Intermediate Stage Research Articles

Campylobacter assessment along the Spanish food chain: Identification of key points.

Campylobacteriosis, caused by Campylobacter spp., is one of the most important foodborne zoonotic diseases in the world and a common cause of gastroenteritis. In the European Union, campylobacteriosis is considered the most common zoonotic disease, with over 10,000 cases in 2020 alone. This high occurrence highlights the need of more efficient surveillance methods and identification of key points. Herein, we evaluated and identified key points of Campylobacter spp. occurrence along the Spanish food chain during 2015-2020, based on the following variables: product, stage and region. We analysed a dataset provided by the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition using a machine learning algorithm (random forests). Campylobacter presence was influenced by the three selected explanatory variables, especially by product, followed by region and stage. Among the studied products, meat, especially poultry and sheep, presented the highest probability of occurrence of Campylobacter, where the bacterium was present in the initial, intermediate and final stages (e.g., wholesale, retail) of the food chain. The presence in final stages may represent direct consumer exposure to the bacteria. By using the random forest method, this study contributes to the identification of Campylobacter key points and the evaluation of control efforts in the Spanish food chain.

Dynamics of rheological and biochemical blood parameters of patients with an intermediate stage of the dry form of age-related macular degeneration before and after serum cascade filtration

BACKGROUND: One of the socially significant ophthalmic diseases is the dry form of the age-related macular degeneration, the key feature of which consists in a slowly progressing damage to the pigment epithelium and the formation of drusen. However, the basic mechanisms of pathogenesis are still not completely clear nowadays. AIM: The aim is, using the data of OCT, OCT-angiography and visometry, to study the dynamics of structural and functional parameters of the macular area, as well as the dynamics of rheological and biochemical blood parameters in patients with an intermediate stage of the dry form of age-related macular degeneration before and after the use of serum cascade filtration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 63 patients (94 eyes) with an intermediate stage of the dry form of age-related macular degeneration. Patients were randomly separated into two groups. The first (main) group consisted of 34 patients (52 eyes), in whom serum cascade filtration was performed; the second group (control) group included 29 patients (42 eyes) who did not receive any specific treatment. In patients of the main group, before and after the serum cascade filtration course (1 month after the start of follow-up), in 6 and 12 months, in addition to standard ophthalmological examination, as an indicator of the efficacy of performed serum cascade filtration, the ultrasound triplex scanning in color Doppler mapping mode with an assessment of blood flow velocity in the posterior short ciliary arteries, Fourier IR spectroscopy, and the testing of the serum and blood viscosity were performed. Patients in the control group also underwent a similar examination at 1, 6, 12 months after the start of follow-up. RESULTS: According to optical coherence tomography, optical coherence tomography-angiography and visometry data, we found a positive dynamics of structural and functional parameters of the macular retina and an improvement in blood rheological parameters with an increase in microcirculation indices against the background of the serum cascade filtration use in treatment of patients with an intermediate stage of the dry form of age-related macular degeneration. At the same time, a statistically significant difference between the two groups begins at 1 month and persists for 12 months of follow-up, being an evidence of the stabilization of the pathological process. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that after the serum cascade filtration in patients with an intermediate stage of the dry form of age-related macular degeneration, against the background of an improvement in blood rheological and biochemical parameters, there was an improvement in structural and functional parameters of the macular area, which consisted in a decrease of the volume of the drusenoid retinal pigment epithelium detachment and in a visual acuity amelioration.

The relationship between uric acid and bone mineral density in the intermediate stage of CKD 1–3

BackgroundSome studies have suggested that uric acid has antioxidant properties that can prevent bone loss, but the relationship between uric acid and bone mineral density is controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between UA and BMD in patients with CKD stage 1–3.MethodsWe extracted 13,047 participants from the NHANES database, including 7342 male subjects and 5705 female subjects. Weighted multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate the correlation between UA and BMD in patients with CKD stages 1–3.ResultsIn patients with CKD stage 1–3, UA was significantly correlated with BMD. In the male group, UA was positively associated with BMD (β, 7.94 [95%CI, 4.95, 10.94]). In the female group, there was a negative relationship between them (β, -5.33 [95%CI, -8.77, -1.89]). The relationship between UA and BMD in male group showed an inverted U-shaped curve, and UA was positively correlated before 6.1 mg/dl and negatively correlated after 6.1 mg/dl. The relationship was basically negative in the female group.ConclusionsFor the patients with CKD stage 1–3, the relationship between UA and BMD showed an inverted U-shaped curve in the males, while the relationship was largely negative in the females.

