Opposite Correlation Research Articles

Dopamine mediates a directionally opposite correlation between empathy and the reinforcing effects of amphetamine and gambling in people with gambling disorder vs. healthy controls

Understanding the relationship between empathy, subjective effects of addictive reinforcers and dopamine function in people with gambling disorder (PGD) vs. healthy controls (HCs) may inform GD treatment. The current investigation addressed this issue via retrospective analysis of data from three studies using amphetamine and a slot machine (SLOTS) as reinforcers in PGD and HCs. The Empathy scale of Eysenck's Impulsiveness Questionnaire assessed trait Empathy. The Gamblers Beliefs Questionnaire assessed cognitive distortions. The Eysenck Lie scale assessed socially desirable responding. PET scans quantified dopamine receptor expression and amphetamine-induced dopamine release in Study 1. Pre-treatment with the D2-receptor (D2R)-preferring antagonist, haloperidol or D1R-D2R antagonist, fluphenazine before SLOTS tested the role of D2 autoreceptors and post-synaptic D2R in Study 2. Pre-treatment with the multi-system indirect dopamine agonist, modafinil before SLOTS assessed the reliability of correlations in PGD. Striatal D2R expression predicted greater Empathy and lower amphetamine ‘Liking’ in HCs, and predicted greater symptom severity in PGD. Empathy predicted lower ‘Exciting’ effects of SLOTS under placebo in HCs; no correlation emerged under either antagonist. Relative to placebo, haloperidol decreased, whereas fluphenazine increased, the positive correlation between Empathy and Exciting effects of SLOTS in PGD. Modafinil markedly reduced the positive correlation between Empathy and Exciting effects of SLOTS seen under placebo in PGD. Empathy predicted greater cognitive distortions in PGD in all studies. Lie scale variance influenced several primary effects. Prior research linking the insula with Empathy, reactivity to interoceptive signals for risky rewards (uncertainty), and cognitive distortions, provides a parsimonious account for these results.

Neural Coincidence Detection Strategies during Perception of Multi-Pitch Musical Tones

Multi-pitch perception is investigated in a listening test using 30 recordings of musical sounds with two tones played simultaneously, except for two gong sounds with inharmonic overtone spectra, judging roughness and separateness as the ability to tell the two tones in each recording apart. Of the sounds, 13 were from a Western guitar playing all 13 intervals in one octave, the other sounds were mainly from non-Western instruments, comparing familiar with unfamiliar instrument sounds for Western listeners. Additionally the sounds were processed in a cochlea model, transferring the mechanical basilar membrane motion into neural spikes followed by post-processing simulating different degrees of coincidence detection. Separateness perception showed a clear distinction between familiar and unfamiliar sounds, while roughness perception did not. By correlating perception with simulation different perception strategies were found. Familiar sounds correlated strongly positively with high degrees of coincidence detection, where only 3–5 periodicities were left, while unfamiliar sounds correlated with low coincidence levels. This corresponds to an attention to pitch and timbre, respectively. Additionally, separateness perception showed an opposite correlation between perception and neural correlates between familiar and unfamiliar sounds. This correlates with the perceptional finding of the distinction between familiar and unfamiliar sounds with separateness.

A new fractal pore-throat chain model for non-Darcy flow through porous media

Non-Darcy flow through porous media is of great significance in hydraulics, oil and gas engineering, biomedical science, chemical and civil engineering etc. However, it is difficult to fully grasp the nature of fluid flow through porous media from macroscopic scale alone. Based on the statistically fractal scaling laws of pore structures, a new fractal pore-throat chain model (FPTCM) for non-Darcy flow through the isotropic porous media is developed. The analytical expressions for the Darcy and non-Darcy permeability as well as non-Darcy coefficient are derived accordingly. In order to explore the local flow field of high-speed non-Darcy flow through porous media, the finite element method is also carried out on an equivalent pore-throat unit. The predicted permeability by FPTCM shows better agreement with present numerical results and available experimental data, compared with commonly used semi-empirical formulas including Kozeny-Carman and Ergun equations. It has been found that both Darcy and non-Darcy permeability as well as non-Darcy coefficient strongly relate to the pore structures of porous media. The non-Darcy permeability is positively correlated to porosity, pore fractal dimension and Darcy permeability, while it is negatively related to tortuosity fractal dimension and pore size range. The non-Darcy coefficient shows opposite correlation with these parameters. The present work can provide theoretical basis for oil and gas development, nuclear waste treatment, carbon dioxide geological sequestration etc.

