interrupted attempts than the Depressive-High Comorbidity class (p = .004). Conclusions The Depressive-High Comorbidity and Bipolar classes consistently endorsed higher levels of suicide risk factors. These findings may help to illuminate typologies of suicide attempters with unique clinical needs, which is an essential step toward personalized medicine.

Precision public health - hopes and threats.

The article formulates the following theses and conclusion: (1) the development processes of precision medicine and precision public health (PPH) are correlated; (2) the development of public health genomics depends not only on an increasingly complete exploration of the principles of the human genome, but also on a fundamentally better investigation of how broad environmental factors can alter gene expression or structure; (3) a necessary condition for the development of both precision medicine and precision public health is the collection of increasingly broader and more complete information about pro- and anti-health factors; (4) the above necessary condition is only possible in a situation of strong authoritarianism with regard to taking health-promoting measures. It is likely that in the near future public health will be shaped by health-promoting authoritarianism. There are two main problems in the development of precise public health (PPH). The first, is maintaining the right proportions between actions based on the genomic data, and actions determined by better understanding of the effect of environmental factors. The second, is the necessity to subject individuals and populations to increasingly closer pro-health surveillance, which must be increasingly more effective, forcing specific health-promoting behaviours on individual and social scales. PPH in full can only exist in conditions of complete information concerning health determinants of an individual, and each distinguished group of individuals, as well as fully pro-health organization of individual and social life, i.e. in conditions of full individual and social medicalization. However, such a full medicalization cannot be achieved in any way other than authoritarian.

HLA class I expression on human platelets is highly variable and correlates with distinct allele group frequencies.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules are expressed on platelets and can represent a source of alloimmunization in recipients of platelet transfusions. HLA mismatch between donors and recipients may be associated with the induction of anti-HLA antibodies, which can culminate in refractoriness to platelet transfusions. In the present study we analyzed HLA allele group frequencies and HLA expression levels on human platelets from blood donors. Platelet-rich plasma was collected from 139 donors to monitor platelet HLA class I expression by flow cytometry. DNA from donors with high and low platelet HLA expression was used in the genotype studies. Frequencies of large and normal-sized platelet subpopulations were determined and HLA class I expression was studied. Mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet large-cell ratio (P-LCR) were analyzed in both groups of donors. The analysis showed variable platelet HLA class I expression with significant differences among donors. HLA class I allele group frequencies in donors with high and low platelet HLA expression showed distinctive genotypic features strictly related to expression level. The main allele groups found in samples with high platelet HLA class I expression were HLA-A*02, -A*68, -B*15, -B*49, and -C*03. Platelet HLA class I expression did not change over time or during freezing-thawing cycles. The analysis of platelet subpopulations showed a statistically significant higher expression of HLA class I molecules on large platelets than on normal-sized platelets. Moreover, donors with high HLA class I expression showed a higher frequency of large platelets (p<0.0001). The analysis of P-LCR in both groups of donors showed a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) within high HLA-expressing donors. Our data suggest an allele-dependent expression of HLA class I molecules on human platelets with distinct HLA allele group frequencies and different platelet subpopulation frequencies among blood donors.

Individual or communal? Exploring the social dynamics of ceramic production at the Lengyel circular-enclosure site of Těšetice-Kyjovice – Sutny, South Moravia

