Maximum Likelihood Bootstrap Research Articles

Leaf Rust Pathogens on Hypericum pseudohenryi: Describing Melampsora danbaensis sp. nov. and M. hyperici-pseudohenryi sp. nov. from China.

Based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence, two novel species of Melampsora were discovered on Hypericum pseudohenryi in China and have been thoroughly characterized. One of these species, designated as M. danbaensis, exhibits distinct features such as aecia of Uredo-type, typically appearing in gregarious or grouped arrangements, and presenting a shallowly pulvinate structure. Aeciospores exhibit tremendous variations in size, ranging in shape from globose to ellipsoidal and bearing pronounced verrucose texture. Telia resemble crusts one-spore deep, covering nearly the entire abaxial leaf surface, with sessile teliospores reaching sizes of up to 65.8 µm, and exhibiting a clavate to cylindrical shape. Another species, designated as M. hyperici-pseudohenryi, is distinguished by Uredo-type uredinia, which are hypophyllous, scattered or grouped, and interspersed with numerous paraphyses. Its urediniospores tend to be globose, ellipsoidal or obovoid, echinulate, and are accompanied by clavate to capitate paraphyses reaching lengths up to 77.6 µm. Phylogenetically, both species form a novel monophyletic clade within the Melampsora genus, with robust support demonstrated by a high Maximum likelihood bootstrap support (MLBS) value of 100% and a Bayesian posterior probability (BPP) of 1. This study enriches our understanding of the diversity and geographical distribution of Melampsora species that infect Hypericum plants in China.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the leopard shark Triakis semifasciata (Triakidae)

ABSTRACT The leopard shark Triakis semifasciata (family Triakidae) is threatened by habitat loss and targeted by recreational and commercial fishermen in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, from Oregon, USA, to the Gulf of California, Mexico. Despite environmental issues, there are few genetic and genomic resources available for this species. This study assembled the complete mitochondrial genome of T. semifasciata from a skin metagenomic sample and described it in detail. The phylogenetic position of T. semifasciata amongst closely related species was also examined using mitochondrial protein-coding genes (PCGs). The mitochondrial genome of T. semifasciata is 16,613 bp in length and consists of 13 PCGs, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. A 30 bp long region was identified as the origin of replication for the light strand (OL) between the trnN and trnC genes, and a 974 bp long putative control region (CR) contains the origin of replication for the heavy strand (OH). The gene order in T. semifasciata is identical to that of cofamilial species. An analysis of Ka/Ks ratios for all PCGs yielded values < 1, indicating that all PCGs experience strong purifying selection. All tRNAs exhibit a canonical ‘cloverleaf’ secondary structure except for tRNA-Ser1 which lacks the stem of the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm and in place possesses a simple loop. A phylomitogenomic maximum likelihood (ML) analysis did not support the monophyly of the family Trakidae and placed T. semifasciata in a sister position to Hemitriakis japanica. However, the aforementioned sister position was poorly supported by ML bootstrap values. This study represents a new genomic resource for this commercially and recreationally important species and confirms that mitochondrial genomes can be assembled from skin metagenomic samples as shown before in an unrelated shark species.

The Influence of Children's Discrimination Experiences on Parents' Mental and Self-Rated Health: Results from the National Health Interview Survey.

This study assessed the associations between children's experiences of discrimination based on race/ethnicity and sexual orientation/gender identity and their parents' anxiety, depressive symptoms, and self-rated health. Our sample included 3910 parents with at least one child between 12 and 17 years of age. Data were pooled from the 2021 and 2022 waves of the National Health Interview Survey. Path analysis with maximum likelihood (ML) estimation and bootstrapping were used to examine the indirect pathways from child-experienced discrimination to parental self-rated health through parental anxiety and depressive symptoms. Child-experienced discrimination based on race/ethnicity was associated with worse parental self-rated health via pathways through higher parental anxiety (p = 0.003) and depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). Child-experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation/gender identity was also associated with worse parental self-rated health via pathways through higher parental anxiety (p = 0.002) and depressive symptoms (p = 0.001). The results show a strong association between children's experiences of discrimination and parental self-rated health through pathways of poor parental mental health. Findings demonstrate the need to reduce discrimination directed at children and to facilitate mental health support for parents of children experiencing discrimination to improve family well-being.

