Pair Group Research Articles

Augmented reality and teaching strategies in the study of volcanism in elementary and secondary schools

This study investigated the impact of two teaching strategies, conventional and drawing principle, associated with the use of Augmented Reality (AR), on the school performance of pupils in the 7th-year of primary school and the 10th-year of secondary school on volcanism learning. Compared to previous research, the novelty of this study lies in the comparative analysis of these two teaching strategies and their association with AR applications. Four classes from the 7th-year and two from the 10th-year were studied, following a quasi-experimental design, with two control classes and two experimental classes in the 7th-year, and one control class and one experimental class in the 10th-year. The Classical Theory of Tests was applied to analyse the evidence of knowledge evaluation on volcanism, used in all groups in post-test and follow-up. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including Student’s t-test, were conducted for paired and unpaired groups after determining the normality and homogeneity of variance of the samples. In the 7th-year, students who used the drawing principle as a learning strategy performed better compared to those who used conventional teaching. When the drawing principle was associated with the use of AR, students achieved better results in the follow-up test. In 10th-year students, the results consistently showed better performance when the conventional teaching strategy was associated with the use of AR.

Genetic Diversity and Association Analysis of Traits Related to Water-Use Efficiency and Nitrogen-Use Efficiency of Populus deltoides Based on SSR Markers

Populus deltoides is one of the primary tree species for bioenergy production in temperate regions. In arid/semi-arid northern China, the scarcity of water and nitrogen significantly limits the productivity of poplar plantations. The identification of relevant molecular markers can promote the breeding of resource-efficient varieties. In this study, 188 genotypes of P. deltoides from six provenances served as experimental material. Genetic differentiation analysis, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering, and genetic structure analysis were performed using selected simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Based on these analyses, the association analysis of water-use efficiency (WUE) and nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) were conducted using general linear model (GLM) and mixed linear model (MLM) approaches. The results showed that 15 pairs of SSR primers successfully amplified across all 188 individuals, with an average of 7.33 alleles (Na) observed per primer pair. The polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.060 to 0.897, with an average of 0.544, indicating high genetic diversity in the selected markers. The average inbreeding coefficient intra-population (Fis), inbreeding coefficient inter-population (Fit), and inter-population genetic fraction coefficient (Fst) values were 0.005, 0.135, and 0.132, respectively, indicating high heterozygosity, substantial inbreeding within populations, and moderate genetic differentiation, with an average gene flow (Nm) of 1.964, suggesting substantial gene flow between populations. Additionally, molecular variance was primarily within individuals (84.12%). Genetic structure analysis revealed four subgroups, with some degree of genetic admixture among the provenances. In the GLM model, 11 markers were significantly associated with five traits (p < 0.05), with an average contribution rate of 15.82%. Notably, SSR132 and SSR143 were significantly associated with multiple traits (p < 0.05). The MLM model identified two markers (SSR47 and SSR85) significantly associated with ground diameter (p < 0.05) and one marker (SSR80) significantly associated with NUE (p < 0.05). This study identifies loci associated with WUE and NUE, laying a foundation for future genetic improvement and marker-assisted breeding strategies in poplar.

The effect of erector spinae plane block on postoperative pain and quality of recovery in patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) is the preferred surgical procedure for treating renal stones larger than 2 cm. Patients may experience significant pain in the postoperative period due to factors such as the catheter entry site and tension in the renal capsule. Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) block provides perioperative muscle relaxation and reduces analgesic use. In this study, we investigated the effect of ESP block on postoperative pain scale and quality of recovery in patients undergoing PNL. The study was conducted with a total of 96 patients, with 45 patients receiving the ESP block and 51 patients not receiving the ESP block. Following the surgery, the visual pain scale (VAS) was completed at 0, 2, 6, 12, and 24 h, and the Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) scale along with the willingness scale were completed at the 24-hour mark. The normal distribution of data was evaluated with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, histogram, and skewness-kurtosis coefficients. For comparing paired groups, the Student’s T-test was used for normally distributed variables, while the Mann-Whitney U test was used for parameters that did not have a normal distribution. The comparison of postoperative pain, as measured by VAS scores between the groups, revealed statistically significantly lower scores in the ESP block group at 0, 2, 6, 12, and 24 h (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.008, p = 0.010, respectively). Our study results indicated that patients who received the ESP block experienced reduced pain levels and had higher QoR-15 scores compared to those who did not receive the ESP block.