Hubungan antara Pola Asuh Orang Tua terhadap Sikap Bullying pada Remaja

Bullying behavior is not a new phenomenon, but has been happening in Indonesia for a long time and continues to increase. Bullying behavior is mentioned as a form of negative action based on the misuse of power and strength that is carried out intentionally and repeatedly by one or a group of students who are offensive. This study aims to determine the relationship between parenting patterns with bullying attitudes in adolescents. This study used a correlational study method with Accidental Sampling sampling technique which obtained the research subjects as many as 132 teenagers.. The data analysis technique used in this research is descriptive analysis and inferential analysis. The results of this study indicate a significant relationship between parenting and bullying attitudes in adolescents based on a sig value that is less than 0.05, which is 0.039. This study also shows the Correlation Coefficient value of -0.216 (rcount > 0.1946), meaning that there is a low and opposite correlation between parenting and bullying attitudes. This value also means that the higher the parenting style, the lower the bullying attitude in adolescents. The results of this study indicate that the highest dimension is found in the bully dimension which indicates that the bullying attitude of adolescents is mostly shown through the bullying behavior that has been carried out by the teenager. The results in this study also stated that the parenting pattern that was widely applied by the respondent's parents was permissive parenting. Parenting styles play different roles in child development adequately and depend on children's involvement in bullying behavior.

Recovery of volatile fatty acids from anaerobic fermentation broth of baker’s yeast industry effluent by liquid−liquid extraction

As metabolic intermediates, volatile fatty acids (VFAs) can be recovered by separation and purification and contribute to the economy. It was necessary, however, to investigate the optimization of liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) in this study because of the technical difficulties encountered during the recovery of VFAs. For this reason, the organic solvents diethyl ether, trioctylamine, and toluene were investigated as LLE solvents to extract VFAs from Baker’s yeast industry effluent, which contains high levels of organic matter. An optimal pH value of 3 was determined by a pH scan performed between pH 2.5 and pH 7.5. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine the effects of organic solvents and pH on extraction efficiency. The extraction efficiency was evaluated using the optimal pH and multi-stage extraction experiments. In a three-stage extraction, diethyl ether recovered 82% of the VFAs, making it a promising organic solvent for extracting VFAs from anaerobic fermentation broth. PCA revealed that an opposite correlation between VFA recovery and pH for each organic solvent. Based on the results of the cost analysis, it was determined that the costs of recovering VFAs were reduced by 90% per kilogram.

How to design plasmonic Ag/SrTiO3 nanocomposites as efficient photocatalyst: Theoretical insight and experimental validation

An integrated theoretical-experimental investigation is performed to understand the photocatalytic and optical properties of Ag/SrTiO3 nanocomposite (Ag/STO). Theoretical investigation reveals that the catalytic activity of Ag/STO is increased when Ag particle size is smaller, while the opposite correlation is observed for its visible-light absorbance efficiency. These insights suggest that efficient Ag/STO photocatalyst needs to be balanced between the active interfacial site density and visible-light absorbance intensity by carefully controlling the Ag dosage. Furthermore, reactive oxygen species that are responsible for the oxidative degradation of organic pollutant on Ag/STO could be identified from Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. Comprehensive experiments are carried out using Rhodamine-B (RhB) photodegradation to test the activity of Ag/STO in wastewater treatment application and excellently validate those theoretical predictions. Over series of synthesized Ag/STO composites with different Ag contents, the optimum 1 % wt. Ag loading has the highest 92.8 % efficiency in RhB photodegradation after 1 hour of light irradiation. Trapping experiments also confirm the crucial role of O2 and OH species, which was predicted from DFT calculations, as the primary oxidizing agents for the degradation of RhB. This work provides a useful framework to develop novel plasmonic nanocomposites for other photocatalytic applications.

