Effects of variable mating opportunity, delay, and male mating experience on the lifespan, female reproductive traits, and offspring traits of Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

The balance between mating benefits and costs shapes reproductive strategies and life history traits across animal species. For biological control programs, understanding how mating rates influence life history traits is essential for optimising population management and enhancing predator efficacy. This study investigates the impact of mating opportunity availability, delayed mating, and male mating history (copulation frequency) on the lifespan (both sexes), female reproductive traits (duration of oviposition and of pre- and post-oviposition periods, and lifetime oviposition), and offspring quality (egg size and offspring survival) of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae), an important biological control agent against spider mites.

Fasting glucose levels at diagnosis and delivery are associated with postpartum glucose abnormalities in GDM women.

Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) significantly increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Although the increased glucose levels typically return to normal range after delivery for most GDM women, a significant proportion of GDM women develop impaired glucose tolerance or overt diabetes after delivery. Several factors associated with postpartum glucose abnormalities have been identified, yet the link between fasting glucose levels at diagnosis of GDM and postpartum glucose abnormalities remains unclear.

Fatty acid oxidation-induced HIF-1α activation facilitates hepatic urate synthesis through upregulating NT5C2 and XDH.

Dyslipidemia affects approximately half of all people with gout, and prior Mendelian randomization analysis suggested a causal role for elevated triglycerides in hyperuricemia (HU), but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We hypothesize that dyslipidemia promotes hepatic urate biosynthesis in HU and gout and fatty acid (FA) oxidation (FAO) drives this process. Here we developed a targeted metabolomics to quantify major metabolites in purine metabolic pathway in the sera of a human cohort with HU, gout, and normaluricemic controls.

Physical Health Views Among Individuals Experiencing Mental Illness: A Mixed-Methods Study of Self-Reported Health and Contributing Factors.

Severe mental illness is linked to poor physical health and shorter life expectancy, yet research on how individuals experiencing mental illness view and on improve their physical health is limited. This study investigates the perceptions of individuals experiencing mental illness regarding their physical health, utilising a mixed-methods approach. Phase I involved quantitative and qualitative data from an online Qualtrics survey, which included the 12-item Short Form (SF-12) survey to measure participants' quality of life and assess self-reported physical and mental health.

A psychometric appraisal of a revised preparedness for medication administration questionnaire in final-year undergraduate nursing students: a secondary analysis.

Background: Students must be prepared for the transference of medication administration (pharmacology knowledge and clinical skills) to clinical practice. The Preparedness for Medication Oral Administration questionnaire has been used in several studies and demonstrated strong internal reliability and consistency. The questionnaire has been revised to align with updated medication competencies.

Time and cost of linking administrative datasets for outcomes assessment in a follow-up study of participants from two randomised trials.

Background: For the follow-up of participants in randomised trials, data linkage is thought a more cost-efficient method for assessing outcomes. However, researchers often encounter technical and budgetary challenges. Data requests often require a significant amount of information from researchers, and can take several years to process.

The biodiversity of ice-free Antarctica database.

Antarctica is one of Earth's most untouched, inhospitable, and poorly known regions. Although knowledge of its biodiversity has increased over recent decades, a diverse, wide-ranging, and spatially explicit compilation of the biodiversity that inhabits Antarctica's permanently ice-free areas is unavailable. This absence hinders both Antarctic biodiversity research and the integration of Antarctica in global biodiversity-related studies.

Risk factors for pancreatic cancer in individuals with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms and no high-risk stigmata during up to 5 years of surveillance: a prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Cyst size, its growth rate, and diameter of the main pancreatic duct (MPD) are all associated with pancreatic carcinoma prevalence in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs).

Objective: To examine the above factors in relation to future risk of incident pancreatic carcinoma in individuals with IPMNs harbouring no high-risk stigmata.

Design: In a prospective longitudinal cohort, we analysed 2549 patients with IPMNs.

Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Pets of Harris County, Texas, Revealed More Common Pet Infections in Households With Human COVID-19 Cases.

Local health departments can play a critical role in zoonoses surveillance at the human-domestic animal interface, especially when existing public health services and close relationships with community groups can be leveraged. Investigators at Harris County Veterinary Public Health employed a community-based surveillance tool for identifying severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in dogs and cats in June--December 2021. Diagnosis was made using both RT-qPCR testing of oral and nasal swabs and plaque reduction neutralization testing of serum samples.