Diversity of Improved Diploids and Commercial Triploids from Musa spp. via Molecular Markers

Banana breeding consists of obtaining diploid, triploid, and tetraploid intra- and interspecific hybrids by conventional breeding methods with the objective of aggregating characteristics of agronomic and commercial interest. Given the narrow genetic base of bananas, Embrapa’s Banana Genetic Breeding Program (BGBP) aims at crosses between improved diploids (ID) (ID × ID) and between improved diploids (ID) and commercial triploids (ID × CTP) and tetraploids (ID × CTT), in order to increase the genetic base and variability in bananas regarding agronomic traits of interest and resistance to main biotic and abiotic factors. These improved diploids are resistant to main fungal diseases such as yellow (YSD) and black Sigatoka (BSD) disease and Fusarium wilt (race 1 and subtropical race 4), the latter being one of the most devastating diseases in bananas. The genetic diversity between 22 improved diploids and seven commercial banana triploids was analyzed using DNA molecular markers. Five IRAP (Inter-Retrotransposon Amplified Polymorphism, 7 ISSR (Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats) and 12 SSR (Simple Sequence Repeat) markers were used. The genetic dissimilarity matrix was based on the Jaccard dissimilarity index; clusters were separated using the UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method With Arithmetic Mean) method and cophenetic correlation of 0.8755. This study of the genetic diversity between improved diploids and commercial triploids, based on the genetic dissimilarity matrix, revealed that the most dissimilar diploids were DM23 and DM15 (74%) and DM16 and DM15 (74%). The smallest genetic distances between the improved diploids and commercial triploids were between TCGN25 and DM17 (50%) and TCN26 and DM17 (50%). The genetic distance matrix also revealed important genotypes to be used in crosses in order to maintain good characteristics in commercial triploids when crossed with improved diploids. The results of our study provide better breeding strategies for one of the largest banana-breeding programs worldwide focused on the development of banana varieties resistant to main biotic and abiotic factors.

Rugose Coral Biogeography of the Western Palaeotethys During the Mississippian

The Mississippian was an epoch of strong earth system changes, both tectonic and climatic. During the Mississippian, the marine faunas experienced a recovery after the late Devonian mass extinctions, and the rugose corals are a conspicuous example. This study tries to give a general view of the utility of rugose coral to reconstruct the palaeogeography in the Western Palaeotethys during the Mississippian. The methodology includes a database with the genera and species recorded in that area and time period, compiled using more than 700 articles and revisions of several collections in Europe. We worked with the six sub-provinces defined in previous studies for the Western Palaeotethys. A generic-level analysis was performed using paired group hierarchical clustering, building clusters for the Tournaisian, early Visean, late Visean and Serpukhovian. With that information, palaeomaps for those intervals have been illustrated and discussed. The rugose corals have some deficits for the reconstruction of the biogeography because of their strong palaeoecologic control and their insufficient and unequal record, but they provide important information that improves the knowledge on the palaeogeography of the studied region.

Running-based food aversion learning in freely-fed and hydrated rats: Daily monitoring of running-induced nausea by measuring kaolin clay ingestion

The main objective of this research was to demonstrate food aversion learning in rats with unrestricted access to food and water, using wheel running as the unconditioned stimulus. Experiment 1 showed that the target-running paired training group consumed a statistically smaller amount of the target food (tteok rice cakes) compared to the target/running unpaired control group, but the decrease in consumption over days in the paired group was not fully supported by a statistical test. Experiment 2a improved the methodology by familiarizing rats with tteok before training, which resulted in both a statistically significant group effect and a statistically significant daily decrease in tteok consumption. Experiment 2b demonstrated that tteok aversion could be reacquired after an extinction phase. These experiments indicate that running-based tteok aversion in non-deprived rats is a valid example of Pavlovian conditioning and suggest that wheel running can cause similar effects in unrestricted rats as observed in food- or water-restricted rats. Additionally, daily measurements of kaolin clay ingestion suggested that wheel running induced nausea in the rats of these experiments.

