Critical Steps of Plasmodium falciparum Ookinete Maturation

The egress and fertilization of Plasmodium gametes and development of a motile ookinete are the first crucial steps that mediate the successful transmission of the malaria parasites from humans to the Anopheles vector. However, limited information exists about the cell biology and regulation of this process. Technical impediments in the establishment of in vitro conditions for ookinete maturation in Plasmodium falciparum and other human malaria parasites further constrain a detailed characterization of ookinete maturation. Here, using fluorescence microscopy and immunolabeling, we compared P. falciparum ookinete maturation in Anopheles coluzzii mosquitoes in vivo and in cell culture in vitro. Our results identified two critical steps in ookinete maturation that are regulated by distinct mosquito factors, thereby highlighting the role of the mosquito environment in the transmission efficiency of malaria parasites

Positive solutions of Schr\"odinger equations and fine regularity of boundary points

Given a Lipschitz domain $\Omega$ in ${\mathbb R} ^N$ and a nonnegative potential $V$ in $\Omega$ such that $V(x)\, d(x,\partial \Omega)^2$ is bounded in $\Omega$ we study the fine regularity of boundary points with respect to the Schr\"odinger operator $L_V:= \Delta -V$ in $\Omega$. Using potential theoretic methods, several conditions equivalent to the fine regularity of $z \in \partial \Omega$ are established. The main result is a simple (explicit if $\Omega$ is smooth) necessary and sufficient condition involving the size of $V$ for $z$ to be finely regular. An essential intermediate result consists in a majorization of $\int_A | {\frac {u} {d(.,\partial \Omega)}} | ^2\, dx$ for $u$ positive harmonic in $\Omega$ and $A \subset \Omega$. Conditions for almost everywhere regularity in a subset $A$ of $\partial \Omega$ are also given as well as an extension of the main results to a notion of fine ${\mathcal L}_1 | {\mathcal L}_0$-regularity, if ${\mathcal L}_j={\mathcal L}-V_j$, $V_0,\, V_1$ being two potentials, with $V_0 \leq V_1$ and ${\mathcal L}$ a second order elliptic operator.Comment: version 1. 23 pages version 3. 28 pages. Mainly a typo in Theorem 1.1 is correcte

Galactose Epimerase Deficiency: Expanding the Phenotype

Galactose epimerase deficiency is an inborn error of metabolism due to uridine diphosphate-galactose-4'-epimerase (GALE) deficiency. We report the clinical presentation, genetic and biochemical studies in two siblings with generalized GALE deficiency.Patient 1: The first child was born with a dysmorphic syndrome. Failure to thrive was noticed during the first year. Episodes of heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy, followed by liver failure, occurred between 12 and 42 months. The finding of a serum transferrin isoelectrofocusing (IEF) type 1 pattern led to the suspicion of a congenital disorder of glycosylation (CDG). Follow-up disclosed psychomotor disability, deafness, and nuclear cataracts.Patient 2: The sibling of patient 1 was born with short limbs and hip dysplasia. She is deceased in the neonatal period due to intraventricular hemorrhage in the context of liver failure. Investigation disclosed galactosuria and normal transferrin glycosylation.Next-generation sequence panel analysis for CDG syndrome revealed the previously reported c.280G>A (p.[V94M]) homozygous mutation in the GALE gene. Enzymatic studies in erythrocytes (patient 1) and fibroblasts (patients 1 and 2) revealed markedly reduced GALE activity confirming generalized GALE deficiency. This report describes the fourth family with generalized GALE deficiency, expanding the clinical spectrum of this disorder, since major cardiac involvement has not been reported before.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Post-harvest Processing Practices of Small-scale Fisherfolk from Rosario, Cavite, Philippines: Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Tuyo

Dried, salted fish (Sardinella spp.), locally known as tuyo, is a Filipino food staple. Pandawan fisherfolk consider tuyo processing as their main source of livelihood. This study determined the relation of post-harvest practices with the physicochemical and microbiological quality of tuyo. Tuyo processing involves receiving, washing, salting, rinsing, sun-drying, pressing, cooling, and packaging. Although the documented tuyo processing complied with the code of practice, processors needed to follow Good Manufacturing Practices. Moreover, tuyo had lower salt content (7.77-9.08 %NaCl), higher water activity (0.79-0.81), and aerobic plate count (7.82-8.36 log CFU/g) compared to national standards. Its yeast and mold count (3.58-3.66 log CFU/g) and histamine levels (134-141 ppm) were elevated but within the standard. The final product characteristics may be attributed to GMP non-compliance and high raw fish (aerobic plate count: 6.59-6.69 log CFU/g) and process water (heterotrophic plate count: 10.43 log CFU/mL, total coliform count: \u3e3.20 log MPN/mL, and fecal coliform count: \u3e3.20 log MPN/mL) microbial load. The lack of appropriate fish processing facilities and training programs impedes improving the safety and quality of tuyo. Continuous local government support would aid in ameliorating tuyo, ensuring the production of safe and sustainable foods

