Our review found the effective reproduction number and basic reproduction number of the Omicron variant elicited 3.8 and 2.5 times higher transmissibility than the Delta variant, respectively. The Omicron variant has an average basic and effective reproduction number of 8.2 and 3.6.
Hiroki Kanagawa, Kenichi Fujita, Aya Watanabe
et al.
Voice directors often iteratively refine voice actors' performances by providing feedback to achieve the desired outcome. While this iterative feedback-based refinement process is important in actual recordings, it has been overlooked in text-to-speech synthesis (TTS). As a result, fine-grained style refinement after the initial synthesis is not possible, even though the synthesized speech often deviates from the user's intended style. To address this issue, we propose a TTS method with multi-step interaction that allows users to intuitively and rapidly refine synthesized speech. Our approach models the interaction between the TTS model and its user to emulate the relationship between voice actors and voice directors. Experiments show that the proposed model with its corresponding dataset enables iterative style refinements in accordance with users' directions, thus demonstrating its multi-interaction capability. Sample audios are available: https://ntt-hilab-gensp.github.io/ssw13multiinteractiontts/
Abstract Purpose Prior sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) thresholds for diagnosing male infertility and predicting assisted reproduction technology (ART) outcomes fluctuated between 15 and 30%, with no agreed standard. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the sperm DFI on early embryonic development during ART treatments and establish appropriate DFI cut-off values. Methods Retrospectively analyzed 913 couple’s ART cycles from 2021 to 2022, encompassing 1,476 IVF and 295 ICSI cycles, following strict criteria. The WHO guidelines directed the semen analysis, while the acridine orange test (AOT) determined the DFI. Male factors (age, BMI, DFI, infertility duration, sperm parameters) and female parameters (age, BMI, AMH, retrieved oocytes) were evaluated. We also assessed embryological parameters like fertilization rate, cleavage rate, and blastocyst quality. Correlations between DFI and embryo quality were examined and DFI cut-off values were established using ROC analysis. Results The Sperm DFI demonstrated a positive correlation with male age and a negative correlation with sperm motility, concentration, and normal morphology, while showing no relation to BMI. No connection between DFI and embryological parameters in only IVF and ICSI groups was found, but a negative correlation with fertilization rate was seen in all ART cycles. ROC curve analysis revealed a DFI cut-off value of 21.15% having 36.7% sensitivity and 28.9% specificity in predicting high fertilization rate (≥ 80%). Conclusion Sperm DFI had a negative correlation with fertilization rate, but limited predictive efficacy and no significant link to other embryological parameters. DFI assessments may improve early embryo development prediction during ART treatments, particularly in older males or those exhibiting poor sperm quality.
Background/Objectives: There is a paucity of research studying point-of-care ultrasound in the pregnant population, despite the rising incidence of maternal medical complications and, in particular, preeclampsia. This study sought to compare the inferior vena cava collapsibility index (IVC-CI) between patients with preeclampsia with severe features (PECS) and gestational age-matched controls and to assess whether pulse pressure (PP) correlates with IVC-CI in PECS. Methods: This was a prospective pilot study of patients recruited at an inpatient hospital and an outpatient office. The case group included admitted patients with a diagnosis of PECS considered to be stable for prolonged antepartum expectant management. One patient per gestational age week from 23 to 34 weeks with PECS was compared to a gestational age-matched patient without any form of preeclampsia and/or gestational hypertension. Patients on magnesium sulfate, those with multiple gestation, large-for-gestational age fetus, fetal growth restriction, polyhydramnios, oligohydramnios, and/or an anomalous fetus were excluded. Results: IVC-CI was significantly lower in the PECS group compared with controls (mean 20.1% vs. 48.3%, 95% CI = −0.40–−0.16, <i>p</i> < 0.001). There was an inverse relationship between IVC-CI and pulse pressure in patients with PECS. For each additional 1 mmHg in pulse pressure, the odds of having IVC-CI greater than 50% decreased by 13%. Conclusions: Patients with preeclampsia exhibit detectable changes in inferior vena cava diameter that can be assessed with bedside ultrasound and correlated with maternal PP. Future research should focus on validating these findings and exploring the clinical significance of these measurements.
Javier Abad, Konstantin Donhauser, Francesco Pinto
et al.