Although ceramic vessels form the majority of artifact assemblages in the Neolithic, little is known about their production beyond the assumption that they were made in a domestic context. Characterizing the scale of ceramic production is important for understanding Neolithic social and economic processes, particularly at sites with enclosure systems that indicate an increased degree of social organization. Nevertheless, characterizing the complexity and social entanglements of ceramic production is a difficult task in the absence of primary production locales.In this study, we provide a working hypothesis and use ceramic and clay petrographic data to highlight the variability in ceramic technological practices, and in turn, identify the organization of ceramic production at the Late Neolithic (Lengyel I; 4750–4500 BCE) site of Těšetice-Kyjovice – Sutny, South Moravia, Czech Republic. The site is characterised by a large circular enclosure, the construction of which required a high level of social cooperation. It is still under scrutiny whether the cooperation required for building the enclosure system was only temporary and related to this construction activity, or if it reflects a higher degree of social organization in general.By understanding ceramic production, we may clarify the complexity of the most common production processes that took place at the site. Large-scale ceramic and clay petrographic data provide information on the first steps of the chaîne opératoire in ceramic fabrication, which can be used to assess the organization of production. A systematic analysis of a large number of ceramic samples, representing all basic typological and macroscopically distinguishable fabric groups, revealed a high degree of individuality in choices of raw materials and tempers. Ceramic petrographic data, compared with the petrographic data of local sediment sources, further highlighted individuality in raw material and temper preferences, and even mixing of raw materials was identified.Our analyses suggest that Lengyel culture potters likely produced their vessels on a household level, with no evidence suggesting non-domestic production. These data, in conjunction with ceramic petrographic data from Hungarian Late Neolithic sites, suggest that Late Neolithic communities were self-sufficient in terms of utilitarian pottery production. Ceramic petrographic data also indicate interaction between the inhabitants of Těšetice and other Lengyel culture communities in the vicinity, perhaps further indicating a higher degree of social organization at the site.

Intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging in evaluating preoperative staging of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BackgroundThe aim of this research is to prospectively investigate the diagnostic performance of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) using the integrated slice-specific dynamic shimming (iShim) technique in staging primary esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and predicting presence of lymph node metastases from ESCC.MethodsSixty-three patients with ESCC were prospectively enrolled from April 2016 to April 2019. MR and IVIM using iShim technique (b = 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 200, 400, 600, 800 s/mm2) were performed on 3.0T MRI system before operation. Primary tumour apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and IVIM parameters, including true diffusion coefficient (D), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), pseudodiffusion fraction (f) were measured by two independent radiologists. The differences in D, D*, f and ADC values of different T and N stages were assessed. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to evaluate the interobserver agreement between two readers. The diagnostic performances of D, D*, f and ADC values in primary tumour staging and prediction of lymph node metastasis of ESCC were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.ResultsThe inter-observer consensus was excellent for IVIM parameters and ADC (D: ICC = 0.922; D*: ICC = 0.892; f: ICC = 0.948; ADC: ICC = 0.958). The ADC, D, D* and f values of group T1 + T2 were significantly higher than those of group T3 + T4a [ADC: (2.55 ± 0.43) ×10− 3 mm2/s vs. (2.27 ± 0.40) ×10− 3 mm2/s, t = 2.670, P = 0.010; D: (1.82 ± 0.39) ×10− 3 mm2/s vs. (1.53 ± 0.33) ×10− 3 mm2/s, t = 3.189, P = 0.002; D*: 46.45 (30.30,55.53) ×10− 3 mm2/s vs. 32.30 (18.60,40.95) ×10− 3 mm2/s, z=-2.408, P = 0.016; f: 0.45 ± 0.12 vs. 0.37 ± 0.12, t = 2.538, P = 0.014]. The ADC, D and f values of the lymph nodes-positive (N+) group were significantly lower than those of lymph nodes-negative (N0) group [ADC: (2.10 ± 0.33) ×10− 3 mm2/s vs. (2.55 ± 0.40) ×10− 3 mm2/s, t=-4.564, P < 0.001; D: (1.44 ± 0.30) ×10− 3 mm2/s vs. (1.78 ± 0.37) ×10− 3 mm2/s, t=-3.726, P < 0.001; f: 0.32 ± 0.10 vs. 0.45 ± 0.11, t=-4.524, P < 0.001]. The combination of D, D* and f yielded the highest area under the curve (AUC) (0.814) in distinguishing group T1 + T2 from group T3 + T4a. D combined with f provided the highest diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.849) in identifying group N + and group N0 of ESCC.ConclusionsIVIM may be used as an effective functional imaging technique to evaluate preoperative stage of primary tumour and predict presence of lymph node metastases from ESCC.

Global Media Sentiments on the Rohingya Crisis: A Comparative Analysis of News Articles from Ten Countries

The Rohingya crisis has been a significant issue for national and international news media, capturing their attention for an extended period and documenting various phases of the crisis. Previous research exploring the tones and portrayal of the Rohingyas in the news lacks comparative and temporal analysis of news sentiments. In this study, we aim to fill this gap by analyzing 8074 news stories on Rohingya issues published in 10 news media outlets from 10 countries between 2009 and 2023. Our computational sentiment analysis reveals that Rohingya-related news sentiments are predominantly negative and fluctuate over the years across different countries, showing little identifiable patterns. An ANOVA suggests significant variation in news sentiments among countries, with some countries exhibiting more similar sentiments than others, thus creating distinguishable groups. Some of our findings contradict previous scholarships, warranting further research and novel frameworks. Additionally, we encourage scrutiny of academic insights to address potential biases against news media’s journalistic integrity.