Nature and stability of the chemical bond in H3C-XHn (XHn = CH3, NH2, OH, F, Cl, Br, I).

We have quantum chemically analyzed the trends in bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE) of H3C-XHn single bonds (XHn = CH3, NH2, OH, F, Cl, Br, I) along three different dissociation pathways at ZORA-BLYP-D3(BJ)/TZ2P: (i) homolytic dissociation into H3C∙ + ∙XHn, (ii) heterolytic dissociation into H3C+ + -XHn, and (iii) heterolytic dissociation into H3C- + +XHn. The associated BDEs for the three pathways differ not only quantitatively but, in some cases, also in terms of opposite trends along the C-X series. Based on activation strain analyses and quantitative molecular orbital theory, we explain how these differences are caused by the profoundly different electronic structures of, and thus bonding mechanisms between, the resulting fragments in the three different dissociation pathways.

Population-level administrative data: A resource to advance psychological science.

Population-level administrative data-data on individuals' interactions with administrative systems, such as healthcare, social-welfare, criminal-justice, and education systems-are a fruitful resource for research into behavior, development, and wellbeing. However, administrative data are underutilized in psychological science. Here, we review advantages of population-level administrative data for psychological research, with examples of advances in psychological theory arising from administrative-data studies.

: A treasure trove of phytochemicals, nutritional benefits, and biological activities.

The increasing impact of climate change and growing consumer interest in healthful foods have forced a reconsideration of indigenous plants as sustainable food resources. popularly known as Mobola plum, is a prominent African underutilized plant whose natural habitat stretches from West to Southern Africa. It is an important source of food and ethnomedicines across Africa, a status boosted by the rich content of nutrients and phytochemicals in its different plant parts.

Overcoming Shifting Baselines: Paleo-Behaviour Reveals Industrial Revolution as Tipping Point.

Human activities have significantly altered coastal ecosystems worldwide. The phenomenon of shifting baselines syndrome (SBS) complicates our understanding of these changes, masking the true scale of human impacts. This study investigates the long-term ecological effects of anthropogenic activities on New Zealand's coastal ecosystems over 800 years using fish otolith microchemical profiling and dynamic time warping across an entire stock unit.

Digital Health Innovations to Catalyze the Transition to Value-Based Health Care.

The health care industry is currently going through a transformation due to the integration of technologies and the shift toward value-based health care (VBHC). This article explores how digital health solutions play a role in advancing VBHC, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities associated with adopting these technologies. Digital health, which includes mobile health, wearable devices, telehealth, and personalized medicine, shows promise in improving diagnostic accuracy, treatment options, and overall health outcomes.

The effects of unconditional cash transfers on child abuse and neglect in early childhood: Evidence from New Zealand.

Background: Child abuse and neglect is recorded at higher rates in families with low incomes, and in contexts with lower public spending on families. However, it is not clear whether modest cash transfers could reduce rates.

Objective: To estimate the effects of unconditional cash transfers to mothers with children under 3 years of age on child abuse and neglect.

Acceleration of bone healing by a growth factor-releasing allo-hybrid graft.

Introduction: Human amniotic membrane (hAM) has a highly biocompatible natural scaffold that is abundant in several extracellular matrix (ECM) components, including but not limited to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor (TGF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF). In our study, we have focused on a mixture of hAM and demineralized bone matrix (DBM) as an allo-hybrid graft to deliver it into the site of bone defect to decrease bone remodeling time.

Methods: Allo-hybrid grafts were prepared by coating the jelly made of decellularized and lyophilized hAM (AMJ) on the surface of DBM and subsequently underwent in vitro studies, such as alkaline phosphatase activity, MTT assay, and SEM analysis.

Cost-effective production of meaty aroma from porcine cells for hybrid cultivated meat.

Cultivated meats are typically hybrids of animal cells and plant proteins, but their high production costs limit their scalability. This study explores a cost-effective alternative by hypothesizing that controlling the Maillard and lipid thermal degradation reactions in pure cells can create a meaty aroma that could be extracted from minimal cell quantities. Using spontaneously immortalized porcine myoblasts and fibroblasts adapted to suspension culture with a 1 % serum concentration, we developed a method to isolate flavor precursors via freeze-thawing.