Bias-Correction Methods for the Unit Exponential Distribution and Applications

The bias of the maximum likelihood estimator can cause a considerable estimation error if the sample size is small. To reduce the bias of the maximum likelihood estimator under the small sample situation, the maximum likelihood and parametric bootstrap bias-correction methods are proposed in this study to obtain more reliable maximum likelihood estimators of the unit exponential distribution parameters. The procedure to implement the bias-corrected maximum likelihood estimation method is derived analytically, and the steps to obtain the bias-corrected bootstrap estimators are presented. The simulation results show that the proposed maximum likelihood bootstrap bias-correction method can significantly reduce the bias and mean squared error of the maximum likelihood estimators for most of the parameter combinations in the simulation study. A soil moisture data set and a numerical example are used for illustration.

Complete chloroplast genome of Saxifraga fortunei var. pilosissima (Saxifragaceae) endemic to Ulleung-do island, Korea

The Saxifraga fortunei var. pilosissima Nakai is an endemic species to Ulleung-do island. Here we report the complete chloroplast genome sequence of S. fortunei var. pilosissima, which was 151,186 bp in total length with the large single copy (LSC) region of 83,536 bp, the small single copy (SSC) region of 17,644 bp, and two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,003 bp. The chloroplast genome contained 131 genes, including 86 protein-coding, 37 tRNA, 8 rRNA genes, and GC (guanine-cytosine) content was 37.8%. Additionally, we found that the chloroplast genome of S. fortunei var. pilosissima exhibited intron loss in the rpl2 gene. Within the IR region, six protein-coding genes, seven tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes were duplicated. In the chloroplast genome of S. fortunei var. pilosissima, there are a total of 17 genes containing introns. Among them, 15 genes contain one intron each, while two genes contain two introns. Phylogenetic analysis based on 37 representative chloroplast genomes of the Saxifragaceae suggested that genus Saxifraga is monophyletic and S. fortunei var. pilosissima is placed in sect. Irregulares Haw. and grouped with S. fortunei, S. rufescens, and S. stolonifera with a strong maximum likelihood bootstrap support value.

A maximum likelihood and regenerative bootstrap approach for estimation and forecasting of INAR(p) processes with zero-inflated innovations

In this work, we study a class of p-order non-negative integer-valued autoregressive (INAR(p)) processes, with innovations following zero-inflated (ZI) distributions called ZI-INAR(p) processes. Based on the EM algorithm, we present an estimation procedure of parameters model. We also develop a regenerative bootstrap method to construct confidence intervals for the parameters as well as to estimate the forecasting distributions for future values. We discuss asymptotic properties of the regenerative bootstrap method. The performance of the proposed methods is evaluated considering the analysis of two simulation studies and a real dataset.

On Estimation of Shannon’s Entropy of Maxwell Distribution Based on Progressively First-Failure Censored Data

Shannon’s entropy is a fundamental concept in information theory that quantifies the uncertainty or information in a random variable or data set. This article addresses the estimation of Shannon’s entropy for the Maxwell lifetime model based on progressively first-failure-censored data from both classical and Bayesian points of view. In the classical perspective, the entropy is estimated using maximum likelihood estimation and bootstrap methods. For Bayesian estimation, two approximation techniques, including the Tierney-Kadane (T-K) approximation and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, are used to compute the Bayes estimate of Shannon’s entropy under the linear exponential (LINEX) loss function. We also obtained the highest posterior density (HPD) credible interval of Shannon’s entropy using the MCMC technique. A Monte Carlo simulation study is performed to investigate the performance of the estimation procedures and methodologies studied in this manuscript. A numerical example is used to illustrate the methodologies. This paper aims to provide practical values in applied statistics, especially in the areas of reliability and lifetime data analysis.

