Alpha Genesis (United States)

Objective: Anxiety measurement tools have been developed for major health-threatening diseases such as SARS and MERS. There is no specific measurement tool for measuring the anxiety caused by Corona. The purpose of this study was to validate the Corona-related Anxiety Scale in the Iranian sample. Method: The research method was a descriptive correlational.308 individuals participated in the study through online recall. An 18-item Corona-related anxiety inventory was used to collect the data. The data were analyzed by using Guttman's λ2 and Cronbach's alpha internal consistency method. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using Lisrel-8.8 software was used to evaluate the tool construct validity. To standardize the raw scores, they were converted to standard T scores and percentile rank using Jmetrik-4.1.1 software and were prepared as normative tables. Findings: The Guttman's λ2 value for the whole questionnaire was obtained as (λ = 0.922), Cronbach's alpha coefficient for psychological symptoms as (α = 0.879), physical symptoms as (α = 0.861), and for the whole questionnaire as (α= 0.919). The data of this research fit the two-factor model properly. Standard scores tables were plotted, and the range of scores of the questionnaire factors and total score of Corona-related anxiety severity was divided into three domains: mild, moderate, and severe. Conclusion: Corona-related anxiety inventory has good validity in preliminary validation and can be used as a valid and scientific tool for measuring Corona-related anxiety.

Self-control is defined as forgoing immediate gratification to obtain a greater reward. Tool use may relate to self-control because both behaviors may require foresight and deliberate control over one's actions. The authors assessed 20 capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) for the ability to delay gratification in a tool task. Subjects were given rod-shaped food items that could either be consumed immediately or be carried to an apparatus and used to extract a more preferred food. The authors found that some monkeys were able to exhibit self-control. Monkeys with relatively more tool use experience demonstrated the greatest levels of self-control. These results indicate that capuchins are capable of delaying gratification when a higher quality reinforcer is present and that tool experience can influence levels of self-control in this task.

In this paper, we investigate existence of long-run and short-run equilibrium relationships among the Borsa Istanbul Industrial Index (SINAI), real effective exchange rate (REER), Dollar Index (DXY) and Euro/Turkish Lira exchange rate in Turkey. Applying ARDL cointegration analysis on monthly data for the 2005:01–2013:12 period, we find that the SINAI Index is positively related to the Dollar Index and Euro/TL exchange rate. But, there is no meaningful relationship between real effective exchange rate and SINAI. The results of vector error correction model reveal that the SINAI is positively related to the real effective exchange rate while SINAI is negatively related to the Dollar Index and Euro/TL exchange rate in a statistically significant way

Despite various opinions and healthy controversy on Ozone Therapy (OT), the practices of this therapy have increased worldwide. Main areas of study with consistent scientific outcomes are the topical treatment of both disk herniation and periodontal disease. On the other hand, there is a net dissociation of the scientific resonance concerning systemic oxygen/ozone treatments. It is our intention to discuss in logical terms the numerous papers that commendably reported adverse reactions attributable to OT, focusing our attention mainly to the techniques of administration and not to the simple contact of ozone with biological material. The case reports on OT treatments safety concerns discussed on international journals, make it possible to state that most safety issues are secondary to infections or traumatic reactions due to malpractice. Commonly, the molecule of ozone itself is not responsible of severe reactions at the therapeutic modalities. The millions of patients treated so far from the thousands of physicians correctly practicing OT world widely in the last 40 years demonstrate the safety of this simple and cost-effective regenerative medicine tool. The promising therapeutic implications also for the current COVID-19 emergency are a further stimulus to the standardization of this therapeutic resource with multiple application specificities.

A brief account of the concept of working memory is presented, followed by a more detailed description of one sub-component of the system, namely the phonological loop. The question of the functional significance of this component of working memory is discussed. Evidence suggests a minor role in language comprehension, together with a much more substantial role in the capacity to acquire novel phonological, and possibly grammatical forms. It is suggested that the phonological loop has evolved as a mechanism for language acquisition.