The risk of language models unintentionally reproducing copyrighted material from their training data has led to the development of various protective measures. In this paper, we propose model fusion as an effective solution to safeguard against copyright infringement. In particular, we introduce Copyright-Protecting Fusion (CP-Fuse), an algorithm that adaptively combines language models to minimize the reproduction of protected materials. CP-Fuse is inspired by the recently proposed Near-Access Free (NAF) framework and additionally incorporates a desirable balancing property that we demonstrate prevents the reproduction of memorized training data. Our results show that CP-Fuse significantly reduces the memorization of copyrighted content while maintaining high-quality text and code generation. Furthermore, we demonstrate how CP-Fuse can be integrated with other techniques for enhanced protection.
IntroductionThe giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) reproduction is of worldwide attention, and the vaginal microbiome is one of the most important factors affecting the reproductive rate of giant pandas. The aim of this study is to investigate the diversity of vaginal mycobiota structure, and potential pathogenic fungi in female giant pandas during estrus and non-estrus.MethodsThis study combined with high-throughput sequencing and laboratory testing to compare the diversity of the vaginal mycobiota in giant pandas during estrus and non-estrus, and to investigate the presence of potentially pathogenic fungi. Potentially pathogenic fungi were studied in mice to explore their pathogenicity.Results and discussionThe results revealed that during estrus, the vaginal secretions of giant pandas play a crucial role in fungal colonization. Moreover, the diversity of the vaginal mycobiota is reduced and specificity is enhanced. The abundance of Trichosporon and Cutaneotrichosporon in the vaginal mycobiota of giant pandas during estrus was significantly higher than that during non-estrus periods. Apiotrichum and Cutaneotrichosporon were considered the most important genera, and they primarily originate from the environment owing to marking behavior exhibited during the estrous period of giant pandas. Trichosporon is considered a resident mycobiota of the vagina and is an important pathogen that causes infection when immune system is suppressed. Potentially pathogenic fungi were further isolated and identified from the vaginal secretions of giant pandas during estrus, and seven strains of Apiotrichum (A. brassicae), one strain of Cutaneotrichosporon (C. moniliiforme), and nine strains of Trichosporon (two strains of T. asteroides, one strain of T. inkin, one strain of T. insectorum, and five strains of T. japonicum) were identified. Pathogenicity results showed that T. asteroides was the most pathogenic strain, as it is associated with extensive connective tissue replacement and inflammatory cell infiltration in both liver and kidney tissues. The results of this study improve our understanding of the diversity of the vaginal fungi present in giant pandas and will significantly contribute to improving the reproductive health of giant pandas in the future.
Chemosensation is important for the survival and reproduction of animals. The odorant binding proteins (OBPs) are thought to be involved in chemosensation together with chemosensory receptors. While OBPs were initially considered to deliver hydrophobic odorants to olfactory receptors in the aqueous lymph solution, recent studies suggest more complex roles in various organs. Here, we use GAL4 transgenes to systematically analyze the expression patterns of all 52 members of the Obp gene family and 3 related chemosensory protein genes in adult Drosophila, focusing on chemosensory organs such as the antenna, maxillary palp, pharynx, and labellum, and other organs such as the brain, ventral nerve cord, leg, wing, and intestine. The OBPs were observed to express in diverse organs and in multiple cell types, suggesting that these proteins can indeed carry out diverse functional roles. Also, we constructed 10 labellar-expressing Obp mutants, and obtained behavioral evidence that these OBPs may be involved in bitter sensing. The resources we constructed should be useful for future Drosophila OBP gene family research.
In the world of epidemics, the mathematical modeling of disease co-infection is gaining importance due to its contributions to mathematics and public health. Because the co-infection may have a double burden on families, countries, and the universe, understanding its dynamics is paramount. We study a SEIQR (susceptible-exposed-infectious-quarantined-recovered) deterministic epidemic model with a single host population and multiple strains (-$c$ and -$i$) to account for two competitive diseases with quarantine effects. To model the role of quarantine and isolation efficacy in disease dynamics, we utilize a linear function. Further, we shed light on the standard endemic threshold and determine the conditions for extinction or coexistence with and without forming co-infection. Next, we show the dependence of the criticality based on specific parameters of the different pathogens. We found that the disease-free equilibrium (DFE) of the single-strain model always exists and is globally asymptotically stable (GAS) if $\tilde{\mathcal{R}}_k^q\leq 1$, else, a stable endemic equilibrium. On top of that, the model has forward bifurcation at $\tilde{\mathcal{R}}_k^q = 1$. In the case of a two-strain model, the strain with a large reproduction number outcompetes the one with a smaller reproduction number. Further, if the co-infected quarantine reproduction number is less than one, the infections of already infected individuals will die out, and co-infection will persist in the population otherwise. We note that the quarantine and isolation of exposed and infected individuals will reduce the number of secondary cases below one, consequently reducing the disease complications if the total number of people in the quarantine is at most the critical value.