Primordial Black Holes from Null Energy Condition Violation during Inflation.

Primordial black holes (PBHs) and the violation of the null energy condition (NEC) have significant implications for our understanding of the very early Universe. We present a novel approach to generate PBHs via the NEC violation in a single-field inflationary scenario. In our scenario, the Universe transitions from a first slow-roll inflation stage with a Hubble parameter H=H_{inf1} to a second slow-roll inflation stage with H=H_{inf2}≫H_{inf1}, passing through an intermediate stage of NEC violation. The NEC violation naturally enhances the primordial scalar power spectrum at a certain wavelength, leading to the production of PBHs with masses and abundances of observational interest. We also investigate the phenomenological signatures of scalar-induced gravitational waves resulting from the enhanced density perturbations. Our work highlights the potential of utilizing a combination of PBHs, scalar-induced gravitational waves, and primordial gravitational waves as a valuable probe for studying NEC violation during inflation, opening up new avenues for exploring the early Universe.

Effect of strain path and short-term post-annealing on the microstructure, texture, and mechanical anisotropy of low-carbon steel

In this research, the effect of strain path and short-term post-annealing on the microstructure, texture, and mechanical anisotropy of low-carbon steel was investigated. Asymmetric unidirectional rolling (AUR) and asymmetric cross rolling (ACR) were applied on Fe-0.072C steel. The ACR-processed sheet revealed a very limited number of new grains compared to the AUR-processed sheet, which was due to the dynamic recovery induced by strain path change. The average ferrite grain size of the post-annealed AUR- and ACR-processed samples was 11.5 and 14.1 μm, respectively. The dominant recrystallization in the annealed AUR-processed sheet was discontinuous static recrystallization, while that in the annealed ACR-processed sheet was continuous static recrystallization. The weak typical rolling textures (γ-fiber and α-fiber) at the midthickness of both rolled sheets demonstrated that the shear deformation effectively contributed to the formation of the shear textures during asymmetric cold rolling. The ACR decreased the intensity of the overall texture more than the AUR process due to the changes in the reference frame of deformation after each pass, which destabilized ideal texture components. The results showed that Goss and {111}〈112〉 components were continuous and discontinuous static recrystallization textures in the asymmetrically cold-rolled low-carbon steel sheet during the annealing treatment, respectively. The annealed AUR-processed sheet revealed a weaker texture as compared to the annealed ACR-processed sheet. The significant changes in the preferred orientations of the annealed AUR-processed sample led to weaker texture intensity compared to the annealed ACR-processed sheet. The hardness of the annealed AUR-processed sheet (183.8 HV) was higher than that of the annealed ACR-processed steel (156.9 HV), which was owing to the larger grain size and also the elimination of the γ-fiber texture in the annealed ACR-processed sheet. The strength along the rolling direction was lower than that along the transverse direction in the AUR-processed sheet. However, in the ACR-processed sheet, the values of strength were similar along three different tensile directions. As an important conclusion, if both high-strength and low-anisotropy are needed in the low-carbon steel sheets, it's better to apply ACR rather than AUR. In addition, if both high toughness and low anisotropy are essential, it's better to use AUR followed by post-annealing rather than ACR + post-annealing. The length of the intermediate stage of work hardening in the annealed ACR-processed sample was much less than the annealed AUR-processed sheet due to the presence of harder orientations (〈111〉 and 〈110〉) along rolling and transverse directions in the annealed ACR-processed sample. Finally, the fracture behavior of deformed and post-annealed steel sheets for both strain paths was ductile and shear ductile.

