Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex reproductive and endocrine disorder affecting 5–10% of women of reproductive age, but the pathophysiology of PCOS still remains unknown. Here, the aim of our study was to analyze the effects of rapamycin treatment that may regulate impaired hormonal levels and folliculogenesis in dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)-treated PCOS mouse. We hypothesized that rapamycin may ameliorate the negative effects of PCOS in DHEA-induced PCOS mouse model. The target of rapamycin (TOR) gene product is a serine/threonine kinase that has been implicated in the control of cell growth, proliferation and autophagy, and rapamycin is a potent inhibitor of mTORC1 pathway. In this study, for the first time, mTORC1 and activation products are presented at protein and mRNA levels after rapamycin treatment in DHEA-induced PCOS mouse ovary. We showed that rapamycin treatment may regulate follicular development, hormonal levels and provide ovulation in DHEA-induced PCOS mouse. Additionally, we assessed decreased primordial follicle reserve, increased number of primary and secondary follicles, corpus luteum structure forms again after 10 days of rapamycin treatment. This study presented here suggests rapamycin treatment regulates hormonal phenotype and folliculogenesis in the ovary and also mTOR signalling pathway in granulosa cells of DHEA-induced PCOS mouse ovary which may have potential to attenuate understanding the mechanism of dominant follicle selection and anovulatory infertility.

Phylogenetic studies of aberrant species are of considerable scientific interest because their taxonomic rank in traditional systems based on morphological characters is not infrequently overestimated. Apopharynx bolodes (Braun, 1902) is one of the few psilostomid digeneans devoid of the pharynx. This is considered a sufficient basis for assigning it and similar species to the subfamily Apopharynginae. We found A. bolodes in Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 from Belarus, described it morphologically, and genotyped it by the 28S rRNA gene and the ITS2 region. It is the first molecular data on A. bolodes and the first record of this digenean species in Belarus. The phylogenetic analysis based on partial sequences of the 28S rRNA gene showed that A. bolodes is closely related to the Sphaeridiotrema spp. (Sphaeridiotrematinae). However, this phylogenetic inference has not received yet support with data on the ITS2 region.

This study evaluates the maintenance of a clinically meaningful weight loss (≥ 5 %) after 12 and 36 months of participation in an intervention to promote fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption. A randomised controlled trial was conducted in a primary health care service. For 7 months, participants in the control group (CG) and in the intervention group (IG) performed guided physical exercise three times/week; the IG also participated in collective activities to promote FV consumption. This study selected participants (n 267) who showed clinically meaningful weight loss after nutritional intervention. Sociodemographic, health and body weight data were collected in a face-to-face interview at baseline (T0) and after intervention (T1). Participants were reassessed after 12 (T2) and 36 months (T3) by telephone interview, and the self-reported weight was corrected. The outcome measures weight changes at three time points: M1, comparing T2 with T1; M2, comparing T3 with T2; and M3, comparing T3 with T1. The generalised estimating equation, adjusted for individual characteristics, was used. Participants in the CG showed an increase of 4·2 kg (P < 0·001) at M1 and 4·6 kg (P < 0·001) at M3, while IG individuals showed an increase of 3·6 kg (P < 0·001) at M1 and 3·8 kg (P < 0·001) at M3. The between-group analyses show the effect of nutritional intervention on the maintenance of weight loss at M2 (P = 0·033). Although CG and IG participants increased in weight, the nutritional intervention was associated with maintenance over the long term. This reveals the importance of the promotion of FV consumption for body weight maintenance.