Steve Sibomanaa, Kelly Joelle Gatore Sinigirira, Paterne Gahungu
et al.
Tuberculosis (TB) is among the main public health challenges in Burundi. The literature lacks mathematical models for key parameter estimates of TB transmission dynamics in Burundi. In this paper, the supectible-exposed-infected-recovered (SEIR) model is used to investigate the transmission dynamics of tuberculosis in Burundi. Using the next generation method, we calculated the basic reproduction number, R0. The model is demonstrated to have a disease-free equilibrium (DEF) that is locally and globally asymptotically stable. When the corresponding reproduction threshold quantity approaches unity, the model enters an endemic equilibrium (EE). That means, the disease can be controlled through different interventions in Burundi. A sensitivity analysis of the model parameters was also investigated. It shows that the progression rate from latent to becoming infectious had the highest positive sensitivity, which means that R0 increases and decreases proportionally with an increase and a decrease of that progression rate.
Stephen Ekwueme Aniaku, Obiora Cornelius Collins, Ifeanyi Sunday Onah
Typhoid fever is an infectious disease that affects humanity worldwide; it is particularly dangerous in areas with communities of a lower socio-economic status, where many individuals are exposed to a dirty environment and unclean food. A mathematical model is formulated to analyze the impact of control measures such as vaccination of susceptible humans, treatment of infected humans and sanitation in different socio-economic communities. The model assumed that the population comprises of two socio-economic classes. The essential dynamical system analysis of our model was appropriately carried out. The impact of the control measures was analyzed, and the optimal control theory was applied on the control model to explore the impact of the different control measures. Numerical simulation of the models and the optimal controls were carried out and the obtained results indicate that the overall combination of the control measures eradicates typhoid fever in the population, but the controls are more optimal in higher socio-economic status communities.
Common broom Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link is a native shrub, common both in Europe and Poland and in many other areas of the world, it is considered an invasive plant. e size of the organs of generative reproduction and the factors determining it are still poorly understood. The study of the size of broom flowers, fruits, seeds and leaves was carried out on 16 plots in western Poland. Habitats were described using Ellenberg’s index values, which allowed us to divide the study into two types: warm, rich in nitrogen, and moister with higher pH. It has been shown that a significant part of the variability in the size of flowers and their elements is conditioned by inter-individual differences. Some features (wings and keel area, number of seeds, or nitrogen content in stems) are also dependent on the type of habitat. Probably the key factor influencing the size of generative organs and the number of seeds is the availability of water in the environment. In more moist habitats and with a higher pH, the organs of generative reproduction are larger, and the nitrogen content is lower. The size of individual elements of the perianth is significantly correlated with each other, and the number of seeds depends on the size of the keel. Depending on environmental factors, the size of the generative organs may affect the efficiency of pollination, which in turn determines the size and number of seeds. The ability of C. scoparius to adapt to various edaphic conditions, the ability to establish symbiosis with atmospheric nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and the production of size-diverse flowers that can be pollinated by insects of various sizes determine its invasive success.
Ignacio Crudele, Mark E. Hauber, Juan C. Reboreda
et al.
Eggs are critically important for avian reproduction as all birds are oviparous. Accordingly, the recognition and care of own eggs represent the cornerstones of avian breeding, whereas the elimination of foreign objects, including brood-parasitic eggs and non-egg items from the nest are known to also increase fitness by refocusing incubation effort on the parents' own eggs. But egg recognition also plays a role in some avian obligate brood parasites' reproductive strategy through the pecking of already present eggs in the hosts' clutch to reduce nestmate competition with the parasite's own hatchling. Here we tested egg shape recognition in this parasitic egg-pecking context by exposing two different series of 3D printed models to captive obligate brood-parasitic shiny cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis) in artificial nests. Natural egg-shaped models were pecked more often compared with increasingly thinner models, but there was no effect of increasing angularity on pecking rates, implying that a natural, rather than an artificial, range of variability elicited adaptive responses from parasitic cowbirds.