Several studies have demonstrated that nonhuman primate males with low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) exhibit antisocial behavior patterns. Included in these deleterious patterns are impulse control deficits associated with violence and premature death. No studies to date have longitudinally studied the long-term outcome of young subjects with low CSF 5-HIAA concentrations as they mature into adults. In this study we examined longitudinal relations among serotonergic and dopaminergic functioning, as reflected in CSF metabolite concentrations, aggression, age at emigration, dominance rank, and mortality in free-ranging rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) males. Our results indicate long-term consistency of individual differences in levels of 5-HIAA in CSF in the subject population from the juvenile period of development through adulthood. We found a significant negative correlation between 5-HIAA concentrations measured in juveniles and rates of high-intensity aggression in the same animals as adults. Further, CSF 5-HIAA concentrations were lower in juveniles that died than in animals that survived. For the young animals that migrated there was a positive correlation between CSF 5-HIAA concentration and age at emigration, whereas for the animals that remained in their troop until later in sexual maturity there was a negative correlation between CSF 5-HIAA concentration and age of emigration. After animals emigrated to a new troop, social dominance rank in the new troop was positively correlated with early family social dominance rank, but inversely correlated with juvenile CSF 5-HIAA concentrations. Taken together, our findings suggest that males with low central serotonin levels early in life delay migration and show high levels of violence and premature death, but the males that survive achieve high rank. These findings indicate that longitudinal measures of serotonergic and dopaminergic functioning are predictive of major life-history outcomes in nonhuman primate males. Low concentrations of CSF 5-HIAA are associated with negative life-history patterns characterized by social instability and excessive aggression, and positive life-history patterns characterized by higher dominance rank.

Research on cross-modal performance in nonhuman primates is limited to a small number of sensory modalities and testing methods. To broaden the scope of this research, the authors tested capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) for a seldom-studied cross-modal capacity in nonhuman primates, auditory-visual recognition. Monkeys were simultaneously played 2 video recordings of a face producing different vocalizations and a sound recording of 1 of the vocalizations. Stimulus sets varied from naturally occurring conspecific vocalizations to experimentally controlled human speech stimuli. The authors found that monkeys preferred to view face recordings that matched presented vocal stimuli. Their preference did not differ significantly across stimulus species or other stimulus features. However, the reliability of the latter set of results may have been limited by sample size. From these results, the authors concluded that capuchin monkeys exhibit auditory-visual cross-modal perception of conspecific vocalizations.

The growth and feed efficiency responses of red sea bream fingerlings to ω3 fatty acids were determined by supplementing a corn oil diet and a lauric acid diet with linolenic acid and/or ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The fish fed a linolenic acid supplement showed poor growth and feed efficiency even at a 3 or 4% level, in comparison with those fed the control diet YR-1 of pollack residual oil. PUFA fed at a 2% level supported excellent growth and feed efficiency as did the pollack residual oil.

Leaf extracts of Stevia rebaudiana, composed of more than 10 steviol glycosides (SGs), are used as non-nutritive, table sugar (sucrose) alternatives due to their high level of sweetness and low caloric impact. They are often combined with the sugar alcohol erythritol to increase volume and reduce aftertaste. Little is known of the impact of sugar alternatives on the human gut microbiota in terms of the diversity, composition, and metabolic products. Testing of SGs and erythritol using six representatives of the gut microbiota in vitro found no impact on bacterial growth, yet treatment with erythritol resulted in an enhancement of butyric and pentanoic acid production when tested using a human gut microbial community. Furthermore, administration of SGs and erythritol to a Cebus apella model resulted in changes to the gut microbial structure and diversity. Overall, the study did not find a negative impact of SGs and erythritol on the gut microbial community.

Loss of function mutations in the receptor tyrosine kinase TrkB pathway resulted in hyperphagia and morbid obesity in human and rodents. Conversely, peripheral or central stimulation of TrkB by its natural ligands BDNF or NT4 reduced body weight and food intake in mice, supporting the idea that TrkB is a key anorexigenic signal downstream of the melanocortin-4 receptor (Mc4r) system. Here we show that in non-human primates TrkB agonists were anorexigenic when applied centrally, but surprisingly orexigenic, leading to gain in appetite, body weight, fat deposits and serum leptin levels, when given peripherally. The orexigenic and pro-obesity effects of peripherally administered TrkB agonists appear to be dose dependent, not associated with fluid retention nor with evidence of receptor down regulation. Our findings revealed that TrkB signaling exerts dual control on energy homeostasis in the primates that could be targeted for the treatment of either wasting disorders or obesity.

Carbonation of concrete is one of the most important factors for durabilityc of concrete structures. Although there are some formulae to predict the carbonation speed, quite few experimental studies have been reported concerning the influence of environmental moisture and temperature on the carbonation speed, so far. In this paper, a parametric study was performed to investigate the influence of environmental moisture and temperature on the carbonation speed of mortar. While accelerated carbonation tests were carried out, water cement ratio, relative humidity and temperature were changed. In the moisture condition of 40-50 % RH, the carbonation was mostly accelerated. The higher the temperature, the faster the speed of carbonation became. Temperature increased proportionally in the tested range from 15°C to 37.5°C. Finally carbonation speed of concrete was estimated all over Japan on the basis of the mean values of climate data (relative humidity and temperature) in each region reported by Japan Meteorological Agency.