A short-list of pairing-friendly curves resistant to the Special TNFS algorithm at the 192-bit security level

For more than two decades, pairings have been a fundamental tool for designing elegant cryptosystems, varying from digital signature schemes to more complex privacy-preserving constructions. However, the advancement of quantum computing threatens to undermine public-key cryptography. Concretely, it is widely accepted that a future large-scale quantum computer would be capable to break any public-key cryptosystem used today, rendering today's public-key cryptography obsolete and mandating the transition to quantum-safe cryptographic solutions. This necessity is enforced by numerous recognized government bodies around the world, including NIST which initiated the first open competition in standardizing post-quantum (PQ) cryptographic schemes, focusing primarily on digital signatures and key encapsulation/public-key encryption schemes. Despite the current efforts in standardizing PQ primitives, the landscape of complex, privacy-preserving cryptographic protocols, e.g., zkSNARKs/zkSTARKs, is at an early stage. Existing solutions suffer from various disadvantages in terms of efficiency and compactness and in addition, they need to undergo the required scrutiny to gain the necessary trust in the academic and industrial domains. Therefore, it is believed that the migration to purely quantum-safe cryptography would require an intermediate step where current classically secure protocols and quantum-safe solutions will co-exist. This is enforced by the report of the Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite version 2.0, mandating transition to quantum-safe cryptographic algorithms by 2033 and suggesting to incorporate ECC at 192-bit security in the meantime. To this end, the present paper aims at providing a comprehensive study on pairings at 192-bit security level. We start with an exhaustive review in the literature to search for all possible recommendations of such pairing constructions, from which we extract the most promising candidates in terms of efficiency and security, with respect to the advanced Special TNFS attacks. Our analysis is focused, not only on the pairing computation itself, but on additional operations that are relevant in pairing-based applications, such as hashing to pairing groups, cofactor clearing and subgroup membership testing. We implement all functionalities of the most promising candidates within the RELIC cryptographic toolkit in order to identify the most efficient pairing implementation at 192-bit security and provide extensive experimental results.

Identification of false smut – resistant donors in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) and analysis of their morpho-molecular diversity for resistance breeding

False smut disease of rice caused by the pathogen Ustilaginoidea virens is a growing threat to the rice farmers as it affects both quality and quantity. Development of resistant variety becomes difficult, since very few resistant donors were available for false smut resistant breeding programme. Therefore, to identify potential donors for resistance breeding a total of 60 genotypes were screened at hotspot location (Gudalur) during kharif 2023 which led to identification of 12 highly resistant genotypes and the notable ones are Koolavalai, Periya chandikar, Kapikar selection and Earapalli. Genetic variability studies indicated the presence of additive gene action for all the agronomic and disease related traits. Principal component analysis revealed the first 5 principal components collectively contributing 78.79 % of the total variance with disease-related traits contributing significantly to divergence. Ten clusters were delineated using Mahalanobis D2 statistics with clusters IX and V showing higher inter cluster distance (3453.64). Forty-one polymorphic markers were used to analyse the genotypes and The Unweighted Pair Group method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) clustering by Jaccard distance formed 6 clusters. The Bayesian clustering classified the entire population into 2 subpopulations. False smut linked marker RM336 and RM218 were found to be the most informative marker with high Polymorphism Information Content (0.71, 0.69) and Heterozygosity Index (0.76, 0.73). The resistant genotypes such as IG71, Thulasi vasanai sambha, Arupatham vellai, Kaltikar and Chinna aduku nel can be used in the future breeding programmes to develop the resistant cultivar and to identify the candidate genes governing resistance.