Функциональная специфика английских междометий: социокультурный аспект (на материале сериала “Downtown Abbey”)

The aim of the study is to identify the functional parameters of the use of English interjections depending on the sociocultural position of the communicants. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that the relationship between the communicants belonging to a certain social class and the peculiarities of the use of the qualitative and quantitative composition of interjections in their speech is established for the first time. The study revealed that interjections can act as indicators of English communicative behaviour. Among the distinguished functional groups of interjections (emotive, hesitational, phatic and conative), interjections in the emotive function, traditionally recognized as the main one due to the nature of interjections, for the first time lost its dominant position in favour of interjections in the hesitational function. The reason for this is the influence of such parameters of English communicative behaviour as emotional restraint, understatement, the desire to reduce flatness, as well as an anti-conflict orientation of communication. A predominant number of interjections of all functional groups and a more diverse qualitative composition of interjections is recorded in the speech of nobility, than in the speech of the common class, which is explained by their higher level of education, speech culture and the development of their emotional intelligence.

Impact of moisture on the degradation and priming effects of poly(lactic acid) microplastic

AbstractThe degradation of biodegradable microplastics (MPs) can either stimulate or inhibit the decomposition of soil organic carbon (SOC), but the factors influencing these phenomena remain unclear. In this study, we used the 13C natural abundance to differentiate between carbon dioxide (CO2) arising from the mineralization of SOC and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) MP under varying soil water holding capacity (WHC) in alkaline and acidic soils. We also quantified the incorporation of soil‐ or PLA‐derived carbon (C) into phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA)‐distinguishable microbial groups. An increase in soil moisture did not significantly affect PLA MP degradation in alkaline soil, but significantly increased PLA degradability in acidic soil. In particular, the percentages of PLA‐derived C incorporated into PLFA‐distinguishable gram‐negative and gram‐positive bacteria were 14%–63% and 5%–33%, respectively, in all the treatments. The presence of PLA MP induced positive priming effects from 0 to 20 d in all the treatments but subsequently induced negative priming effects under some conditions. The total priming effects induced by PLA MP were significantly greater in alkaline soil with ≥70% WHC (37–43 mg C kg−1 soil) than in this soil with 50% WHC (8.6 mg C kg−1 soil). The total priming effect was 72–78 mg C kg−1 soil in acidic soil with ≤70% WHC, but a negative priming effect was observed in this soil with 90% WHC (−56 mg C kg−1 soil). In alkaline soil, the dissolved organic carbon content was positively correlated with the priming effect, but a negative relationship was observed between the priming effect and the amount of soil‐derived C incorporated into gram‐negative bacteria and fungi. In acidic soil, a positive correlation was found between the priming effect and the soil nitrate content. In summary, our findings indicate that 0.4%–2.8% of PLA MP was degraded in soils after 2 months, and that the intensity and direction of the priming effect induced by PLA MP are regulated by soil moisture and pH, but further exploration is needed to elucidate the microbial mechanisms underlying these effects.

Psychometric validation of the Chinese versions of EQ-5D-Y-3L and the experimental EQ-TIPS in children and adolescents with COVID-19.