Smart Agribot: Advanced CNN-Based Disease Detection in Green Beans with EfficientDet & Auto-Spraying

The Smart Agribot is a cutting-edge robotic system developed to improve how green beans are grown in the Philippines. It combines advanced technology like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for disease detection, automated spraying, and efficient crop transportation. This project aims to make farming more productive, reduce waste, and improve plant health. The Agribot\u27s physical design uses common, affordable parts like Arduino Uno, Raspberry Pi, metal frames, and wooden supports, creating a sturdy yet cost-effective machine. Its brain is a CNN model trained on a large set of images showing healthy and diseased green bean plants. This training allows the Agribot to accurately identify different plant diseases. Extensive testing confirmed that the system can reliably detect diseases, with especially high accuracy in spotting Rust, a common issue in bean crops. The Agribot’s automatic sprayer further reduces the amount of chemicals needed by only spraying plants that truly need it, which lowers costs and lessens environmental harm. Additionally, the built-in crop transporter makes harvesting faster and more efficient without significantly affecting crop yields. Together, these features make the Smart Agribot a promising tool for modern farming. It can help farmers save time, reduce costs, and improve overall productivity. As the Agribot continues to be improved, it has the potential to work with other crops and farming systems, supporting more sustainable agriculture in the future

Smart Agribot: Advanced CNN-Based Disease Detection in Green Beans with EfficientDet & Auto-Spraying

The Smart Agribot is a cutting-edge robotic system developed to improve how green beans are grown in the Philippines. It combines advanced technology like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for disease detection, automated spraying, and efficient crop transportation. This project aims to make farming more productive, reduce waste, and improve plant health. The Agribot\u27s physical design uses common, affordable parts like Arduino Uno, Raspberry Pi, metal frames, and wooden supports, creating a sturdy yet cost-effective machine. Its brain is a CNN model trained on a large set of images showing healthy and diseased green bean plants. This training allows the Agribot to accurately identify different plant diseases. Extensive testing confirmed that the system can reliably detect diseases, with especially high accuracy in spotting Rust, a common issue in bean crops. The Agribot’s automatic sprayer further reduces the amount of chemicals needed by only spraying plants that truly need it, which lowers costs and lessens environmental harm. Additionally, the built-in crop transporter makes harvesting faster and more efficient without significantly affecting crop yields. Together, these features make the Smart Agribot a promising tool for modern farming. It can help farmers save time, reduce costs, and improve overall productivity. As the Agribot continues to be improved, it has the potential to work with other crops and farming systems, supporting more sustainable agriculture in the future

Awareness and Practice of Standard Precaution for Infection Control among Student Nurses

Infection control is a critical concern in any health care setting among healthcare providerswhich include student nurses. The dearth of literature and studies among student nursesprompted the conduct of this study. This study sought to determine the awareness andpractice of standard precaution (handwashing, safe handling of needles and other sharpdevices, and disposal of contaminated materials) for infection control among student nurses.It also determined the relationship between awareness and practice on standard precaution forinfection control, the difference in the practice of standard precaution for infection controlwhen gender and year level were considered, and the predictors of practice of standardprecaution for infection control. Data were collected from 121nursing students comprising of2nd, 3rd and 4th years. Participants were obtained through purposive sampling, from one ofthe universities in the Philippines. Results showed that the awareness of the respondents wasvery high, practice of standard precautions for infection control in terms of handwashing andproper handling and disposal of contaminated materials were excellent, with very goodpractice in terms of safe handling of needles and other sharp devices. There was statisticallysignificant relationship between awareness and practice on standard precaution in terms ofproper handling and disposal of contaminated materials, wherein those with high awarenessare more likely to have a better practice. However, there was no significant relationshipbetween awareness and the practice of standard precautions for infection control in terms ofhandwashing and safe handling of needles and other sharp devices. Year level and gender didnot make any significant difference in the practice of standard precaution for infection control.However, year level and gender were significant predictors of practice of standard precautionfor infection control in terms of safe handling of needles and other sharp devices, whereinstudents in higher level tend to have a better practice. Awareness was a significant predictorof practice of standard precaution for infection control in terms of proper handling anddisposal of contaminated materials, wherein the higher the awareness the better is the practice.Standard precaution for infection control concept and proper practice should be introduced tothe students as early as their first year in the nursing program

Real-time PCR assays for detection and quantification of early P. falciparum gametocyte stages