THE EFFECT OF SELF-ACUPRESSURE ON REDUCING BLOOD PRESSURE, HEADACHE AND SLEEP QUALITY DISORDERS IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS

Hypertension is still a major health problem in Indonesia. Various efforts to overcome the problem of hypertension have been made, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. A therapy based on the patient's habits or culture will certainly be easier to implement and obey by. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the effect of self-acupressure on blood pressure, headache, and sleep quality of hypertensive patients. The research method used is a quasi-experiment, single-group pre-post-test design. The sample in this study were hypertensive patients who fit the inclusion and exclusion criteria at Wonokerto Health Centre, Pekalongan Regency. The data analysis used was univariate and bivariate analysis. Bivariate analysis used paired group t-test technique. The results showed that there was an effect of self-acupressure in reducing systolic blood pressure (p-value: 0.004), headache pain scale (p-value: 0.001), and decreased sleep quality disorder score (p value: 0.000). Massaging at acupressure points has the effect of improving blood flow, stimulating endorphin hormones and providing a relaxing effect so that it can reduce blood pressure, headache pain scale and sleep quality disturbance scores. Recommendations for future research are to add a control group and/or compare it with other independent complementary therapy techniques.

Ultrasound normalized local variance to assess metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease

PurposeIncreased prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) highlights a desire for screening with liver ultrasound normalized local variance (NLV). We aimed to assess variations in NLV values measured at different sampling depths and discuss common technical considerations in measuring liver NLV. MethodsWe retrospectively measured liver NLVs at variable depths on ultrasound images pre-recorded in 116 participants who underwent liver magnetic resonance imaging-proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) and ultrasound to screen for MASLD. Liver NLVs were measured and differences at variable depths were tested using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple paired comparisons using post hoc Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD), Scheffé, Bonferroni, and Holm multiple comparisons. Diagnostic performance of NLV values were analyzed by area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) curve. ResultsThe NLV measured at a depth of 10 cm significantly differed from those measured near the liver capsule and at depths of 6 cm and 8 cm (p < 0.001) from the skin. There was no significant difference in NLV value in other paired groups (p > 0.05). The difference in the area under AUROCs for NLVs measured at variable depths was not significant (p > 0.05). ConclusionsThe best diagnostic performance of liver NLV was measured at depth of 8 cm from the skin, although NLV measured at variable depth showed similar diagnostic performance for assessing ≥ mild hepatic steatosis. The study results provide a reference that can be used in the development of standardized scanning protocols and technical considerations in measuring liver NLV.

Whole genome sequence and comparative genomic analysis of novel Rickettsia koreansis strain CNH17-7 isolated from human.

To determine the genomic feature of novel spotted fever-causing Rickettsia koreansis strain CNH17-7, which is different from R. japonica that is a causative agent for Japanese spotted fever (JSF), and to perform its comparative genomic analysis. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on R. koreansis strain CNH17-7 by using the Illumina Miseq system. After WGS, assembly and annotation were done by SPAdes. Then, its genomic features were compared with 19 different Rickettsia species. Based on the average nucleotide identity (ANI) value, an unweighted pair group method with an arithmetic mean (UPGMA) dendrogram was generated. Following the dendrogram analysis, pan-and core-genome analysis was performed. Then additional comparative analyses with two genetically closest Rickettsia species were conducted based on gene repertoire. R. koreansis strain CNH17-7 has a chromosome consisting of 1,392,633bp with GC content of 32.4%. The ANI-derived UPGMA showed that R. koreansis strain CNH17-7 is genetically close to R. japonica YH and R. heilongjiangensis 054 but is distinctively differentiated. The ANI value of R. koreansis strain CNH17-7 to R. japonica YH and R. heilongjiangensis 054 are 98.14% and 98.04% respectively, indicating R. koreansis strain CNH17-7 is sufficient to be classified as a new species. Other than ANI, R. koreansis strain CNH17-7 also contains novel CDS and its COG functional category proportion which is distinct compared to R. japonica YH and R. heilongjiangensis 054. We have revealed genomic features of the novel R. koreansis strain CNH17-7. Hence, we propose R. koreansis strain CNH17-7 as new Rickettsia species.

A 3-D Near-Field Source Localization Approach Based on the Combination of a Phase Interferometer, the Centroid Algorithm and the Perpendicular Foot Algorithm.