Taxonomic study and diversity of Postia s.lat. in Swat, Pakistan: addition of five brown rot Polypores to the country.

Brown rot Polypores are ecologically significant as they play a crucial role in maintaining the carbon cycle and contribute to humus formation in forest ecosystems through their lignocellulose degradation ability. It is important to note that some species can significantly impact timber, potentially causing decay in economically valuable wood. Many Asian countries including Pakistan are still under the exploratory phase and have undocumented species diversity in Polypore fungi. In the current study, collections representing five different species belonging to two families, Postiaceae and Adustoporiaceae, were subjected to detailed morphoanatomical and molecular analyses. A combined matrix of two gene datasets (ITS and nrLSU) was analyzed using three different phylogenetic methods viz. Maximum Parsimony (MP), Maximum Likelihood (ML), and Bayesian inference (BI). Our study presents descriptions of five previously undocumented brown rot Polypore species from the country including Fuscopostia fragilis (Fr.) B.K. Cui, L.L. Shen & Y.C. Dai, Amaropostia stiptica (Pers.) B.K. Cui, L.L. Shen & Y.C. Dai, Cyanosporus piceicola B.K. Cui, L.L. Shen & Y.C. Dai, Spongiporus balsameus (Peck) A. David, Rhodonia placenta (Fr.) Niemelä, K.H. Larss. & Schigel. Regarding the molecular data, nodes of our subject sequences were substantially supported and fell under their respective species clades with high ML bootstrap values (≥ 95), MP bootstrap ≥ 74 and BI probabilities ≥ 0.98. Findings of the study will not only contribute to our understanding of local Polypores species diversity but also enhance knowledge of geographical distribution in global context.

First Report of Fusarium tricinctum Causing Root Rot on Chinese dwarf cherry (Cerasus humilis) in China.

Chinese dwarf cherry (Cerasus humilis) is a perennial small shrub indigenous to northern China, highly regarded for its calcium-rich fruit known as 'calcium fruit'. These fruits have a remarkable capacity to aid in human calcium absorption. Additionally, they contain beneficial flavonoids that hold promise for applications in the healthcare industry (Wang et al., 2018). In July 2020, a concerning development occurred on the farms in Jingtai County (37.48o N, 103.82o E), Baiyin City, Gansu Province in China. Approximately 20 to 30% of C. humilis at the full culture stage exhibited symptoms of root rot, including brownish leaves, rotten roots, and plant mortality, leading to a decrease of over 30% in calcium fruit yield. To identify the pathogen, the surface of symptomatic roots was sterilized with 3% NaOCl for 2 minutes, followed by 70% ethanol for 30 seconds, and rinsed three times with sterile water. Tissue sections (5×5mm) from the margin of the necrotic lesion were cut and cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium, and incubated for 7 days at 25℃. Five pure culture isolates were obtained from individual spores. Initially, the isolates exhibited abundant white aerial mycelia that turned light pink on the third day. Macroconidia were falciform, two to five septate, straight or slightly curved, and measuring 20.1 to 32.5×2.2 to 3.8 μm (n=50). Napiform microconidia were oval-ellipsoid, non-septate, and measuring 6.2 to 9.3×4.2 to 5.8 μm (n=50). Based on these morphological characteristics, the fungus was tentatively identified as Fusarium species (Leslie and Summerell, 2006). To confirm the identification, the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and the translation elongation factor (EF1α) of the isolate CH-2 were partially amplified and sequenced using the primers ITS1/ITS4 and EF2T/EF3 (Li et al., 2013, Yang et al., 2022). Upon comparison with the sequences in GenBank, 857 bp ITS sequence showed 100% homology to Fusarium tricinctum isolate QY3-1 (GenBank accessions no. MZ572963.1), and 665 bp EF1α sequence showed 99.7% homology to F. tricinctum strain TQC-C2 (GenBank accessions no. KF939493.1). The resulting sequences were deposited into GenBank with accession nos. OQ581576 and OQ848462 respectively. A maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analysis based on combined partial ITS and EF1α data set was conducted via ML bootstrapping using MEGA 11. According to morphology and phylogenetic analysis, the isolate was identified as F. tricinctum (Wang et al., 2022). For a pathogenicity test, a pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse with a temperature range of 20-27℃ and 60% relative humidity. Roots of C. humilis were immersed in a spore suspension (1×107 conidia/ml) of isolate F. tricinctum CH-2 for approximately 5 minutes. Subsequently the treated roots were planted in pots filled with sterilized field soil, while roots dipped in sterilized water were used as the control. The experiment considered of ten pots for the inoculation treatment and six pots for the control treatment. All pots were maintained in the greenhouse. After 15 days, it was observed that 80% of the inoculated plants displayed symptoms consistent with the field observations, indicating successful infection. In contrast, plants in the control treatment did not exhibit any symptoms. The same fungal pathogen as F. tricinctum CH-2 was reisolated from the diseased root tissue and confirmed through morphological and molecular assays, thereby satisfying Koch's postulates. This is the first documented report of F. tricinctum causing root rot in C. humilis in China. This disease has the potential to become one of the most significant diseases affecting C. humilis in China.