A new strategy for PET depolymerization: Application of bimetallic MOF-74 as a selective catalyst

Large-volume production of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), especially in the form of bottles and food packaging containers, causes problems with polymer waste management. Waste PET could be recycled thermally, mechanically or chemically and the last method allows to obtain individual monomers, but most often it is carried out in the presence of homogeneous catalysts, that are difficult to separate and reuse. In view of this, this work reports for the first time, application of bimetallic MOF-74 – as heterogeneous catalyst - for depolymerization of PET with high monomer (bishydroxyethyl terephthalate, BHET) recovery. The effect of type and amount of second metal in the MOF-74 (Mg/M) was systematically investigated. The results showed increased activity of MOF-74 (Mg/M) containing Co2+, Zn2+ and Mn2+ as a second metal, while the opposite correlation was observed for Cu2+ and Ni2+. It was found that the highest catalytic activity was demonstrated by the introduction of Mg–Mn into MOF-74 with ratio molar 1:1, which resulted in complete depolymerization of PET and 91.8% BHET yield within 4 h. Furthermore, the obtained catalyst showed good stability in 5 reaction cycles and allowed to achieve high-purity BHET, which was confirmed by HPLC analysis. The as-prepared MOF-74 (Mg/Mn) was easy to separate from the post-reaction mixture, clean and reuse in the next depolymerization reaction.

Post-stroke spasticity: follow-up and functional implications of chronic long-term treatment with botulinum toxin.

Around 40% of stroke survivor develop spasticity. Plantar flexors (PF) muscles are often affected, with severe functional impairment. The treatment of choice is botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) combined with adjuvant treatments. The temporary pharmacological effect implies periodic reassessment and reinjection. These long-term chronic programs require monitoring the functional impact of each cycle and the clinical evolution in relation to aging and repeated interventions. Evaluating changes of functional level in patients with post-stroke spasticity treated with BoNT-A by assessing the long-term maintenance of the therapeutic efficacy. Retrospective longitudinal observational study. Outpatients. Chronic stroke survivors undergoing BoNT-A treatment and subsequent intensive rehabilitation (10 sessions in a day-hospital regime). Medical records of the enrolled patients were consulted. The primary endpoint was the change in PF spasticity by at least 1 point on the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) at each cycle. Secondary endpoints were the assessment of possible trends in gait parameters (Six Minute Walking Test [6MWT]; Timed Up and Go [TUG], and 10 Meters Walking Test [10mWT]) pre- and post-injection and at each cycle. Thirty-six patients were enrolled. A reduction of at least one MAS point for PF was recorded after each cycle in all subjects. A time-dependent reduction in the proportion of patients reporting an improvement higher than the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in 6MWT and 10mWT was observed. In the case of TUG, this data kept stable at all cycles. A one-point increase in the basal functional ambulation classification (FAC) score resulted in a reduction in the probability of having a TUG improvement greater than the MCID. The opposite correlation was found for 6MWT and 10mWT. With the proposed treatment, the clinical significance TUG improvement remains constant throughout repeated cycles and the proportion of patients with improvement in 6MWT and 10mWT tends to decline over time. The predictive value of basal FAC on the functional variables expected improvement may provide a potential treatment targeting tool. These results may deliver prognostic indication allowing an optimized integration of different post-BoNT-A rehabilitation approaches, agreeing with current evidence. Adequate monitoring and treatment protocols are crucial for the stability of functional level and may prevent excessive fluctuations.

Essential and toxic elements analysis of wild boar tissues from north-eastern Romania and health risk implications

IntroductionThe level of essential minerals in meat is an important factor in human nutrition and health. Meat from responsibly managed wildlife is an alternative raw material with considerable nutritional benefits. Meat from hunted animals has essential and non-essential elements for the human body. It is important to carefully monitor the levels of heavy metals accumulated in the tissues of hunted animals in polluted areas to ensure food safety and environmental contamination. High levels of heavy metals in food and the environment can pose a danger to human health.MethodsThe study aims to investigate the levels of essential mineral elements and heavy metals in the muscle tissue and organs of wild boar harvested through the herd density control plan over the last decade in north-eastern Romania.Results and discussionThe statistical analysis indicates that the age of the animals had a significant impact on Fe, Cu, and Zn levels in Longissimus lumborum. In the kidney a highly significant difference in Fe content by sex, with males showing higher values than females. The sex was shown to significantly influence the Mg levels. However, there are concerns about the accumulation of heavy metals such as Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd), which may hurt the health of game meat consumers in the study area. Cd level it shows significant differences according to both age and sex, with higher concentrations in adults and males. Statistical analysis shows a negative correlation between Fe and Zn concentrations in muscle samples, while a positive correlation was found between Fe and Mn in kidney samples. There was also a positive association between Zn and Cu in muscle samples, but a negative association in kidney samples. Principal component analysis shows significant variation in essential element and heavy metals data between muscle and kidney samples. The loading plot shows a direct correlation between Pb and Cu and between Pb and Cd. However, an opposite correlation also is observed between Cu and Mg, Cd and Mg, and Pb and Mg. HQ (Hazard Quotient) for children compared to adults indicates a potentially higher risk associated with meat consumption among children because children are more vulnerable than adults. We report for the first time, to the best authors’ knowledge, various levels of essential minerals and exceeded maximum admitted level of heavy metals in the muscle tissues and kidneys of Sus scrofa ferus from Romania intended for human consumption, moreover, our findings highlight the need for strict monitoring and implementation of appropriate corrective measures, given the significant percentages of muscle and kidney samples exceeding the allowable limits for two of the most common toxic metals in the environment.