In this study, several 3-dimensional (3-D) parameter estimation and localization algorithms for wireless near-field (NF) sources are proposed employing the uniform circular array (UCA) structure. In the single-base-station case, the algebraic relation is demonstrated between the azimuth angle under the far-field (FF) assumption and the actual NF source firstly. Secondly, two groups of antenna pairs are selected with distances less than half the wavelength, which are called short baselines in the interferometer method. The foregoing short-baseline method is qualified to localize an NF source. In addition, a long-baseline method is also proposed with further research. Two groups of antenna pairs with distances greater than half the wavelength are selected as two long baselines. In the multiple-base-stations case, another two novel algorithms are also proposed. The first one is the centroid algorithm, which is based on the centroid calculation of three estimated source locations. And the second one is the perpendicular foot algorithm, which takes the perpendicular foot within three estimated source locations as the final positioning location. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed algorithms can achieve higher localization accuracy than the conventional 3-D Root MUSIC method. Moreover, the long-baseline method performs better than the short-baseline method. And it is also shown that the proposed perpendicular foot algorithm shows better performance than the proposed centroid algorithm.

Assessment of genetic diversity among Ixora genotypes through morphological and RAPD molecular marker analysis

Ixora a genus in the Rubiaceae family commonly known as jungle geranium, was the focus of the study. However, classifying Ixora species has been challenging due to environmental influences on phenotypic traits. This study explores the genetic diversity and morphological traits of 11 Ixora genotypes from various regions in India using 15 RAPD markers and morphological assessments. A total of 210 bands were generated, Unweighted Pair Group Method for Arithmetic Average (UPGMA) Cluster analysis revealed significant genetic relationships among the genotypes. Notably, Genotypes 9, 10 and 11 shared similar banding patterns with marker OPF 02, while Genotypes 4 and 7, despite differing growth habits, showed close genetic ties and shared RAPD markers OPA03 and OPE04. A unique marker (OPA03 - 340 bp) was identified exclusively in Genotype 4. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that 2 principal components explained 77.074 % of the total variance, highlighting plant height and leaf number as significant traits. Heat map clustering further illustrated phenotypic variability, grouping genotypes based on morphological similarities. This study demonstrates the utility of RAPD markers in distinguishing Ixora genotypes and provides valuable insights into morphological traits, guiding future breeding programs and genetic research.

Development of microsatellite markers and evaluation of the genetic diversity of the edible sea anemone Paracondylactissinensis (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) in China.

Paracondylactissinensis Carlgren, 1934 is a sea anemone with economic value in China. The wild population of P.sinensis has been shrinking due to overfishing and environmental pollution, which have caused price instability. In winter, the price of P.sinensis can reach 25 USD per kilogram. Up to now, there are no genetic markers developed for P.sinensis, preventing a further exploration of their population genetic diversity. In this study, the full-length transcriptome of P.sinensis was sequenced and microsatellite DNA markers (simple sequence repeats [SSRs]) were developed from those transcripts. A total of 52 primer pairs, which can amplify specific polymorphic bands in PCR experiments, were designed for the SSR markers. Genetic diversity and population genetics were analysed for P.sinensis populations collected from the coasts of Taizhou and Rizhao using six microsatellite DNA loci. While inbreeding was detected in both populations (Fis > 0), the overall number of alleles (Na = 11.3) and bottleneck analysis suggested that the genetic diversity of P.sinensis has not been greatly impacted. Clustering analyses using STRUCTURE, principal coordinate analysis and unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean tree revealed that the Taizhou population diverged from the Rizhao population; however, the genetic differentiation between the populations was moderate. Human-mediated commercial activities may be the principal reasons for the gene flow between the populations. Our study provides the first evaluation of the genetic resources of wild P.sinensis populations in China, which can serve as a useful reference for future comparative studies on population genetics and may guide policy-makers in initiating strategies for germplasm conservation and artificial breeding.