Analysis of stress-strength reliability with m-step strength levels under type I censoring and Gompertz distribution

&lt;p&gt;Because of modern technology, product reliability has increased, making it more challenging to evaluate products in real-world settings and raising the cost of gathering sufficient data about a product's lifetime. Instead of using stress to accelerate failures, the most practical way to solve this problem is to use accelerated life tests, in which test units are subjected to varying degrees of stress. This paper deals with the analysis of stress-strength reliability when the strength variable has changed m levels at predetermined times. It is common for the observed failure time data of items to be partially unavailable in numerous reliability and life-testing studies. In statistical analyses where data is censored, lowering the time and expense involved is vital. Maximum likelihood estimation when the stress and strength variables follow the Gompertz distribution was introduced under type I censoring data. The bootstrap confidence intervals were deduced for stress-strength reliability under m levels of strength variable and applying the Gompertz distribution to model time. A simulation study was introduced to find the maximum likelihood estimates, bootstrapping, and credible intervals for stress-strength reliability. Real data was presented to show the application of the model in real life.&lt;/p&gt;

Taxonomy and systematics of the fungus-growing ant associate Escovopsis (Hypocreaceae)-SUPP

Supplementary files:&lt;br /&gt;Table S1. Culture media used to standardize the parameters to assess morphological characters of Escovopsis species.&lt;br /&gt;Table S2. Measurements of the colony radius of the Escovopsis ex-type cultures, and the new described species.&lt;br /&gt;Table S3. Molecular markers, primers and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) conditions.&lt;br /&gt;Table S4. Strains and their associated metadata used to reveal the phylogenetic relationships of Escovopsis species described by Marfetán et al. (2019) (Fig. S2).&lt;br /&gt;Table S5. Morphological features used to construct the dichotomous key of Escovopsis species.&lt;br /&gt;Table S6. Data recoding sheet to evaluate the macroscopic characters of the colonies of Escovopsis species.&lt;br /&gt;Table S7. Data recoding sheet to evaluate the microscopic characters of Escovopsis species.&lt;br /&gt;Fig. S1. Phylogeny revealing relationship among 19 species of Escovopsis, based on each molecular marker: (A) rpb2, (B) tef1, (C) ITS, (D) rpb1, (E) LSU, and (E) the combination of all of them (concatenated). Phylogenies shown were inferred using Bayesian Inference (BI) and Sympodiorosea kreiselii CBS 139320 was used as the outgroup. Numbers on branches indicate BI posterior probabilities (PP) and Maximum Likelihood bootstrap support values (MLB), respectively. Hyphens (--) indicate MLB &lt; 70 %. ET indicates ex-type cultures and red crosses the non-viable strains. See Table 1 for all strains and their associated metadata used to infer these phylogenetic trees.&lt;br /&gt;Fig. S2. Phylogeny revealing the relationship between Escovopsis species described by Marfetán et al. (2018). The tree was reconstructed to include the LSU sequences (in the green box) generated by Marfetán et al. (2018). The phylogeny was reconstructed using Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) and and Sympodiorosea kreiselii CBS 139320 was used as the outgroup. Numbers on branches indicate BI posterior probabilities (PP) and Maximum Likelihood bootstrap support values (MLB), respectively. Hyphens (--) indicate MLB &lt; 70 %. ET indicates ex-type cultures and red crosses the non-viable strains. See Table S4 for all strains and their associated metadata.&lt;br /&gt;Fig. S3. Dichotomous key, in a cladogram format, revealing the relationship among Escovopsis species. The cladogram was reconstructed using 68 morphological features from species of Escovopsis in “rpart” library (Therneau &amp; Atkinson 2019) in R v. 3.6.3. The final cladogram was manually edited using Adobe Illustrator CC v. 17.1. Information on branches was used to construct the taxonomic key and the leaves correspond to each Escovopsis species. See Table S5 for all associated data used to infer this cladogram.