Respiratory infectious diseases like COVID-19 profoundly impacts the health of children and adolescents, but validated instruments to measure their impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are lacking. The EQ-5D-Y-3L, widely used for youth HRQoL, now features a Chinese value set. The experimental EQ-TIPS addresses HRQoL assessment for toddlers and infants. This study tested the psychometric properties of both instruments in paediatric COVID-19 patients, and compared the performance of self-complete and proxy EQ-5D-Y-3L. This longitudinal study recruited 861 COVID-19 patients aged 0-18 years and their parental caregivers, with 311 dyads completing the follow-up. Digital administration included the EQ-TIPS, the EQ-5D-Y-3L, and Overall Health Assessment (OHA). Controls comprised 231 healthy children. Analysis encompassed known-group validity, child-parent agreement, and responsiveness to change in disease severity and OHA. COVID-19 children exhibited lower HRQoL than non-infected peers. The EQ-TIPS and the EQ-5D-Y-3L distinguished groups by disease presence, severity and symptoms, showing moderate to good known-group validity (ESs: 0.45-1.39 for EQ-TIPS, 0.44-1.91 for self-complete EQ-5D-Y-3L, and 0.32-1.67 for proxy EQ-5D-Y-3L). Child-parent agreement was moderate to good for EQ-5D-Y-3L (ICC: 0.653-0.823; Gwet's AC1: 0.470-0.738), and responsiveness was good for both EQ-TIPS Level Sum Score (LSS) (ESs: 1.21-1.39) and EQ-5D-Y-3L index scores (ESs: 1.00-1.16). This study demonstrates the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the experimental EQ-TIPS and the EQ-5D-Y-3L in paediatric COVID-19 patients. It is the first evidence of the EQ-TIPS' responsiveness, supporting its use in assessing the impact of COVID-19 on paediatric HRQoL.

Validation and performance of the sleep inertia questionnaire in central disorders of hypersomnolence

BackgroundOptimal measurement tools for problematic sleep inertia, common in some central disorders of hypersomnolence (CDH), have not yet been determined. We evaluated the performance of the Sleep Inertia Questionnaire (SIQ) in CDH, and how well it distinguished hypersomnolent groups from controls, and IH (idiopathic hypersomnia) from narcolepsy type 1 (NT1). MethodsThis prospective, bi-centric study included 63 control, 84 IH, 16 NT1, 18 narcolepsy type 2 (NT2), and 88 subjective excessive daytime sleepiness (sEDS) participants, using ICSD-3 criteria. 126 (47.2 %) participants were on any medication at the time of SIQ completion. We assessed construct validity of SIQ scores, and sleep inertia duration (SID), and compared them across diagnoses, controlling for age and center. We derived cutpoints to distinguish hypersomnolent patients from controls and IH from NT1. Sensitivity analyses for depression, chronotype, and medication were performed. ResultsThe SIQ sum and composite score were significantly lower in controls than in other groups (p < 0.0001), demonstrating outstanding ability to distinguish patients from controls (AUCs 0.92), without differences among hypersomnolent groups. SID (AUC 0.76) was significantly shorter in controls than in all hypersomnolent groups except NT1, and was shorter in NT1 than in IH or sEDS. Optimal SIQ sum cutpoint was 42 (J = 0.71) for patients versus controls. Optimal SID cutpoint in distinguishing IH from NT1 was 25 min (J = 0.39). ConclusionThe SIQ has excellent ability to distinguish hypersomnolent patients from healthy controls, after controlling for depression, eveningness, and medication. SID is best at distinguishing IH from NT1.

Volatile organic compounds produced by thermophilic and non-thermophilic ampylobacter spp.: Influence of growth phase and nutrient composition

Bacteria produce a plethora of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere as a means of interacting with their habitats, as well as for intra- and interkingdom communication, and to survive and thrive in nature and inside their hosts. Campylobacter, which is commonly found in poultry and ruminants, has demonstrated remarkable endurance in aquatic settings, making it one of the world's most hazardous foodborne pathogens that kill thousands of humans every year. In the present work, the VOCs released by both thermophilic (C. jejuni, C. coli, and C. lari) and non-thermophilic (C. fetus) Campylobacter of clinical significance, which were influenced by nutrient composition (media) and growth phase, were profiled using an active sampling approach, with active charcoal adsorbent and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Alcohols and ketones were detected only in the thermophilic Campylobacter strains, C. jejuni subsp. jejuni (1-heptadecanol; 1,8-nonadien-3-ol; 3,7,11-trimethyl-3-dodecanol; 1s,4R,7R,11R-1,3,4,7-tetramethyltricyclo [5.3.1.0(4,11)] undec-2-en-8-one; and isophorone), C. coli (isophorone and 3,5-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-phenol), and C. lari (3,7,11-trimethyl-3-dodecanol and 1s,4R,7R,11R-1,3,4,7-tetramethyltricyclo [5.3.1.0(4,11)] undec-2-en-8-one) between early stationary and stationary growth phases. The non-thermophilic C. fetus produced only a range of unidentified compounds that need to be investigated further in the future. The results from the principal component analysis showed distinctive clustering of VOC markers between the four bacteria taxa and within the strains of C. jejuni, including distinguishable groupings of VOCs throughout the growth phase of each bacterium and between different culture media. This demonstrates the influence of bacterial growth and media composition on the volatilome of the studied Campylobacter spp. Overall, the VOC profiling of these foodborne pathogens, under influencing factors of growth phase and media, paves the way for future rapid identification of Campylobacter spp. in food matrices.