العلاقة بين نتيجة المتعلمين في مادة الصرف وقدرتهم في الإملاء في الصف الأول والثاني للمرحلة المتوسطة بمعهد دار الإخلاص منديلنج ناتل.

This research aims to know the picture of learners’ results in morphology and ability in dictation and the relationship between them among first-year students in the intermediate stage at Dar Al-Ikhlas Institute, Mandaling, Natl. The researcher used the quantitative method in the relational type with the statistical data analysis method using the relationship symbol (Product Moment). The result of the research indicates that the result of the learners in the morphology subject among the first-year students in the intermediate stage at the Dar Al-Ikhlas Institute, Mandaling Natal, is in the good category with a rate of 43, meaning 130 students, and their ability in dictation is in the good category, with a rate of 50%, meaning 15 students, and a relationship between the morphology result. The ability to boil dictation material has a correlation coefficient value of 797.0 at 69%, and the relationship is moderate with a positive direction.

Quantitative and Qualitative Production of Species Cucumis metuliferus and the Potential for Adaptation in the Context of Current Climate Change.

Cucumis metuliferus E. Meyer ex Naudin belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. It is an annual vegetable species known as horned melon or kiwano. Fruits are recommended for the daily diet because they provide vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals to alleviate malnutrition and improve human health. In this study, kiwano was cultivated in the climatic conditions of Southwestern Romania, which is characterized by warm summers, lower precipitation, and high temperatures, ensuring optimal conditions for growth and development. The fruits were harvested at three stages of consumption: immature stage (green), intermediate stage (white-yellow) or the mature stage (yellow-orange). They were also subjected to analysis on the productive yield and physical-chemical properties. The results showed that the number of fruits ranged from 13.9 to 15.3 fruits/plant, and their average weight had values from 204 g to 234 g, depending on the harvest stage. The results obtained for bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity indicated significant differences (p ≤ 0.05), depending on the harvesting stage. The highest values for the antioxidant capacity (140.90 μM TE/100g DPPH) and total polyphenols (48.78 TPC mg/100 g) were recorded in the immature fruit phase, as well as for the carbohydrate content (3.56%), total protein (1.98%), ascorbic acid (4.3 mg/100 g f.w.), and carotene (0.98 mg/100 g) in the mature fruit phase. These results may stimulate interest in the introduction of this species as a niche crop and for consumption as a source of natural antioxidants for the prevention of diseases due to oxidative stress.

New insights on microstructural parameters controlling mechanical properties of rolled molybdenum

The aim of this paper is to understand microstructural evolution and their key effects on mechanical properties of rolled molybdenum (Mo) from as-received sintered sheet. A batch of pure Mo sheets with various thickness reductions have been characterized in detail. The results reveal that the microstructure evolves by three stages including grain refinement, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and grain elongation. For the rolled Mo, the fractions of low angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) are much higher than that of as-sintered Mo but do not increase monotonically with increasing thickness reductions. The occurrence of DRX results in the decrease of LAGBs at the intermediate stage while a larger rolling reduction results in grain boundaries bursting with high angle characters at the later stage. All rolled sheets are textured with dominant orientation locating at γ-fiber and θ-fiber line. Room-temperature tensile tests demonstrate that all rolled Mo sheets are much stronger and more ductile (ultimate tensile strength, UTS = ∼650–1000 MPa and total elongation, TE = ∼10–35%) than as-sintered Mo (UTS = ∼400 MPa and TE = 0), but a larger thickness reduction unexpectedly results in the deteriorated ductility which can be attributed to the increased number of HAGBs. The elongated microstructure with refined grains and the high fraction of LAGBs induced by rolling are considered to be the dominant parameters responsible to the improved mechanical properties of Mo. We suggest that rolling parameters should be optimized carefully to avoid the detrimental effect of crack initiation from the increase in high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs).

Microwave ablation followed by cTACE in 5-cm HCC lesions: does a single-session approach affect liver function?