Molecular analysis of adenovirus strains responsible for gastroenteritis in children, under five, in Tunisia

Purpose of workEnteric Adenovirus (EAdV) is recognized as one of the most commonly identified agents responsible for severe acute gastroenteritis (AGEs) in the stools of infants.We sought to determine the rate of human adenovirus (HAdV) infections, and the genotypic characterization of circulating strains of HAdV in children under 5 years of age with AGEs in university and regional hospitals, located in the Center-East of Tunisia, from January 2014 to December 2016. MethodsA classic PCR was performed on 582 stool samples taken within 5 days of the onset of symptoms. Chosen positive samples were sequenced, and some of the results were confirmed by the Next Generation Sequencing technique (NGS). Partial nucleotide sequences of the Hexon gene obtained in this study were compared with the NCBI GenBank database using BLAST. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis were conducted using MEGA6 software. The phylogenetic tree was generated using the maximum-likelihood method and bootstrap analysis was performed with 1000 replications. ResultsOut of 582 samples, 52 (8.93 %) cases were positive for HAdV, with a male predominance (57.4 %). Phylogenetic analyses showed that Tunisian HAdV strains clustered into five HAdV lineages corresponding to serotypes F41 (14/28), C2 (9/28), C5 (3/28), E4 (1/28), and A18 (1/28). HAdV was more frequent in children aged up to 12 months, as compared to the other age groups. The HAdV activity was noted in almost all the months of the year with a peak in autumn, in 2014 and 2015, and in winter in 2016. ConclusionThis study showed that infections with HAdV species were frequent in children suffering from AGE with the predominance of HAdV F41 and C2. This result underlines the importance of regular monitoring of circulating genotypes, and it could be useful for future epidemiological research.

Difficulties in emotional regulation mediates the impact of burden on quality of life and mental health in a sample of family members of people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Although it has been suggested that family members of persons suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) endure high levels of burden, however, the process and the impact of this burden in their lives, and specifically the relation between the burden and emotional regulation has not been broadly investigated among this population. The main objective of this study is to examine the impact of burden on quality of life and depression, anxiety and stress, as mediated by difficulties in emotional regulation in family members of persons diagnosed with BPD. Participants were 167 family members of persons diagnosed with BPD. The Burden Assessment Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Multicultural Quality of Life Index, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 were filled out. Mediation analysis was conducted using the Maximum Likelihood estimator, bootstrap method and listwise deletion for missing data. Burden showed a significant, negative effect on quality of life and positive on depression, anxiety and stress. Difficulties in emotion regulation significantly mediated these relations. After accounting for the mediating role of difficulties in emotion regulation, burden still had an impact on quality of life, depression, anxiety and stress. Women showed a higher level in both burden and stress than men. The caregivers with secondary and higher studies showed higher levels in burden than those with no studies. Not significant differences in burden, emotion regulation, depression, anxiety and stress were found related to marital status. Difficulties in emotion regulation mediate the relations between burden and quality of life, depression, anxiety, and stress. Family members could engage in group interventions designed specifically for family members of people with BPD, oriented toward understanding the disorder or learning skills.