The Influence of X-ray Radiation on the Morphological, Biochemical, and Molecular Changes in Copiapoa tenuissima Seedlings

Cactaceae are a significant group of ornamental plants in the horticultural market. In the present study, X-rays were used for the first time to induce mutational changes in the cactus Copiapoa tenuissima. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic variability in seedlings exposed to in vitro X-ray irradiation at doses of 0, 15, 20, 25, and 50 Gy (radiation time from 5 min 13 s to 17 min 22 s) by morphological analysis, a spectrophotometric evaluation of plant pigment content, and the confirmation of changes at the genetic level using SCoT (start codon targeted) markers. The results showed that the percentage of colorful seedlings increased with the radiation dose and was the highest for the 50 Gy dose (4.89%). The radiation doses of 25 and 50 Gy generated seedlings with a new color (orange-brown), which had not yet been observed in C. tenuissima. With the increase in the radiation dose, as compared to control seedlings, brown seedlings showed an increase in the concentrations of carotenoids, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b, while green seedlings showed an increase in the concentrations of anthocyanins and chlorophyll b and a decrease in the concentrations of carotenoids and chlorophyll a. The unweighted pair group method analysis showed a very large genetic distance among the tested genotypes exposed to X-rays. The results of the present study provide a novel direction for using X-rays to breed new cultivars of C. tenuissima.

Contributions of associative and non-associative learning to the dynamics of defensive ethograms.

Defensive behavior changes based on threat intensity, proximity, and context of exposure, and learning about danger-predicting stimuli is critical for survival. However, most Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigms focus only on freezing behavior, obscuring the contributions of associative and non-associative mechanisms to dynamic defensive responses. To thoroughly investigate defensive ethograms, we subjected male and female adult C57BL/6J mice to a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm that paired footshock with a serial compound stimulus (SCS) consisting of distinct tone and white noise (WN) stimulus periods. To investigate how associative and non-associative mechanisms affect defensive responses, we compared this paired SCS-footshock group with four control groups that were conditioned with either pseudorandom unpaired presentations of SCS and footshock, shock only, or reversed SCS presentations with inverted tone--WN order, with paired or unpaired presentations. On day 2 of conditioning, the paired group exhibited robust freezing during the tone period with switching to explosive jumping and darting behaviors during the WN period. Comparatively, the unpaired and both reverse SCS groups expressed less tone-induced freezing and rarely showed jumping or darting during WN. Following the second day of conditioning, we observed how defensive behavior changed over two extinction sessions. During extinction, the tone-induced freezing decreased in the paired group and mice rapidly shifted from escape jumping during WN to a combination of freezing and darting. The unpaired, unpaired reverse, and shock-only groups displayed defensive tail rattling and darting during the SCS, with minimal freezing and jumping. Interestingly, the paired reverse group did not jump to WN, and tone-evoked freezing was resistant to extinction. These findings demonstrate that non-associative factors promote some defensive responsiveness, but associative factors are required for robust cue-induced freezing and high-intensity flight expression.

The Effect of Glutathione on Development and Prognosis in Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Background: Glutathione, along with its related enzymes, constitutes a key antioxidant defense mechanism against oxidative stress and cancer formation in the body. Among urological malignancies, bladder cancer ranks second following prostate cancer. Oxidative stress has significant involvement in the development and prognosis of bladder cancer. This investigation aimed to examine the impact of glutathione on prognosis in patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Methods: This study included 98 patients with high grade non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer who had undergone intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy and 30 healthy controls with no history of uroepithelial carcinoma of the bladder. The patients with bladder cancer were evaluated in three subgroups. Group 1 consisted of 41 patients who did not experience recurrence during follow-up, Group 2 included 28 patients who had recurrent tumors, and Group 3 consisted of 29 patients who progressed to muscle-invasive stages. Blood samples were collected from all participants. Blood levels of reduced, oxidized, and total glutathione were measured spectrophotometrically. Results: Reduced glutathione levels significantly differed among the groups (p < 0.001), attributed to the control group exhibiting higher reduced glutathione levels compared with Groups 1, 2, and 3 (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in reduced glutathione levels between Groups 1 and 2, Groups 1 and 3, or Groups 2 and 3 (p > 0.05). Total glutathione levels varied significantly among the groups (p < 0.001), with the control group having higher levels than Groups 1, 2, and 3 (p < 0.001). No significant differences were detected between any of the paired patient groups in terms of total glutathione levels (p > 0.05). Regarding oxidized glutathione levels, the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001), with the control group showing lower levels than the remaining three groups (p < 0.001). Paired comparisons revealed no significant differences in oxidized glutathione levels (p > 0.05). Conclusions: This study revealed that glutathione had an effect on the emergence of bladder cancer but did not affect its prognosis. Nevertheless, we recommend that future studies with larger bladder cancer patient cohorts should be conducted to comprehensively determine the impact of glutathione on the prognosis of this cancer.