Advancing anthocyanin extraction: Optimising solvent, preservation, and microwave techniques for enhanced recovery from merlot grape Marc.

Grape marc, a by-product of winemaking, is a rich source of bioactive compounds, yet efficient extraction methods suitable for industrial application remain underexplored. This study presents an integrated, three-stage approach to optimise the extraction of anthocyanins, phenolics, and tannins from Merlot grape marc. In the first stage, 12 solvents were evaluated using conventional solvent extraction, with 50 % ethanol (EtOH) acidified with hydrochloric acid (HCl) achieving the highest anthocyanin recovery after eight extraction cycles (0.

Was extinction of New Zealand's avian megafauna an unavoidable consequence of human arrival?

Human overexploitation contributed strongly to the loss of hundreds of bird species across Oceania, including nine giant, flightless birds called moa. The inevitability of anthropogenic moa extinctions in New Zealand has been fiercely debated. However, we can now rigorously evaluate their extinction drivers using spatially explicit demographic models capturing species-specific interactions between moa, natural climates and landscapes, and human colonists.

Limited reactivity of pyroxene and plagioclase in batch experiments with supercritical CO in the presence of NaCl and NaHCO in the context of CO sequestration via carbonation.

One-step high-pressure and high-temperature direct aqueous mineral carbonation of tailings derived from mining of Platinum Group Metals in South Africa requires a fundamental understanding of the reactivity of the most dominant mineral phases, i.e. pyroxene and plagioclase (66 wt.

Biochemical osteomalacia in adults undergoing vitamin D testing in the North-East of Scotland.

Background: International guidelines give greatly varying definitions of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) insufficiency and deficiency. Vitamin D testing is increasing despite 2016 UK guidance for adults advising routine vitamin D supplementation October-March and year-round for high risk groups. A service evaluation of vitamin D testing and biochemical osteomalacia in the North-East of Scotland (57-58°N) could inform definitions and testing guidance.

Innovative Solid Lipid Nanoparticle-Enriched Hydrogels for Enhanced Topical Delivery of L-Glutathione: A Novel Approach to Anti-Ageing.

Skin ageing, driven predominantly by oxidative stress from reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by environmental factors like ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation, accounts for approximately 80% of extrinsic skin damage. L-glutathione (GSH), a potent antioxidant, holds promise in combating UVA-induced oxidative stress. However, its instability and limited penetration through the stratum corneum hinder its topical application.

Arabidopsis Calcium Dependent Protein Kinase 3, and Its Orthologues OsCPK1, OsCPK15, and AcCPK16, Are Involved in Biotic and Abiotic Stresses.

Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CPKs) are plant proteins that directly bind calcium ions before phosphorylating substrates involved in biotic and abiotic stress responses, as well as development. CPK3 () is involved with plant signaling pathways such as stomatal movement regulation, salt stress response, apoptosis, seed germination and pathogen defense. In this study, and its orthologues in relatively distant plant species such as rice (, monocot) and kiwifruit (, asterid eudicot) were analyzed in response to drought, bacteria, fungi, and virus infections.

Lethal Male Combat of (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae), an Egg Parasitoid of Lepidopterous and Hemipterous Pests.

Aggressive interactions between males are common when victors gain increased mating success but can result in severe injury or death for the defeated. (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) is a solitary egg parasitoid of hemipteran and lepidopteran species. Here, we investigated lethal interactions between males and analyzed aggression behavior scaled with the male condition, number of competitors, number of presented females, and female mating status.

Molecular and Proteomic Analyses of Effects of Cadmium Exposure on the Silk Glands of .

Cadmium (Cd) is a pervasive heavy metal pollutant released into the environment through industrial activities such as mining, smelting, and agricultural runoff. This study aimed to investigate the molecular and metabolic impacts of Cd exposure on the silk glands of , a species renowned for producing silk with exceptional mechanical properties. Cd accumulation in spider bodies and silk glands was significantly higher in the low- and high-Cd groups compared to controls, with a dose- and time-dependent increase.