PurposeMicrowave ablation (MWA) and conventional transarterial chemoembolization (cTACE) are locoregional treatments commonly performed in very early, early and intermediate stages of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite combined locoregional approaches have shown encouraging results in obtaining complete tumor necrosis, their application in a single session is poorly described.Our aim was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of single-session MWA and cTACE treatment in 5-cm HCCs and its influence on liver function.Materials and methodsAll 5-cm HCCs treated by MWA and cTACE performed in a single-session in our Interventional Radiology unit between January 2020 and December 2022 were retrospectively recorded and analyzed. Patients with poor or missing pre- and post-treatment imaging were excluded. Technical success, clinical success, and complications rate were examined as primary endpoints. Pre- and post-treatment liver function laboratory parameters were also evaluated.ResultsA total of 15 lesions (mean lesion diameter, 5.0 ± 1.4 cm) in 15 patients (11 men; mean age, 67.1 ± 8.9 years) were retrospectively evaluated. Technical and clinical success were 100% and 73%, respectively. Four (27%) cases of partial response and no cases of progressive or stable disease were recorded. AST and ALT values have found to be significantly higher in post-treatment laboratory tests. No other significant differences between pre- and post-treatment laboratory values were registered. AST and ALT pre- and post-treatment higher differences (ΔAST and ΔALT) were significantly associated with a lower clinical success rate.ConclusionMWA and cTACE single-session approach is safe and effective for 5-cm HCCs, without significant liver function impairment. A post-treatment increase in AST and ALT values may be a predictor for clinical failure.

P-320 Ovarian tissue attached to stripped endometriomas: transforming the collateral damage to a potential source for oocyte preservation?

Abstract Study question To determine (antral) follicle density in the ovarian cortex tissue attached to stripped endometriomas and patient- and surgical characteristics affecting this density. Summary answer Ovarian tissue attached to stripped endometriomas offers a non-invasive source for antral follicles. Research with fresh tissue is necessary to further asses the quality. What is known already Ovarian endometriosis is associated with diminished ovarian reserve due to the disease itself as well as damage caused by excisional surgery, which may result in subfertility. When resecting endometriomas with the stripping technique, in the majority of cases, a thin line of adjacent ovarian cortex is attached to the endometrioma. Data regarding density and maturation of the follicles in this tissue are conflicting in previous publications. This study aims to quantify and characterise follicles and in particular antral follicles in ovarian tissue surrounding resected endometriomas as these may serve as a potential oocyte source for in vitro maturation (IVM). Study design, size, duration A retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Leiden University Medical Centre and the Endometriosis in Balance endometriosis expertise centre in Haaglanden Medical Centre (The Netherlands). Pathology slides of patients (≤50 years) that underwent uni- or bilateral endometrioma resection between 2011 and 2021 were analysed for the presence of follicles. Participants/materials, setting, methods Histological slides of previously removed endometriomas were assessed according to maturation and follicular density. Gougeon’s original follicle classification was modified by adding additional intermediate stages. Immunofluorescent staining of antral follicles in a subset of endometriomas was also performed. Main results and the role of chance In 90 out of 96 included endometriomas (93.7%), ovarian tissue attached to the cyst wall was observed. 1944 follicles at different maturation stages were identified (3 follicles/mm3). Follicle density was negatively associated with age (p < 0.001). Antral follicles (<7mm diameter) were present in the ovarian tissue attached to 35 endometriomas (36.5%) derived from younger patients compared to endometriomas where none were detected (30 versus 35 years, p = 0.003). Antral follicle density was 1 follicles/mm3. Based on immunofluorescence, healthy antral follicles were identified in 2 out of 4 examined endometriomas. Limitations, reasons for caution Tissue analysis was constrained by number of available pathology slides per patient, not fully representing the follicle distribution in the removed ovarian tissue. Immunofluorescence was performed on paraffin embedded tissue derived from a small number of endometriomas. Future research with fresh tissue is necessary to further assess viability. Wider implications of the findings Ovarian tissue attached to stripped endometriomas holds potential as a non-invasive source for antral follicles. In theory, application of IVM could be an interesting alternative fertility preservation option in young patients with endometriomas who undergo cystectomy in order to transform the surgical collateral damage to a potential oocyte source. Trial registration number not applicable

Lenvatinib radiofrequency ablation sequential therapy offers survival benefits for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma at intermediate stage and the liver reserve of Child-Pugh A category: Amulticenter study.