Plasma and Platelet Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) Levels in Bipolar Disorder Patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or in a Major Depressive Episode Compared to Healthy Controls.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly disabling mental disorder arising after traumatism exposure, often revealing critical and complex courses when comorbidity with bipolar disorder (BD) occurs. To search for PTSD or depression biomarkers that would help clinicians define BD presentations, this study aimed at preliminarily evaluating circulating brain-derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in BD subjects with PTSD or experiencing a major depressive episode versus controls. Two bloodstream BDNF components were specifically investigated, the storage (intraplatelet) and the released (plasma) ones, both as adaptogenic/repair signals during neuroendocrine stress response dynamics. Bipolar patients with PTSD (n = 20) or in a major depressive episode (n = 20) were rigorously recruited together with unrelated healthy controls (n = 24) and subsequently examined by psychiatric questionnaires and blood samplings. Platelet-poor plasma (PPP) and intraplatelet (PLT) BDNF were measured by ELISA assays. The results showed markedly higher intraplatelet vs. plasma BDNF, confirming platelets' role in neurotrophin transport/storage. No between-group PPP-BDNF difference was reported, whereas PLT-BDNF was significantly reduced in depressed BD patients. PLT-BDNF negatively correlated with mood scores but not with PTSD items like PPP-BDNF, which instead displayed opposite correlation trends with depression and manic severity. Present findings highlight PLT-BDNF as more reliable at detecting depression than PTSD in BD, encouraging further study into BDNF variability contextually with immune-inflammatory parameters in wider cohorts of differentially symptomatic bipolar patients.

Early Transport Patterns and Influencing Factors of Different Stocks of Uroteuthis edulis in the East China Sea.

Uroteuthis edulis (U. edulis) is an important economic loliginid resource in the East China Sea (ECS). Its flexible life history traits enable the population to quickly adapt to changes in habitat. Understanding the early transport process helps us to grasp the habitat requirements of populations at key life history stages. In this study, particle tracing was used to simulate the early transport trajectories (within 120 days). The gradient forest method (GFM) and generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) were used to analyze the key environmental variables that affect the early transport trajectories and the impact of environmental factors on the transport process, respectively. The results showed that spring stock tracers were transported to the northeast of the release area (Pengjiayu water) and the Pacific side of Japan. Summer stock tracers were transported to the north and northeast of the release area (Zhoushan island). Current velocity, salinity, and temperature were key environmental variables that affected the trace element ratios of spring stock at early life history stages. Mixed-layer depth (MLD), velocity, and chlorophyll a concentration (Chla) were key environmental variables for summer stock. Zonal velocity was positively correlated with the trace element ratio for spring and summer stock (0.14-0.16 m/s), while the meridional velocity showed an opposite correlation. The physical driving mechanisms of the Kuroshio warm current (or the Taiwan warm current) and the Yangtze River determine the paralarva retention location during early transportation. The differences in the dominant factors of the water environment in the retention area may affect the paralarva physiological functions and food availability. This study provides a scientific basis for a comprehensive understanding of the migration characteristics of U. edulis with different stocks.

The composition of phenolic compounds in Chinese olive (Canarium album L.) cultivars and their contribution to the anti-inflammatory properties of the cultivars.