Community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) relies on a food-based approach. However, a comprehensive assessment of their nutrient composition and its impact on treatment outcomes is currently lacking in the extant literature. This narrative review summarises recent evidence on the efficacy of formulations that contain dairy protein and maintain the density of essential nutrients (type I and type II) in managing uncomplicated acute malnutrition at the community level. The literature used for the evidence synthesis was identified using a two-stage screening process. An electronic search was run on PubMed and Cochrane Library, followed by a backward snowball search to identify efficacy studies. A total of twenty-six efficacy studies involving food formulations used to treat uncomplicated severe and moderate acute malnutrition were identified. The review found that, while more evidence favours the inclusion of dairy in formulations as efficacious in supporting recovery from malnutrition, ambiguity in the conclusive findings between dairy and non-dairy formulations remains due to the varied percentages of dairy protein in different formulations. The type of protein source used in a formulation matters, but other approaches, including fortification, can aid in maintaining the nutrient density of formulations, thereby improving the chances of recovery. However, the inclusion of high amounts of added sugar in therapeutic formulations exceeding the World Health Organization norms is a concern that warrants more attention. Future clinical research should assess outcomes such as lean or fat mass changes to confirm the benefits of using dairy or non-dairy formulations to treat moderate and severe acute malnutrition.

The fault-tolerant control issue of aircraft engines with actuator dynamics and faults is investigated in this paper. By proposing a novel intelligent sliding mode fault-tolerant control (ISMFTC) method, which combines an adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) sliding surface with Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) for controller parameter optimisation, the goal is to achieve quality steady-state and dynamic performance in aircraft engines while maintaining strong fault-tolerance properties. Firstly, by considering not only actuator dynamics but also actuator faults, an uncertain nonlinear cascaded model of aircraft engines is developed according to characteristic of aircraft engines and their actuators. Secondly, an ADP-based sliding surface is proposed for considered aircraft engine uncertain nonlinear cascaded system. It can obtain a certain sense of optimised performance, and could be solved by ADP strategy off-line as well. Thirdly, fault-tolerant controller is obtained on the basis of sliding mode theory and adaptive fault estimation law, namely, ADP-based ISMFTC controller. Meanwhile, GWO is integrated into the investigation of ADP-based ISMFTC controller, optimised designable control parameters are obtained subsequently. Besides, robustness analysis is elaborated according to Lyapunov theory, fault estimation error is bounded and states of closed-loop system are uniformly ultimately bounded. Simulation on a twin-shaft turbofan aircraft engine, indicates the effect of proposed ADP-based ISMFTC method.

Gecarcinid crabs have their life cycles in antagonistic scenarios, with their larvae developing in the sea and the juvenile/adult phases occurring on land. Adults migrate from land to sea to release their larvae, which return to land upon reaching the megalopa stage. Recruitment and early instar traits in gecarcinids crabs remain unknown, leading to some species lacking age-specific information. Despite massive recruitment observed in some insular gecarcinid species (e.g. Gecarcoidea natalis), recruits are generally expected to be few and exhibit cryptic behaviour, potentially occupying the burrows of conspecifics. We evaluated whether recruits of Johngarthia lagostoma on Trindade Island, Brazil, co-inhabit larger conspecific burrows, analysing this occurrence and examining their growth patterns, density, and body size across different lunar phases. Johngarthia lagostoma recruits inhabit conspecific burrows, either abandoned or occupied by adult crabs, but always with leaves stored in the inner chamber. Recruits in co-inhabiting behaviour reach a maximum carapace width of 7.3 mm, and after that, they are likely detected by the adults and possibly cannibalized or leave burrows naturally. During the full moon, the higher density and smaller size of recruits were recorded, indicating a recruitment lunar phase. It is crucial to ascertain the prevalence of co-inhabitation behaviours in other land crab species to expand the knowledge about recruitment patterns in these key community species.