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib radiofrequency ablation (RFA) sequential therapy for certain hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. One hundred and nineteen patients with unresectable HCC in the intermediate stage with Child-Pugh A were retrospectively recruited in a multicenter setting. Those in the lenvatinib RFA sequential therapy group received lenvatinib initially, followed by RFA and the retreatment with lenvatinib. The study compared overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), tumor response, and adverse events (AEs) between patients undergoing sequential therapy and lenvatinib monotherapy. After propensity score matching, 25 patients on sequential therapy and 50 on monotherapy were evaluated. Independent factors influencing OS were identified as sequential therapy, modified albumin-bilirubin (mALBI) grade, and relative dose intensity (%) with hazard ratios (HRs) of 0.381 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.186-0.782), 2.220 (95% CI, 1.410-3.493), and 0.982 (95% CI, 0.966-0.999), respectively. Stratified analysis based on mALBI grades confirmed the independent influence of treatment strategy across all mALBI grades for OS (HR, 0.376; 95% CI, 0.176-0.804). Furthermore, sequential therapy was identified as an independent factor of PFS (HR, 0.382; 95% CI, 0.215-0.678). Sequential therapy significantly outperformed monotherapy on survival benefits (OS: 38.27 vs. 18.96months for sequential therapy and monotherapy, respectively, p=0.004; PFS: 13.80 vs. 5.32months for sequential therapy and monotherapy, respectively, p<0.001). Sequential therapy was significantly associated with complete response by modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (odds ratio, 63.089). Ten of 119 patients experienced grade 3 AEs, with no AE beyond grade 3 observed. Lenvatinib RFA sequential therapy might offer favorable tolerability and potential prognostic improvement compared to lenvatinib monotherapy.

Surface Subsidence Modelling Induced by Formation of Cavities in Underground Coal Gasification

Underground coal gasification (UCG) is an efficient method for the conversion of deep coal resources into energy. The scope of this work is to model the subsidence of four gasification cavities with a size of 30 m × 30 m × 15 m, separated by 15 m wide pillars. Two scenarios of gasification sequence are modelled, one with the gasification of cavities 1 and 2 followed by 3 and 4, and the other one with the sequence of cavities 1 and 3, followed by 2 and 4. The results show that the final surface subsidence after gasification of four cavities is 9.8 mm and the gasification sequence has an impact only on the subsidence at the intermediate stage but has no impact on the final subsidence after all four cavities are formed, when only the elasticity regime is considered. Additionally, the maximum surface subsidence for the studied cavities of different sizes ranges from 0.016 mm to 7.14 mm, and the relationship between the subsidence and the cavity volume is approximately linear. Finally, a prediction model of surface subsidence deformation is built up using the elastic plate theory, and the formula of surface deformation at a random point is given. The maximum difference between measured and calculated deformation is 4.6%, demonstrating that the proposed method can be used to predict the ground subsidence induced by UCG.

Effect of metastable precipitate phase transformation on reheat cracking in SS347H welding

Reheat cracking occurred in the welded heat affected zone (HAZ) of the SS347H tube during high temperature applications of approximately 600 °C. The reheat cracks occur when the inside of the grain is strengthened, causing grain boundary embrittlement. In this study, the intra-granular strengthening phase transformation of the HAZ causing the reheat crack was analyzed using TEM.The hardness of SS 347H HAZ with cracks is measured to be 221HV on average, which is about 25HV higher than 196HV of HAZ without cracks. This intra-granular strengthening is due to the formation of intra-granular precipitate phases. The precipitated phase is ultimately NbC, but undergoes an intermediate phase transformation due to diffusion of Nb and C components. The phase transformation consists of the following steps: “(i) SA (solution annealing), (ii) Zone A, (iii) Zone B, and (iv) NbC precipitation.”This is a process in which Nb/C components diffuse and segregate at the reheating temperature from a solid solution state of Nb/C components, and NbC with a size of several tens of nanometers is precipitated. As metastable phases, Zones A and B exist in the intermediate process of precipitation, which is the strengthening stage where intra-granular hardness is maximized. Zone A and B in the pre-precipitation stage means that a new lattice plane is formed as the segregation of component elements forms coherency with the matrix. The relationship between the base and new lattice planes is confirmed by Double Diffraction in the TEM diffraction diagram.The root cause of reheat cracking in SS 347H HAZ is believed to be the intra-granular strengthening phase caused by zone A and zone B as a metastable phase transformation in an intermediate stage before NbC precipitation. In order to suppress reheat cracking, it is desirable to precipitate stable NbC from the metastable phases of Zones A and Zone B through stabilization heat treatment.