Exploring New Horizons: Advancing Data Analysis in Kidney Patient Infection Rates and UEFA Champions League Scores Using Bivariate Kavya–Manoharan Transformation Family of Distributions

In survival analyses, infections at the catheter insertion site among kidney patients using portable dialysis machines pose a significant concern. Understanding the bivariate infection recurrence process is crucial for healthcare professionals to make informed decisions regarding infection management protocols. This knowledge enables the optimization of treatment strategies, reduction in complications associated with infection recurrence and improvement of patient outcomes. By analyzing the bivariate infection recurrence process in kidney patients undergoing portable dialysis, it becomes possible to predict the probability, timing, risk factors and treatment outcomes of infection recurrences. This information aids in identifying the likelihood of future infections, recognizing high-risk patients in need of close monitoring, and guiding the selection of appropriate treatment approaches. Limited bivariate distribution functions pose challenges in jointly modeling inter-correlated time between recurrences with different univariate marginal distributions. To address this, a Copula-based methodology is presented in this study. The methodology introduces the Kavya–Manoharan transformation family as the lifetime model for experimental units. The new bivariate models accurately measure dependence, demonstrate significant properties, and include special sub-models that leverage exponential, Weibull, and Pareto distributions as baseline distributions. Point and interval estimation techniques, such as maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods, where Bayesian estimation outperforms maximum likelihood estimation, are employed, and bootstrap confidence intervals are calculated. Numerical analysis is performed using the Markov chain Monte Carlo method. The proposed methodology’s applicability is demonstrated through the analysis of two real-world data-sets. The first data-set, focusing on infection and recurrence time in kidney patients, indicates that the Farlie–Gumbel–Morgenstern bivariate Kavya–Manoharan–Weibull (FGMBKM-W) distribution is the best bivariate model to fit the kidney infection data-set. The second data-set, specifically that related to UEFA Champions League Scores, reveals that the Clayton Kavya–Manoharan–Weibull (CBKM-W) distribution is the most suitable bivariate model for fitting the UEFA Champions League Scores. This analysis involves examining the time elapsed since the first goal kicks and the home team’s initial goal.

Luteodorsum huanglongense (Gomphaceae, Gomphales), a New Genus and Species of Gomphoid Fungus from the Loess Plateau, Northwest China.

During an investigation of the macrofungal flora in the Huanglong Mountains of the Loess Plateau, northwest China, a unique gomphoid fungus was discovered and collected. After morphological identification and molecular phylogenetic analyses, a new genus named Luteodorsum and its type species, L. huanglongense, were proposed. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted using datasets of nuclear ribosomal DNA 28S large subunit (LSU), mitochondrial (mt) adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) subunit 6 (atp6), and mt small-subunit rDNA (mtSSU). The results confirmed that L. huanglongense forms an independent clade within Gomphales, with full maximum likelihood bootstrap support (MLBS), maximum parsimony bootstrap support (MPBS), and Bayesian posterior probability (BPP). L. huanglongense is characterized by its sandy-brown, orange-brown, or coffee-brown color; clavate to infundibuliform shape; wrinkled and ridged hymenophore; ellipsoid to obovoid warted basidiospores; cylindrical to clavate flexuous pleurocystidia; and crystal basal mycelium. Overall, this study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on the diversity and evolution of Gomphales and provides valuable insights into the unique fungal flora found in the Huanglong Mountains.