This study aimed to explore the phenolic compounds (PCs) present in three Chinese olive (Canarium album L.) cultivars and the contribution of these PCs to the anti-inflammatory activities of the cultivars. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap/mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Exactive/MS) was used to identify and quantify the PCs present in three Chinese olive cultivars, "Na zhong," "Tan xiang," and "Xiang zhong". 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH); 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline 6-sulfonate) (ABTS); and oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) assays were used to assess the antioxidant activities of the PCs. Furthermore, we analyzed the anti-inflammatory action of these PCs using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells. A total of 44 PCs were identified in the three cultivars. Of these, 17 PCs were previously unidentified in Chinese olive. Among the cultivars, the free phenolics (FPs) of "Tan xiang" showed the strongest antioxidant activity. All cultivars have shown significant inhibition of TNF-α and IL-6 production. Clustering correlation analysis showed galloyl-bis-HHDP-glucose and paeonol have significant anti-inflammatory ability in FPs. Quininic, galloylquinic acid, 4-hydroxycinnamic acid and gallic acid hexoside have shown significant inhibition of IL-6 production in BPs. Furthermore, gallic acid, catechin, syringic acid, and nobiletin exhibit negative correlation in FPs and positive correlation in BPs of cytokine production, while corilagin and methyl ellagic acid pentoside exhibited opposite correlation. In summary, this study contributed to the literature on PCs in Chinese olives and the potential health benefits of FPs and BPs.

The succession of rhizosphere microbial community in the continuous cropping soil of tobacco

Introduction: Flue-cured tobacco is an important economic crop that is not tolerant of continuous cropping and can be influenced by planting soil conditions including rhizosphere microbial communities and soil physicochemical properties. The relationship between rhizosphere microbial communities and soil physicochemical properties under continuous cropping conditions is unclear.Methods: This study investigated the succession of rhizosphere microbial community in continuous tobacco cropping soil for 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 15, and 30 years. The physicochemical properties of the soil were measured, high-throughput sequencing was performed on the rhizosphere microbial community, and correlation analysis was conducted.Results: The results suggested that continuous cropping could significantly enrich soil available nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, and organic matter. Meanwhile, the alpha diversity of the bacterial community was significantly reduced with continuous cropping, indicating significant changes in the structure of bacterial and fungal communities. Based on linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe), 173 bacterial and 75 fungal genera were identified with significant differences. The bacterial genera, Sphingomonas, Streptomyces, and Microvirga, were significantly positively correlated with continuous cropping years. The fungal genera, Tausonia, Solicocozyma, Pseudomycohila, and Fusarium, also showed significant positive correlation with continuous cropping years. Meanwhile, the fungal genera, Olpidium, Cephaliophora, and Cercophora, presented an opposite correlation. However, there are differences in the correlation between these bacterial and fungal genera related to continuous cropping years and other different soil physicochemical properties.Discussion: In summary, this work could provide a reference for soil management and scientific fertilization of tobacco under continuous cropping conditions.

Association of serum vitamin D, IL-6 levels, and bone mineral density in pre- and post-menopausal women suffering from osteoporosis before and after vitamin D3 supplementation therapy

Background: Estrogen deficiency and vitamin D deficiency simultaneously stimulate surge of cytokine production leads to increase osteoclastogenesis cause bone resorption. Treatment with vitamin D strongly stimulates calcium resorption and decreases bone turnover. Vitamin D also decreases interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, which further decreases the activity of osteoclast, which helps in regaining bone mineral density (BMD). Aims and Objectives: To assess and evaluate the link between serum vitamin D levels, BMD, and IL-6 levels in osteoporotic pre- and post-menopausal women. Materials and Methods: Three categories are formed among 36 female patients within the age group 30–55 years with osteoporosis: Group-1: Patients within age group 30–40 years; Group-2: Pre-menopausal patients within age group 40–55 years; and Group-3: Postmenopausal patients within age group 40–55 years. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels, IL-6 levels, and BMD scans were also done at baseline (day 0) before vitamin D supplementation and after 6 months of oral vitamin D therapy. Results: The comparison between mean values of IL-6, serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D level, and BMD at baseline and at 24th week was highly significant for all three groups, which showed that the post-menopausal group, i.e., Group-3, had the lowest vitamin D levels and the lowest bone mass as compared to the pre-menopausal groups, i.e., Group-2 and Group-1. It was observed that mean values of 25-hydroxy vitamin D and BMD at the 24th week significantly increased and IL-6 values significantly decreased in all the women after 24 weeks of Vitamin D therapy. Conclusion: There is a straight link between vitamin D and BMD in post-menopausal women and an opposite correlation between vitamin D and IL-6.