Abstract FIGLA and NOBOX are important oocyte-specific transcription factors. Both figla-/- and nobox-/- mutants showed all-male phenotype in zebrafish due to increased dominance of the male-promoting pathway. The early diversion towards males in these mutants has precluded analysis of their roles in folliculogenesis. In this study, we attenuated the male-promoting pathway by deleting dmrt1, a key male-promoting gene, in figla-/- and nobox-/- fish, which allows a sufficient display of defects in folliculogenesis. Germ cells in figla-/-;dmrt1-/- double mutant remained in cysts without forming follicles. In contrast, follicles could form well but exhibited deficient growth in nobox-/-;dmrt1-/- double mutants. Follicles in nobox-/-;dmrt1-/- ovary could progress to previtellogenic (PV) stage but failed to enter vitellogenic growth. Such arrest at PV stage suggested a possible deficiency in estrogen signaling. This was supported by lines of evidence in nobox-/-;dmrt1-/-, including reduced expression of ovarian aromatase (cyp19a1a) and level of serum estradiol (E2), regressed genital papilla (female secondary sex characteristics), and more importantly the resumption of vitellogenic growth by E2 treatment. Expression analysis suggested Nobox might regulate cyp19a1a by controlling Gdf9 and/or Bmp15. Our discoveries indicate that Figla is essential for ovarian differentiation and follicle formation whereas Nobox is important for driving subsequent follicle development.
One clear aspect of behaviour in the COVID-19 pandemic has been people's focus on, and response to, reported or observed infection numbers in their community. We describe a simple model of infectious disease spread in a pandemic situation where people's behaviour is influenced by the current risk of infection and where this behavioural response acts homeostatically to return infection risk to a certain preferred level. This model predicts that the reproduction rate $R$ will be centered around a median value of 1, and that a related measure of relative change in the number of new infections will follow the standard Cauchy distribution. Analysis of worldwide COVID-19 data shows that the estimated reproduction rate has a median of 1, and that this measure of relative change calculated from reported numbers of new infections closely follows the standard Cauchy distribution at both an overall and an individual country level.
Antoine V. Turcotte-van de Rydt, Christina Petalas, Christina Petalas
et al.
Parental care can be costly to parents’ fitness. As such, abandonment of the current reproductive attempt may benefit potential future opportunities, maximising lifetime reproductive success. Obligate brood parasitism, a reproductive strategy in which parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other species and rely solely on them to raise the parasitic young, is an ideal system to study brood abandonment. Some parasitised host species have evolved anti-parasitic defences, notably clutch abandonment (egg burial and nest desertion), that may mitigate negative consequences of parasitism. Abandonment of clutches due to parasitism is not unlike abandonment of reproduction in times of stress, suggesting that host responses to parasitism could be triggered at least partly by elevated stress hormones that mediate individual decisions. Yet, the mechanistic basis for clutch abandonment remains unclear. Here, we experimentally parasitised clutches of yellow warblers (Setophaga petechia), a common host of the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater), with model cowbird eggs to examine whether host circulating corticosterone (CORT) differed among females that accepted parasitic eggs or rejected them through clutch abandonment. We also assessed whether feather CORT, a measure of past corticosterone exposure, differed between accepters and abandoners. Finally, we investigated whether egg visual signals, specifically differences in maculation characteristics between model cowbird and host eggs, predicted abandonment of experimentally parasitised clutches. Circulating CORT was higher in females who abandoned their parasitised clutches, but not in those who accepted, relative to controls with no egg addition. Past stress and differences in maculation characteristics did not predict whether individuals accepted or abandoned experimentally parasitised clutches. Moreover, differences in maculation characteristics between the host and model cowbird eggs did not predict CORT levels or nest abandonment. Thus, parasitism with subsequent clutch abandonment may be associated with elevated circulating CORT, but neither past stress nor differences in maculation characteristics influenced abandonment. The combination of these results contributes to our understanding of the roles of corticosterone and egg visual signals in the context of clutch abandonment in brood parasitism specifically, and of parental care more broadly.