Ethograms reveal a fear conditioned visual cue to organize diverse behaviors.

Recognizing and responding to threat cues is essential to survival. In rats, freezing is the most common behavior measured. Previously we demonstrated a threat cue can organize diverse behaviors (Chu et al., 2024). However, the experimental design of Chu et al. (2024) was complex and the findings descriptive. Here, we gave female and male Long Evans rats simple paired or unpaired presentations of a light and foot shock (8 total) in a conditioned suppression setting, using a range of shock intensities (0.15, 0.25, 0.35 or 0.5 mA). We found that conditioned suppression was only observed at higher foot shock intensities (0.35 mA and 0.5 mA). We constructed comprehensive, temporal ethograms by scoring 22,272 frames of behavior for 12 mutually exclusive behavior categories in 200 ms intervals around cue presentation. A 0.5 mA and 0.35 mA shock-paired visual cue suppressed reward seeking, rearing and scaling, as well as light-directed rearing and light-directed scaling. The shock-paired visual paired cue further elicited locomotion and freezing. Linear discriminant analyses showed that ethogram data could accurately classify rats into paired and unpaired groups. Considering the complete ethogram data produced superior classification than considering subsets of behaviors. The results demonstrate diverse threat-elicited behaviors - in a simple Pavlovian fear conditioning design - containing sufficient information to distinguish the fear learning status of individual rats.

Range maps and waterbody occupancy data for 1158 freshwater macroinvertebrate genera in the contiguous USA

Range maps are used to estimate the geographic extent of taxa, providing valuable information for biodiversity and conservation research and management. Freshwater macroinvertebrates are not well-represented in the range map literature relative to freshwater vertebrates. To address this knowledge gap, we provide range maps for 1158 freshwater macroinvertebrate genera based on two decades of publicly available occurrence data from the USEPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, which included 11,628 sites and 6,906,990 organisms across the contiguous USA. Maps were created by applying unweighted and weighted pair group method with arithmetic mean clustering and single-linkage clustering algorithms to the occurrence data and creating three layers of polygons from the minimum convex hulls of clusters. A total of 25 freshwater macroinvertebrate classes are represented in the range map dataset. Most mapped genera were insects (394/1158), followed by malacostracans (242/1158), polychaetes (182/1158), and bivalves (121/1158). Additionally, we provide waterbody type percent occupancy data for all genera, detailing how genera are partitioned between boatable streams, wadeable streams, inland lakes, Laurentian Great Lakes, and coastal estuaries.

GENETIC DIVERSITY OF Moringa oleifera Lam. IN SOUTHEASTERN MEXICO

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a plant with nutritional and nutraceutical properties. It was introduced from India to Mexico, and some of its ecotypes are cultivated for industrial use. These ecotypes show morphological variations, indicating genetic variation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate eight simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci to assess the genetic diversity of 10 cultivated M. oleifera populations collected from the southeast of Mexico. All markers generated a total of 127 alleles, with 15.8 alleles per locus. The polymorphic information content of markers was 0.869, with an average heterozygosity of 0.194. At the population level, the Nei´s gene diversity was found to be 0.66, with 4.9 different alleles per locus and 5.2 genotypes on average per accession. The distribution of genetic variation was 20 % among populations, 58 % between individuals, and 22 % within individuals. The principal coordinate analysis (PcoA) plot and unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) linkage revealed three groups, corresponding to the three original genetic populations identified through structure analysis (Delta K = 3). Results showed significant differences in genetic diversity in M. oleifera populations stablished in Southeastern Mexico, which can be leveraged to increase the use of this germplasm.