Franziska Schoenebeck is the Thieme-IUPAC Prize Winner 2024

Abstract We are delighted to announce that the 2024 Thieme–IUPAC Prize has been awarded to Franziska Schoenebeck of RWTH Aachen University. Professor Schoenebeck becomes the 16th recipient of the prize and joins a distinguished group of scientists whose research has had a major impact on the field of synthetic organic chemistry. The prize, which is awarded every two years and includes an award of € 5000, will be presented to Schoenebeck at the ICOS-24 conference before her Thieme–IUPAC lecture.

ART IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HUMAN AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: CREATIVITY AND ALGORITHM

Art has been the most creative form of humans’ self-expression since time immemorial and has taken many different forms over the years. Furthermore, digitalization in all aspects of life has foreshadowed radical changes in art in accordance with the opportunities provided by technology. In this study, the possibility of transferring all the characteristics of an artist defining his art to artificial intelligence (AI) has been discussed, and whether the re-evaluation of art production with the developments in AI and the artist’s being alive for the continuity of his art are essential or not has been examined. With the distinguished group study carried out in this scope, it has been aimed to explore beyond traditional approaches, putting people at the centre of the creative process, and has greatly benefited from the expertise of three contemporary artists working at the meeting point of art and AI in Istanbul, Turkey. In this context, the in-depth interview method as a qualitative research method has been conducted in the study, the opinions of the interviewed artists on the topic have been evaluated, and the related questions of the arguments have been analysed. All things considered, two conclusions have been drawn: an artist’s work or a particular section of an art movement might be reproduced using possibilities created by digital art, and given the current opportunities and conditions of this age, AI systems are unlikely to replace artists and generate art instead of them.

Phylogeography of the giant honey bees based on mitochondrial gene sequences

Our goal was to resolve phylogenetic relationships among Apis laboriosa, and the Apis dorsata subspecies A. d. dorsata, A. d. binghami, and A. d. breviligula, the last two of which have been proposed as full species by several authors. We carried out a phylogenetic analysis of the giant honey bees using mitochondrial cox1 and cox2 gene sequences analyzed with maximum likelihood methods. We obtained strong support for four clades within A. dorsata in the broad sense: the three subspecies or species mentioned above, and a fourth lineage from south India. However, our analysis did not resolve the phylogenetic relationships among the four lineages. The presence of two genetically distinguishable groups of “A. dorsata” in India parallels the presence there of two cavity-nesting honey bees, A. cerana cerana and A. c. indica (the black hill bees and yellow plains bees, respectively). This suggests that past climatic or geological events may have temporarily isolated Indian populations from populations of the Asian mainland, leading to divergence and possibly speciation of Indian giant and cavity-nesting bees, followed by recolonization of India by eastern Asian forms. Recognition of these distinct lineages is important for conservation planning, so that their individual distributions, ecologies, and migration patterns can be considered, and so that the genetic diversity they represent can be maintained.

Mental health of caregivers of children with medical complexity: group-based trajectory modelling

ObjectiveTo describe the mental health trajectories of caregivers of children with medical complexity (CMC) and explore child characteristics associated with below-average caregiver mental health.DesignA secondary analysis of prospectively collected data...