Enhanced curvature perturbation and primordial black hole formation in two-stage inflation with a break

We investigate a model of R2-gravity with a non-minimally coupled scalar field that gives rise to two-stage inflation with a break, that is, with an intermediate stage where inflation momentarily halts. We find that the power spectrum of the primordial curvature perturbation is significantly enhanced at the break scale, which can account for the primordial black hole (PBH) formation, without affecting the CMB constraint on large scales. The behavior of the curvature perturbation is carefully analyzed and we find a few notable new features in the spectrum. In particular, we find that the k3 growth of the spectrum of toward the end of the first stage of inflation. We argue that this is a universal feature common to all two-stage models where the field dominating the second stage is heavy during the first stage. By appropriately tuning the model parameters, we find that our model can realize the scenario of PBHs as the cold dark matter of the Universe. We also find that we can choose the parameters so that the spectrum of the induced gravitational waves from the enhanced curvature perturbation fits the NANOGrav-15yr data of pulsar timing array observation.

CALCULATION OF THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF A HYBRID VACUUM PUMP

Data are presented for calculating the main characteristics of a hybrid turbomolecular vacuum pump operating in the molecular gas flow mode. The pump contains a block of turbomolecular stages, an intermediate stage and a molecular stage with screw channels made on a cylindrical rotor. To determine the probabilities of gas molecules passing through the entire flow part of the pump in the forward and reverse directions, the Monte Carlo method in a three-dimensional formulation was used. The program allows you to evaluate the influence of the dynamic and geometric parameters of the flow path on the main characteristics of the pump in order to optimize them.

Outcomes of transarterial chemoembolization in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: A tertiary center experience.

To assess the overall survival in patients with intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma following transarterial chemoembolization. It is a retrospective descriptive study carried out in the Department of Radiology of Liaquat National Hospital Karachi, Pakistan. Seventy-two patients were enrolled from July 2014 to December 2021 and had chemoembolization therapy. Patients were followed till their demise. Mean and Median survivals were calculated. A total of 72 patients had a median survival of 15 months with 95% confidence interval (11 months was lower bound and 18 months was upper bound), 19 months was the mean survival time with 95% confidence interval (14.7 months was lower limit and 22.6 months the upper limit). The factors which had a significant impact on the median survival time were Child-Pugh classification, average size of tumor and embolization pattern. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) increases the median survival time effectively and safely in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. However complete resolution of disease is not possible with TACE, with most patient eventually succumbing to the disease. The overall survival for TACE in this study correlates well with other studies. Child Pugh Class, tumor size and embolization pattern have significant effect on survival of patients.

Densification mechanism and microstructural evolution of Si3N4 composites with CeO2 as additives during spark plasma sintering

The densification mechanism of CeO2 doped Si3N4 ceramics during spark plasma sintering (SPS) was investigated. The sintering process was observed to undergo significant densification at the intermediate stage of sintering (1435 °C–1816 °C), and the density and grain size of CeO2 doped Si3N4 ceramic were found to be greater than those of pure Si3N4 ceramic under the same sintering conditions. To determine the densification mechanism, a creep model was utilized to determine the densification mechanism which could be interpreted based on the values of the stress exponent (n) and the apparent activation energy (Q d). The results revealed that the Q d of pure Si3N4 (381.15 kJ mol−1) is higher than that of Si3N4-CeO2 powder (265.61 kJ mol−1). Moreover, the stress exponent n of Si3N4-CeO2 powder (1.12–1.33) was higher than that of pure Si3N4 powder (1.00–1.18). This can be attributed to the fact that the addition of CeO2 resulted in the formation of a liquid phase at the grain boundary which leading to a shift in the controlling mechanism from grain boundary diffusion to grain boundary sliding.