This study compared the efficacy and tolerability of three enteral formulas in critically ill patients with COVID-19 who were ventilated and in the prone position: (a) immunomodulatory (IMM), (b) ω3 and (c) maltodextrins (MD). Primary outcome was the percentage of patients who received both 80 % of their protein and calorie targets at 3 d after enrolment. Secondary, mechanical ventilation-free time, ICU mortality and markers of nutritional status. Tolerance of enteral nutrition was evaluated by diarrhoea and gastroparesis rate. A total of 231 patients were included, primary outcome achieved was in ω3 group (76·5 % v. 59·7 and 35·2 %, P < 0·001) v. IMM and MD groups. Mechanical ventilation-free time was longer in ω3 and MD groups: 23·11 (sd 34·2) h and 22·59 (sd 42·2) h v. 7·9 (sd 22·6) h (P < 0·01) in IMM group. Prealbumin final was 0·203 ± 0·108 g/L and 0·203 ± 0·095 g/L in IMM and ω3 groups v 0·164 ± 0·070 g/L (p < 0·01) MD group. Transferrin were 1·515 ± 0·536 g/L and 1·521 ± 0·500 g/L in IMM and ω3 groups v 1·337 ± 0·483 g/L (p < 0·05) MD group. Increase of lymphocytes was greater in ω3 group: 1056·7 (sd 660·8) cells/mm3 v. 853·3 (sd 435·9) cells/mm3 and 942·7 (sd 675·4) cells/mm3 (P < 0·001) in IMM and MD groups. Diarrhoea and gastroparesis occurred in 5·1 and 3·4 %, respectively. The findings of this study indicate that enteral nutrition is a safe and well-tolerated intervention. The ω3 formula compared with IMM and MD did improve protein and calorie targets.

This paper considers fossil fuel infrastructure alongside the punctuation infrastructure of writing. It focuses, in particular, on the period—as both punctuation and time frame—to ask how one demarcates the Victorian period in the context of climate change impacts that exceed it. The paper itself traverses different temporal periods and different forms of punctuation to make its point that infrastructure, while often unnoticed, shapes both ideas and action.

Maize is one of the major agricultural commodities in the world, and a source of food in Africa, representing more than 40 million ha currently harvested on the continent. Despite sub-Saharan Africa's dependence on grain, the maize actual yield (Ya) of the crop is low when compared to its potential yield. In Brazil, the yield-gap between Ya and water-limited yield (Yw) is approximately 50% of Yw. The objective of this study was to carry out a case study, using upland maize as a reference to identify a set of agricultural areas with similar soil and climate in Brazil and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The climatic similarity between Brazil and SSA countries was verified, seeking homogeneous climatic zones that occur in both regions. The Ya was determined including the data of at least the last three years of cultivation and were taken from the database of the national institutes of agricultural statistics. The climatic data showed that the SSA had well-distributed rainfall throughout the crop season, being higher than in Brazil, as well as the average air temperature. The average Yw was 11.3 and 7.4 Mg/ha for Brazil and SSA, respectively. Maize Ya in SSA was 1.4 Mg/ha, while in Brazil Ya was 5.2 Mg/ha. Ya represented approximately 9% of Yw in the SSA. The low Ya shows the large yield-gap found in SSA. With this, it is evident that the technologies used and the crop management are largely responsible for the yield differences between Brazil and SSA.

Sand flies are potential carriers of various diseases that are transmittable to humans and animals. In this study, United States Centers for Disease Control light traps were set up in four tourist caves in the Thai provinces of Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Satun, and Chumphon to capture Idiophlebotomus asperulus sand flies. Over a period of three months, April to June, in 2017, a total of 181 female Idiophlebotomus asperulus sand flies were captured during nightly operations. The sand flies were dissected into 23 external and internal parts to identify their morphological characteristics. Statistical analysis was then conducted on these morphological characteristics, involving both univariate analysis (one-way analysis of variance and the Kruskal–Wallis test) and multivariate analysis (canonical discriminant analysis). Levene’s, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov, and Box’s M tests were used for the preliminary statistical screening of the data. The test results revealed significant morphological differences in the sand flies from the four provinces with regard to their antenna segments 5, palpal segments 3, pharynxes, hindlegs, femurs, and spermathecae. These morphological differences in the southern Thai Idiophlebotomus asperulus sand fly population suggest the possibility that at least three morphologically different populations are found in this region.