The mediating effect of psychological empowerment on the relationship between work environment and clinical decision-making among midwives: a multicentre cross-sectional study

BackgroundClinical decision-making is considered an essential behaviour in clinical practice. However, no research has been done to examine the associations among midwives’ clinical decision-making, work environment and psychological empowerment. Thus, this study aimed to determine the influence of work environment on midwives’ clinical decision-making and confirm the mediating role of psychological empowerment.MethodThis study was designed as a multicentre cross-sectional study, and included 602 registered midwives from 25 public hospitals in China. A sociodemographic questionnaire, Work Environment Scale, Psychological Empowerment Scale and Clinical decision-making Scale were applied. A structural equation model was conducted to estimate the hypothesis model of the clinical decision-making among midwives and explore the potential mediating mechanism of midwives’ clinical decision-making. This model was employed maximum likelihood estimation method and bootstrapping to examine the statistical significance.ResultsThe mean score of clinical decision-making among midwives was 143.03 ± 14.22, at an intermediate level. The data of this hypothesis model fitted well, and the results showed that work environment positively affected psychological empowerment, which in turn positively affected clinical decision-making; psychological empowerment partly mediated the relationship between work environment and clinical decision-making among midwives.ConclusionsMidwives’ clinical decision-making could be promoted directly or indirectly by providing a healthy work environment and improving psychological empowerment. It is essential for hospital managers to pay attention to the assessment of the midwives’ work environment and actively improve it, such as establishing a supportive, fair and just workplace, and maintaining effective communication with midwives. Furthermore, managers can also promote midwives’ clinical decision-making behaviour by enhancing their psychological empowerment via enhancing job autonomy.

Complete chloroplast genome sequences of Myristicaceae species with the comparative chloroplast genomics and phylogenetic relationships among them.

Myristicaceae was widly distributed from tropical Asia to Oceania, Africa, and tropical America. There are 3 genera and 10 species of Myristicaceae present in China, mainly distributed in the south of Yunnan Province. Most research on this family focuses on fatty acids, medicine, and morphology. Based on the morphology, fatty acid chemotaxonomy, and a few of molecular data, the phylogenetic position of Horsfieldia pandurifolia Hu was controversial. In this study, the chloroplast genomes of two Knema species, Knema globularia (Lam.) Warb. and Knema cinerea (Poir.) Warb., were characterized. Comparing the genome structure of these two species with those of other eight published species, including three Horsfieldia species, four Knema species, and one Myristica species, it was found that the chloroplast genomes of these species were relatively conserved, retaining the same gene order. Through sequence divergence analysis, there were 11 genes and 18 intergenic spacers were subject to positive selection, which can be used to analyze the population genetic structure of this family. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all Knema species were clustered in the same group and formed a sister clade with Myristica species support by both high maximum likelihood bootstrap values and Bayesian posterior probabilities; among Horsfieldia species, Horsfieldia amygdalina (Wall.) Warb., Horsfieldia kingii (Hook.f.) Warb., Horsfieldia hainanensis Merr. and Horsfieldia tetratepala C.Y.Wu. were grouped together, but H. pandurifolia formed a single group and formed a sister clade with genus Myristica and Knema. Through the phylogenetic analysis, we support de Wilde' view that the H. pandurifolia should be separated from Horsfieldia and placed in the genus Endocomia, namely Endocomia macrocoma subsp. prainii (King) W.J.de Wilde. The findings of this study provide a novel genetic resources for future research in Myristicaceae and provide a molecular evidence for the taxonomic classification of Myristicaceae.