The key role of Spain in the traffic of West Nile virus lineage 1 strains between Europe and Africa

Background West Nile Virus (WNV) is a zoonotic arbovirus worldwide spread. Seasonal WNV outbreaks occur in the Mediterranean basin since the late 1990’s with ever-increasing incidence. In Southern Spain WNV is endemic, as disease foci - caused by WNV lineage 1 (WNV-L1) strains - occur every year. On the contrary, WNV-L2 is the dominant lineage in Europe, so most European WNV sequences available belong to this lineage, WNV-L1 sequences being still scarce. Methods To fill this gap, this study reports the genetic characterisation of 27 newly described WNV-L1 strains, involved in outbreaks affecting wild birds and horses during the last decade in South-Western Spain. Results All strains except one belong to the Western Mediterranean-1 sub-cluster (WMed-1), related phylogenetically to Italian, French, Portuguese, Moroccan and, remarkably, Senegalese strains. This sub-cluster persisted, spread and evolved into three distinguishable WMed-1 phylogenetic groups that co-circulated, notably, in the same province (Cádiz). They displayed different behaviours: from long-term persistence and rapid spread to neighbouring regions within Spain, to long-distance spread to different countries, including transcontinental spread to Africa. Among the different introductions of WNV in Spain revealed in this study, some of them succeeded to get established, some extinguished from the territory shortly afterwards. Furthermore, Spain’s southernmost province, Cádiz, constitutes a hotspot for virus incursion. Conclusion Southern Spain seems a likely scenario for emergence of exotic pathogens of African origin. Therefore, circulation of diverse WNV-L1 variants in Spain prompts for an extensive surveillance under a One Health approach.

Validation on selected breast cancer drugs of physicochemical features by using machine learning models

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among females today. The elbow approach determines the ideal number of clusters after determining that the Dataset is highly cluster able with the Hopkins statistic. Three distinct groups with distinct differences were produced using the dataset's proposed expectation maximization fuzzy k-means clustering algorithm (PEMFKM). Different fuzzy clustering techniques, such as fuzzy k-means (FKM), fuzzy k-means with entropy (FKM.ENT), fuzzy k-means with entropy and noise (FKM.ENT.NOISE), Gustafson and Kessel - like fuzzy k-means (FKM.GK), Gustafson and Kessel - like fuzzy k-means with entropy regularization (FKM.GK.ENT), Gustafson and Kessel - like fuzzy kmeans with entropy regularization and noise (FKM.GK.ENT.NOISE), and PEMFKM, are evaluated. The partition coefficient (PC), partition entropy (PE), and Modified partition coefficient index (MPC) index values are better for FKM.GK than the suggested PEMFKM method. When compared to the FKM.GK method, the index values for the proposed PEMFKM algorithm have superior results for the parameters Silhouette (SIL), Xie and Beni index (XB), and fuzzy silhouette index (SIL.F). The results shows that the PEMFKM algorithm will provide better clusters and that the drugs in a given cluster may be combined for use in combination therapy for breast cancer treatment.

Green infant formula analysis: Optimizing headspace solid-phase microextraction of carbonyl compounds associated with lipid peroxidation using GC-MS and pentafluorophenylhydrazine derivatization

The refinement and optimization of a method combining headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was successfully performed for the first time to determine seven carbonyl and dicarbonyl compounds, including glyoxal, methylglyoxal, dimethylglyoxal, and malondialdehyde in infant formulae, related to lipid peroxidation. HS-SPME was utilized for simultaneous extraction and derivatization with pentafluorophenylhydrazine (PFPH). Critical parameters such as temperature, pH, extractive phase, and salting-out were meticulously investigated and fine-tuned by an asymmetrical 2232//9 screening design to ensure the method's efficacy and reliability. Optimal conditions included a PFPH concentration of 5 g/L, pH 5.0, head-space extraction at 60 °C within 10 min, utilizing a DVB/CAR/PDMS coating, and a 20% w/w salting-out. The analytical validation of this method, compliant with FDA guidelines, demonstrated exceptional linearity, sensitivity, specificity, precision (RSD ≤13.8%), and accuracy (84.8% ≤ recovery ≤111.5%). The metric approach AGREEprep confirms its eco-friendliness, marking a significant step towards an environmentally conscious approach in infant formula analysis. An occurrence study conducted on 25 infant formula samples revealed widespread carbonyl and dicarbonyl compounds in both powdered and liquid variants. ANOVA results exhibited variations in compound concentrations among different sample groups. Clustering analyses delineated distinct groups based on carbonyl content, indicating the potential of these compounds as markers for lipid peroxidation and food quality assessment. This method serves as a valuable tool for evaluating infant formula quality, stability towards oxidation, and safety.