Introduction The use of reverse transcription, quantitative qRT-PCR assays for detection and quantification of late gametocyte stages has revealed the high transmission capacity of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. A full understanding how the parasite adjusts its transmission in response to varying in-host environmental conditions during natural infections requires simultaneous quantification of early and late gametocytes. Here, we describe qRT-PCR assays that are specific for detection and quantification of early-stage gametocytes of P. falciparum. Methods The assays are based on expression of known early gametocyte genes (pfpeg4, pfg27, pfge1, pfge3 and pfgexp5). The specificity of the qRT-PCR assays was tested using purified stage II and stage V gametocytes. These validated assays were used with qRT-PCR assays targeting late stage (pfs25) and all-stage (pfs16) gametocyte-specific transcripts to quantify gametocytes in natural P. falciparum infections and in a controlled human clinical infection study. Results The relative expression of pfpeg4, pfg27 and pfge3, but not of pfge1 and pfgexp5, was significantly higher in purified stage II compared to stage V gametocytes, indicating early gametocyte specificity. In natural infections, 71.2% of individuals had both early and late gametocyte transcripts (pfpeg4/pfg27 plus pfs25), 12.6% harboured only early gametocytes transcripts (pfpeg4/pfg27), and 15.2% had only late gametocytes transcripts (pfs25). In natural infections, the limit of detection was equivalent to 190 and 390 gametocytes/mL blood for pfpeg4 and pfg27, respectively. In infected volunteers, transcripts of pfpeg4 and pfg27 were detected shortly after the onset of blood stage infection, demonstrating the specificity of the assays. Conclusion The pfpeg4 and pfg27 qRT-PCR assays can be used specifically to quantify circulating immature gametocytes. Quantification of early gametocytes will improve understanding of epidemiological processes that modulate P. falciparum transmission and enhance the evaluation of transmission blocking interventions

The Mediating Effect of Job Expectations on Selected Human Resource Management Practices and Career Satisfaction

As companies face changes from globalization, new technologies, and a younger workforce, Human Resource Management (HRM) has become more important in keeping employees satisfied and motivated. This study looked into how HRM practices and job expectations affect the career satisfaction of Generation Z alumni. The researchers used a descriptive quantitative method with 91 participants. The data were analyzed using frequency counts, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson correlation. The results showed that HRM practices have a strong and direct effect on career satisfaction. While job expectations also had a positive connection with satisfaction, they did not serve as a link between HRM practices and satisfaction. This means that HR practices alone can already help increase how satisfied employees feel in their careers. Based on the findings, organizations can focus on improving HR practices such as fair salary, open communication, giving feedback, and providing training or growth opportunities. These can make employees feel valued and more engaged at work. The study also suggests that HR planning should support not just work performance but also overall employee well-being

Fertilização com manganês na produção de mandioca de mesa sob sistema de manejo orgânico

Organic management farms in the Federal District, Brazil, usually present overlimed and overfertilized soils, with high content of organic matter and high pH. These conditions lead to a low availability of manganese to crops. Many sweet cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz.) crops were diagnosed with Mn deficiency in the region, presenting low yields. In order to overcome such condition, an experiment was established comprising the following treatments: application of MnSO4 banded in rows; treatment of cassava cuttings with a MnSO4 solution before planting; application of MnSO4 and elemental sulfur (S0) banded in the rows, to acidify the soil, increasing the Mn solubility; and leaf spraying of a Mn solution. The best results were revealed when the Mn was applied by foliar spraying and using a combination of methods (treatment of cassava cuttings with Mn, and Mn and S0 applied to the soil before planting). This treatments provided a fresh root yield of 19.5 Mg ha-1, contrasting with the control treatment (3.6 Mg ha-1). KEYWORDS: Manihot esculenta Crantz, root production, micronutrients.Solos de propriedades agrícolas do Distrito Federal sob manejo orgânico normalmente apresentam calagem e fertilizantes em excesso, contendo alto conteúdo de matéria orgânica e elevado pH. Essas condições levam a uma baixa disponibilidade de manganês às culturas. Muitas culturas de mandioca de mesa (Manihot esculenta Crantz.) foram diagnosticadas com deficiência de Mn na região, apresentando baixa produtividade. Para superar essa condição, um experimento foi instalado com os seguintes tratamentos: aplicação de MnSO4 nas linhas de plantio; tratamento das manivas com solução de MnSO4 antes do plantio; aplicação de MnSO4 e enxofre elementar (S0) nas linhas de plantio, para acidificar o solo, aumentando a solubilidade de Mn; e aplicação foliar de uma solução de Mn. Os melhores resultados foram obtidos quando o Mn foi fornecido via foliar e pela combinação de métodos (tratamento de manivas com Mn, e Mn e S0 aplicados ao solo antes do plantio). Esses tratamentos promoveram uma produção de raízes frescas de 19,5 Mg ha-1, contrastando com o tratamento controle (3,6 Mg ha-1). PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Manihot esculenta Crantz, produção de raízes, micronutrientes