Reliability Estimation in Inverse Pareto Distribution Using Progressively First Failure Censored Data

The progressively first failure censored (PFFC) data have become very popular in the past decade due to its usefulness in life testing experiments and in reliability theory. The PFFC data record the number of failures and increase the efficiency of the estimators. The inverse Pareto distribution (IPD) is useful when empirical data suggest a decreasing or upside-down bathtub-shaped failure rate functions. In this article, we consider the classical and Bayesian estimation of the model parameter and the reliability characteristics of the IPD using the PFFC data. The maximum likelihood estimators, asymptotic confidence, and bootstrap confidence intervals are considered in the classical estimation. Under the Bayesian paradigm, Bayes estimators based on non-informative and the gamma informative priors under the squared error loss function using Tierney-Kadane approximation, importance sampling, and Metropolis-Hasting (M-H) algorithm are assessed. In addition, the highest probability density (HPD) intervals based on the M-H algorithm are also constructed. To investigate the efficacy of each of the estimation procedures, numerical computations are performed based on a simulation study. Finally, a real data set is re-analyzed to show the applicability of the IPD model under a censoring scheme.

Participation-related constructs and participation of children with additional support needs in schools.

To investigate associations between participation-related constructs and participation frequency and involvement in inclusive schools. In this cross-sectional study, teachers of children with additional support needs, including intellectual disability, autism, and learning difficulties, completed measures. Participation-related constructs were measured using the School Participation Questionnaire; participation frequency and involvement were measured using the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth. A series of multilevel linear mixed-effects regression models with maximum likelihood estimates and bootstrap confidence intervals with p-values were obtained. Final models included participation-related constructs and participation, controlling for demographic and diagnostic confounders (including age, sex, language, level of school support, and autism). Six hundred and eighty-eight children (448 [65.1%] males; mean age 8 years 7 months [range 4 years 10 months-12 years 13 months, standard deviation 2 years 1 months]) were assessed by 252 teachers. Across a series of models, participation-related constructs were consistently associated with more intensive participation (competence, environment, identity p < 0.001; symptoms p=0.007), independent of confounders. More frequent participation remained associated with three of four participation-related constructs (competence, identity p < 0.001; environment p=0.021). Age (p=0.046), language (p=0.002), and level of school support (p=0.039) also remained significantly associated with frequency of participation. Children with additional support needs in inclusive schools may have several participation barriers. Policies and interventions to improve participation are needed. Across a series of models, participation-related constructs were associated with frequency and intensity of participation. Only participation-related constructs were associated with participation intensity. Demographic and diagnostic variables were associated with frequency, not intensity, of participation. Teacher assessment is valid for assessment of participation and participation-related constructs.

Members of the Fusarium oxysporum Complex Causing Wilt Symptoms inMedical Cannabis in Israel, Italy, and North America Comprise a Polyphyletic Assemblage.

Members of the Fusarium oxysporum complex are ubiquitous soilborne fungal pathogens causing wilt diseases in various plant hosts. Fusarium oxysporum (Fo) f. sp. cannabis was first reported causing wilt disease in hemp in Italy in 1962. To date, Fusarium wilt continues to cause concern in industrial and medicinal cannabis cultivation worldwide. During a 3-year period (2018 to 2021), Fo strains were isolated from medical cannabis plants (Cannabis sativa) exhibiting wilt symptoms that were cultivated in numerous commercial farms in Israel. A diverse set of these strains was subjected to molecular phylogenetic analyses to assess their genetic diversity and to compare them with other f. sp. cannabis isolates included in prior studies. Maximum likelihood bootstrap analysis of a partial translation elongation factor (TEF1) dataset, which included 24 f. sp. cannabis sequences, revealed that the 11 strains from Israel comprised five TEF1 haplotypes. Two of the haplotypes from Israel were identical to isolates previously reported from British Columbia and California and British Columbia and Ontario. Overall, the 24 f. sp. cannabis sequences included 12 unique TEF1 haplotypes. These were phylogenetically diverse, suggesting that pathogenicity to C. sativa may have evolved independently within the F. oxysporum complex. Pathogenicity tests of the Israeli strains were confirmed by Koch's postulates assays. Strains of the five different f. sp. cannabis TEF1 haplotypes all caused wilt in cannabis seedlings but with varying levels of aggressiveness. The same isolates that originated from asymptomatic infected mother plants were found in wilted cuttings indicating that the pathogen can be spread via propagation material.