Lipids and Fatty Acid Composition Reveal Differences between Durum Wheat Landraces and Modern Cultivars.

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum) landraces, traditional local varieties representing an intermediate stage in domestication, are gaining attention due to their high genetic variability and performance in challenging environments. While major kernel metabolites have been examined, limited research has been conducted on minor bioactive components like lipids, despite their nutritional benefits. To address this, we analyzed twenty-two tetraploid accessions, comprising modern elite cultivars and landraces, to (i) verify if the selection process for yield-related traits carried out during the Green Revolution has influenced lipid amount and composition; (ii) uncover the extent of lipid compositional variability, giving evidence that lipid fingerprinting effectively identifies evolutionary signatures; and (iii) identify genotypes interesting for breeding programs to improve yield and nutrition. Interestingly, total fat did not correlate with kernel weight, indicating lipid composition as a promising trait for selection. Tri- and di-acylglycerol were the major lipid components along with free fatty acids, and their relative content varied significantly among genotypes. In particular, landraces belonging to T. turanicum and carthlicum ecotypes differed significantly in total lipid and fatty acid profiles. Our findings provide evidence that landraces can be a genetically relevant source of lipid variability, with potential to be exploited for improving wheat nutritional quality.

PRO-INFLATIONARY SIGNIFICANCE OF ENERGY COMMODITY AND ELECTRICITY PRICES

Aim: The main aim of this article is to evaluate the influence of electricity prices on the overall economic price level. Methods: The research methodology was carefully designed to encompass various analytical tools, including the graphical representation of data, basic statistical analyses, the computation of the Pearson correlation coefficient with consideration of time lags, and the application of the Granger causality test. Re­sults: The outcomes of the study revealed a significant inefficiency within the market mechanism. Contrary to expectations, the anticipated correlation between electricity prices and inflation (PPI and CPI) indices was found to be statistically insignificant. However, among the examined relationships, a strong and noteworthy connection emerged between coal prices and the PPI inflation index, particularly with a distinct two-month lag in this correlation. Conclusions: Drawing conclusions from the analysis, it became evident that while energy commodity prices, such as coal, do not directly translate into electricity prices and subsequently influ­ence inflation, coal prices do emerge as a significant predictor of inflation. This observation suggests a gap in the intermediate stage of the production cycle, shedding light on a pronounced market inefficiency. The significance of these findings extends beyond the narrow scope of the energy sector. They provide a broader perspective on pricing relationships in the economy, highlighting the limited impact of the market price of electricity on shaping the overall price level. This nuanced understanding constitutes a noteworthy and valuable contribution to the field of economic research, emphasizing the multifaceted dynamics that underlie pricing mechanisms in a complex economic system.

A soap to fight schistosomiasis: a field intervention worth considering?

An experiment was carried out in 1985-87 against schistosomiasis using products neutralizing the intermediate stages of schistosomes. In the laboratory, it had been shown that lauryl betaines, amphoteric substances, used for children's shampoos, quickly immobilized miracidiums and cercariae. Studies in Niger in field conditions with water laden with organic matter gave similar results. This surfactant can be incorporated into ordinary soaps at a dose of 5% without changing their characteristics. Betaine soaps were put on sale in ordinary commercial channels in Niger then in Côte d'Ivoire, in hyperendemic villages for Schistosoma haematobium. Betaines diffused without external intervention into the water used by populations for washing. The soaps were well accepted by these populations. However, after one year, the results in tested villages compared to control ones were unclear on the dynamics of urinary schistosomiasis in terms of prevalence and oviuria. Anti-schistosome treatment seems necessary at the start of the procedure. The use of soap by populations needed to be measured. In conclusion, this promising laboratory action deserves to be evaluated again in the field, in addition to health education and systematic treatment actions.