Opposite Skills of ENGPI and DGPI in Depicting Decadal Variability of Tropical Cyclone Genesis over the Western North Pacific

Abstract The genesis potential index (GPI) has been used widely to estimate the influence of large-scale conditions on tropical cyclone (TC) genesis. Here we find that two GPIs, the Emanuel–Nolan GPI (ENGPI) and the dynamic GPI (DGPI), show opposite skills in quantifying decadal variability of TC genesis in the western North Pacific (WNP). During 1979–2020, ENGPI shows a reverse decadal variation to the WNP TC genesis with a significant negative correlation of −0.61, while DGPI can reasonably reproduce the decadal variation of the WNP TC genesis with a significant correlation of 0.66. The opposite skills of the two indices arise from the opposed effects of dynamic and thermodynamic parameters on TC genesis induced by a WNP anomalous cyclonic circulation that controls the decadal variation of TC genesis. On the one hand, the cyclonic circulation leads to favorable dynamical conditions including ascending motion, cyclonic vorticity, and weakened vertical shear, and thus tends to increase the DGPI. On the other hand, the cyclonic circulation leads to unfavorable thermodynamical conditions (decreased maximum potential intensity and midlevel humidity) that tends to decrease the ENGPI. As a result, the DGPI and ENGPI are reversely evolved and eventually lead to their opposite correlation between TC genesis. The significant positive correlation between DGPI and TC genesis suggests a critical role in the large-scale dynamical control of the decadal variability of the WNP TC genesis. Significance Statement Tropical cyclones (TCs) account for one-third of the deaths and economic losses from weather-, climate-, and water-related disasters. Understanding variations in TC activity from the perspective of large-scale conditions is of great importance to seasonal forecasting and disaster mitigation. Here we find that two genesis potential indexes (GPIs), the Emanuel–Nolan GPI (ENGPI) and dynamic GPI (DGPI), show opposite skill in quantifying decadal variability of TC genesis in the western North Pacific (WNP). The opposite skills of the two indices arise from the opposed effects of dynamic and thermodynamic parameters on TC genesis. The result suggests a critical role of large-scale dynamic control in the decadal variability of TC genesis in the WNP.

Non-destructive evaluation of aging in welded pipeline X60 and X65 by thermoelectric power means

In this investigation, the sensibility of the thermoelectric power (TEP) to the aging condition of API X60 and API X65 steel pipeline welded joints was evaluated. Specimens of both API welded joints were artificially aged at 300 °C for 3, 7, 9, 18, 30 and 45 h, the microstructural evolution was assessed via optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Image analysis revealed no significant changes in the microstructure with respect to the aging time. Vickers micro-hardness evaluation showed that both welded joints reach a maximum hardness value after 3 h of artificial aging followed by a reduction in its value in the next aging conditions. TEP was measured using the hot tip technique applying different hot tip temperatures (55, 60, 65, 70 °C), where higher temperature values showed to increase the sensibility of the technique to detect microstructural changes that affect micro-hardness and where not possible to observe via OM and SEM. TEP and micro-hardness exhibit an opposite correlation, which was confirmed calculating the Pearson's correlation coefficient (r). The correlation coefficient decreases when higher hot tip temperatures where employed to measure TEP. The good correlation between TEP values and micro-hardness allows to use TEP measurement as a prediction tool of material micro-hardness.

#213 : Causal Associations Between Different Plasma Lipid and Apolipoprotein Parameters with the Risk of Endometriosis: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study

Background and Aims: Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease with a high prevalence among reproductive-aged women. Several studies have investigated the causal effect of different plasma lipid and apolipoprotein parameters on the occurrence and progression of endometriosis. However, the results of these studies remained controversial. Herein, this study aims to analyze the causal associations of genetically predicted levels of different blood lipid and apolipoprotein traits with the risk of endometriosis using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. Methods: The single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of exposures which indicate the genetic variants were used as instrumental variables (IVs). We assessed the correlation between each blood lipid and apolipoprotein parameter and the occurrence of endometriosis from various cohorts of European ancestry, and the SNPs of them were obtained from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) from the IEU GWAS database. The causal effects were estimated through the inverse-variance weighted method (IVW). The sensitivity examinations of each result after the MR analysis were performed to detect if any heterogeneity and pleiotropy existed. Besides, sub-analyses were performed to provide more detailed information about the actual associations. Results: Our results demonstrated that cholesterol in chylomicron (CM) and extremely large very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) was causally linked to higher odds of endometriosis, while high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol showed the opposite correlation. No evidence was detected on the causal relations of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), apolipoprotein A1 and apolipoprotein B with endometriosis. Neither pleiotropy nor heterogeneity was found in our study. In addition, subgroup analyses about subtypes of endometriosis suggested the causal association of several serum lipids with peritoneal endometriosis. Conclusion: Our results suggested that dysregulated lipid metabolism is causally associated with the occurrence of endometriosis, especially peritoneal endometriosis. Our findings provided genetic insights on potential novel strategies in the primary prevention and treatment of endometriosis.