Round gourd is sensitive to low temperature (March), high temperature (May–June), high humidity (July–August), and whitefly-transmitted begomovirus diseases (July–September), thereby restricting its fruit availability period in North-Western Indian Plains. Mulches extend the growing season by modifying soil temperature and reducing the incidence of viral diseases. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effects of sowing time, mulching and their interaction on performance of round gourd crop so as to identify the best mulch at different sowing times. The field trials were conducted in a split-plot design during 2021 and 2022. The main plot consisted of six sowing dates, i.e., the first week of March (DS1), April (DS2), May (DS3), June (DS4), July (DS5) and August (DS6). The sub-plot comprised bare soil (BS) and three mulching treatments, viz., silver-black plastic mulch (SBPM), black plastic mulch (BPM) and paddy straw mulch (6 t/ha) (PSM). The BPM and SBPM increased the seasonal soil temperature over BS by 3.1–4.1°C and 2.1–3.1°C, respectively, whereas the PSM reduced the seasonal soil temperature by 2.3–3.5°C. The SBPM produced the best crop performance, followed by BPM and PSM in all sowing dates except DS5 in which the PSM outperformed BPM. The DS1 and DS2 were the best sowing times, and the crop performance gradually declined with each successive sowing time, except that the crop performed better in DS6 compared with DS5. The SBPM or BPM in DS2 and DS1 were the best treatment combinations for round gourd cultivation in the study area.

In its dynamism and shared imaginative scope, popular fiction could provide a creative foundation for “not-yet-achieved” infrastructural projects. By insisting on the moral value of seeing others as “fellow-passengers to the grave,” Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843) anticipates the London Necropolis Railway. Designed to relieve pressure on the capital, this purpose-built funeral railroad and cemetery opened in Brookwood, Surrey, in 1854. Through a fantasy that invokes locomotive hearses, Dickens humanizes the notion of a steam-powered funeral apparatus. He advocates for burial beyond the city by contrasting Tiny Tim's restful end in a “green place” with Scrooge's horrifying, “walled-in,” urban grave. Dickens's enduring Christmas story appeals to what could be and eases the imaginative leap required of those entrusting their loved ones to a novel postmortem infrastructure that was built to last.

This essay argues that infrastructures in Charles Dickens's Bleak House (1853) effect temporal accelerations and protractions, as opposed to being connective tissues for spatial and social networks. Reading the law enacted at the court of Chancery and the British Empire's maritime networks, two instances of the novel's many infrastructures, this paper traces infrastructures’ time warps: perpetual deferrals of justice, denials of coevalness to colonial subjects, and accelerations of death for Richard Carstone and other characters. Infrastructures’ temporal transformations reveal how temporalities of varying rhythms are held together under a veneer of uniform linearity by the realist novel's generic attributes like serialized publication and Esther's marriage plot. Attention to this fraught temporality, the author argues, enables readers to glean the extent to which the claims of colonized and subaltern subjects suffuse the novel's narrative voice.

The nineteenth century is the period when so many of the infrastructures on which we rely for the transmission and distribution of ideas, people, and goods were, on one hand, established and standardized and, on the other, contested and transformed in practice. We argue that literary and cultural scholars of the nineteenth century can make major contributions to the transhistorical and transimperial work of critical infrastructure studies. The pieces in this special issue give us a picture of Victorian infrastructure that we have loosely organized into four major themes: Water and Waste; Death and Bodies; Periods and Punctuation; and Care and Aid. Whether close-reading literary representations of infrastructure or close-reading literature as infrastructure, these essays collectively show how Victorian literature moved people. Our contributors address the following questions, among others: How did the material structures that moved people, goods, and ideas make people feel? How did people's feelings, libidinal energies, and practices affect how infrastructures were imagined, designed, built, used, and transformed—in literature and in the world?