Agung Sih Kurnianto, Santi Prastiwi, Nilasari Dewi
et al.
Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is the biggest threat to onion farming, especially in the vegetative phase. In severe attacks, this pest can cause yield losses of up to 100%. Compatibility is one way to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of pest control by using plant-based pesticides or biological agents. Neem Leaf Extract (Azadirachta indica, acronym=NLE) has an azadirachtin compound that can inhibit insect growth, reduce appetite, reproduction, and hatch eggs. The fungus Beauveria bassiana (acronym=Bb) can secrete chitinase, lipase, proteinase enzymes that are able to decompose insect cuticles. NLE was obtained through the extraction method of plant-based pesticides and stored at 4oC until the experiment time. The Bb used was a commercial B. bassiana inoculum in the flour form with a density of 4.5 x 1010 spores/gram (trade name = Natural BVR). To determine the advantages of compatibility, this study is held by a single toxicity test of Bb and NLE, and the combined toxicity test of both. This study used a completely randomized design (CRD) consisting of 6 treatments with 4 replications, each replication used 12 larvae (a total of 48 larvae). Combination toxicity has a higher toxicity than the single use of NLE and Bb. At the LC 95 level, the combination treatment of Bb and NLE was 1.06-1.15 times more toxic than the single treatment of Bb, and 6.87-7.79 times more toxic than the single treatment of NLE. NLE and Bb are considered to have high compatibility (strong synergistic with GI value <0.5). Theoretically, the compatibility of NLE plant-based pesticides and Bb is very promising to replace chemical pesticides that have long-term adverse effects on agroecosystems.
This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with different levels of purple corn pigment (PCP) on the growth performance, blood biochemical indices, meat quality, muscle amino acids, and fatty acids of growing chickens. A total of 288 (8 weeks of age) growing Chishui black-bone chickens (body weight, 940 ± 80 g; mean ± standard deviation) were randomly divided into 4 groups using a completely randomized design. The four diet groups were as follows: (1) control, basal diet; (2) treatment 1, treatment 2, and treatment 3, which were basal diet with 80, 160, and 240 mg/kg PCP, respectively. The results showed that compared with the control group, the feeding of anthocyanins significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) increased the average daily feed intake and average daily gain in chickens. Moreover, chickens receiving 80 mg/kg PCP significantly increased (<i>p</i> < 0.05) plasma total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and albumin concentrations relative to the control group. For meat quality, dietary supplementation with PCP significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) reduced the drip loss and water loss rate in breast muscle. Additionally, chickens receiving PCP tended to increase (<i>p</i> < 0.05) the levels of most individual amino acids, essential amino acids, and umami amino acids in the muscle. Specifically, the addition of 80 mg/kg PCP significantly improved (<i>p</i> < 0.05) total polyunsaturated fatty acids in chicken muscle. Accordingly, the consumption of anthocyanin-rich PCP by the growing chickens had the potential to increase the growth performance, enhance antioxidant and immune capacities, increase meat quality, and improve essential and umami amino acids as well as unsaturated fatty acids in the muscle.
Steluța Maria SÎNGEORZAN, Ioan PĂCURAR, Irina M. MORAR
et al.
Spruce is a European native coniferous species, spreading over the area in between The Carpathian Mountains and the Alps, up to the northern parts of the Scandinavian Peninsula. In the future, spruce forests will have to cope with the growing climate change that is already threatening their natural habitats. This study has focused on the spruce seed germination process and seedlings growth under the influence of DEA (Water Energizing Device) bio-phyto-modulators. The biological material under analysis consists of spruce seeds selected from four Romanian sources included in the National Catalogue of Basic Materials for Generating Forestry Reproduction Material. Five different substrates were used for tasting germination capacity, with two different treatments (distilled water and energized water). Analyzing the treatments used it can be notice that subjecting the seeds to energized water treatment led to a higher germination capacity than in the case of those watered with distilled water (40-94%) and, respectively (24-84%). The seedlings growth was also higher in the case of those springing from the energized water treated seeds (2.45-4.23 cm) than from those springing from the distilled water treated seeds (2.07 cm-3.14 cm). The differences in germination capacity, growth and development were observed for all the provenances. Applying DEA bio-phyto-modulators has proven beneficial, with noticeable differences for both germination capacity and seedlings growth.