KAOLIN FORMATION IN YATAĞAN (MUĞLA) LIGNITE DEPOSIT

The 30-km-long and 10-km-wide, coal-bearing Yatağan Basin is located in SW Anatolia, close to the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea, Türkiye. The basement consists of Menderes Massif metamorphics in the NW part of this intermontane basin, c. 80-km2-large area (Turgut lignite deposit). The Neogene and Quaternary sedimentary filling comprises fluvioterrestrial, limnic and telmatic sediments which contain a mineable coal seam up to 15 m thick, unconformably overlain the basement. Two fresh and six weathered samples were picked up from the Menderes Massif gneiss outcrops of the catchment area. Eight sedimentary rocks, inorganics over and underlying the coal seam, were obtained from four borehole cores. All samples were examined under the optical microscope; XRD, SEM-EDX and ICP-MS analyses were later performed. This study aims to examine the mineralogical content and geochemical processes of the sedimentary rocks from different formations, namely Sekköy and Turgut Formations, which are over- and underlying the lignite horizon, to assess the clay mineral formations and transformations. Gneiss samples contain mainly quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar, muscovite and biotite with a lesser amount of tourmaline, chlorite, garnet, apatite, zoisite, zircon and Fe-oxides. The -2 µm fraction consists mainly of illite, with fewer smectite and kaolinite. Sericitizitation of feldspar is the main product in gneisses. Coal over-and underlying sedimentary rock samples contain mainly quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar, muscovite, and biotite with less pyrite and iron oxides. The -2 µm fraction of the sedimentary rock samples consists of variable clay mineral contents. Kaolin content is higher in acidic conditions with an opposite correlation to smectite occurrences. The geochemistry of Menderes Massif gneisses shows that it gave felsic material to the catchment area, whereas the geochemistry of sedimentary rocks is not coherent in all cases. Geochemical parameters like CIA and PIA proved that weathering processes of the source materials prevailed during the generation of these sedimentary units.

Socket preservation using a combination of propolis extract and bovine bone graft towards the expression of receptor activator of nuclear κB ligand and osteoprogerin.

This study was undertaken to comprehend the effect of a combination of bovine bone graft (BBG) and propolis extract on the receptor activator of nuclear κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) expressions in post-extraction tooth sockets.

Lysine based dipeptides-molecular rectifiers with very high rectification ratio and their application towards designing logic gates

In this research paper, we have enquired the dipeptides (i.e., smallest peptides) consisting of oppositely charged amino acids namely, Lysine-Aspartic and Lysine-Glutamic, where l-Lysine is positively charged, and both L-Aspartic and L-Glutamic are negatively charged amino acids. The l-Glutamic acid has only one extra CH2 chain as compared with l-Aspartic acid. These two dipeptides are stringed to Au, Ag and Cu electrodes, to form molecular devices. Distinct parameters including conductance, Homo-Lumo gap, dipole moment, current-voltage characteristics are intrigued using NEGF-DFT technique. Au-Lysine-Aspartic-Au offers the negative differential resistance regime with the highest peak-to-valley current ratio of 28.79. Lysine-Aspartic with Cu electrodes and Lysine-Glutamic with Au electrodes offers the highest rectification ratio of 146.96 and 34.31 respectively, as compared with other electrodes. Lysine-Aspartic based dipeptides offer higher rectification ratio as compared with Lysine-Glutamic based dipeptides. Moreover, these two dipeptides offer opposite correlation between dipole moment, coupling strength and switching regimes. The reason behind rectification ratio and negative differential resistance is elaborated using transmission spectra, molecular projected self-Hamiltonian states and transmission pathway. The OR, AND and XOR logic gates are proposed using switching regimes of Au-Lysine-Aspartic-Au. We have also detected the thermal stability of one of the heterostructure using ab initio molecular dynamics simulation.