The changes in the rigor mortis of fish body and the breaking strength of the muscle were com-pared using tilapia. During ice storage, the rigor index measured by the modified Cutting's method reached maximum 9h after death and the full rigor lasted for 4 days, while the breaking strength of the muscle became maximum 3h after death, then decreased continuously for 24h and then did not change. This result strongly suggested that both changes should be clearly distingu-ished. Therefore, we proposed that the change of the apparent rigor of fish body is expressed as “pre-, in and post-rigor” and that the change of the texture of fish muscle is expressed as “tough and weak”. The weakening of muscle may be explained not as a proteolytic breakdown of myofibrils but as a decomposition of the muscle structure, because no proteolytic reaction was detected by the examination of TCA-soluble material and by the analysis on SDS-PAGE.

The bio-economy of the natural population of Strongylocentrotus intermedius, based on the census of the sea urchin and the seaweeds by means of quadrat work, was studied at the rocky shoal of Ikantai, southern Hokkaido. The balance sheet of population metabolism expressed as a unit of dry matter or of nitrogen for the echinoid population was that of the credit side of the balance, where 60.7g/m2/yr or 1.1g-nitrogen/m2/yr was initial biomass; 43.1g/m2/yr or 1.3g-nitrogen/m2/yr was population growth; 46.4g/m2/yr or 0.9g-nitrogen/m2/yr was immigration; and only 0.14g/m2/yr or 0.003g-nitrogen/m2/yr was recruitment. This sum total was divided into the following way on the debit side of the balance, loss of population due to emigration and natural mortality was 72.6g/m2/yr or 1.6g-nitrogen/m2/yr; gametes ejected were 2.9g/m2/yr or 0.2g-nitrogen/m2/yr; and final biomass was 51.3g/m2/yr or 0.9g-nitrogen/m2/yr. Since the population growth of the sea urchin has been sponsored by 412.4g/m2/yr or 8.0g-nitrogen/m2/yr of Laminaria angustata and by 12.2g/m2/yr or 0.5g-nitrogen/m2/ /yr of Ulva pertusa, growth coefficient was about 10% in dry matter and production efficiency was about 4% in dry matter. The annual food consumption of the echinoid population corresponds to about half of the annual growth (production) of the seaweed community.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to define the epidemiologic properties and correlation of physiological and anatomical risk factors with the mortality rate among patients with thorax trauma and to ensure early prediction of severe trauma. METHODS: Files of 371 cases were retrospectively examined. Their initial state in the emergency department was analyzed in terms of mortality development. Age, gender, trauma mechanism, systolic blood pressure and respiration type on admission, accompanying injuries, thorax pathology, trauma scores, and treatment approaches in exitus and surviving cases were compared. Survival probabilities and unexpected mortality rates were computed using the Trauma Revised Score-Injury Severity Score (TRISS). RESULTS: Age, hypotension, pathologic respiration, blunt injury, accompanying injury, abdominal trauma, high Injury Severity Score (ISS), and low Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Revised Trauma Score (RTS), and TRISS were the factors affecting mortality, and presence of blunt injuries, TRISS <85, ISS >22 and GCS <13 were found to be independent prognostic factors. The strongest factor indicating mortality was TRISS. Thirty-four of 307 cases with survival probability of over 50% died. CONCLUSION: In the presence of factors affecting mortality, patients with thorax trauma should be evaluated as being in a high-risk group and treatment strategies must be aggressive. Case analysis based on the TRISS model would further reveal the mistakes and may improve patient care.

Introduction: The distribution of open online courses makes the education system change and these changes are rather serious. These courses exert a positive influence on society, widely spreading education around the world. During the globalization of education, these courses provide open access to the educational content of the world's leading universities. The use of open electronic courses is a relatively new direction in education, which has not been profoundly studied by researchers. The introduction of these courses causes the change in the structure of the educational system. Therefore, the article considers the specifics of implementing online courses, including requirements for them, as well as factors that slow down their active development. Materials and methods: analysis, synthesis, deduction, induction. Minin Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University has been given as an example The results of the research Having studied the "The Regulations on the use of open courses in educational activities of the Minin university" in addition to establishing the functions of coordination group on open education, it has been noted that after completing the course, in case of unsatisfactory result,the the student is given an opportunity to have one more attempt to pass the exam. Discussion and conclusion: the article concludes that open courses are a new qualitative step in the development of world education, but online courses would be much more effective if they were field-specific, designed for adults who are deeply motivated for training. Minin University, which we took as a basis for the research, showed that the university is ready to implement online courses. It is one of the few universities in Russia actively implementing open courses.

To prepare for future coronavirus (CoV) pandemics, it is desirable to generate vaccines capable of eliciting broadly neutralizing antibody responses to CoVs. Here, we show that immunization of macaques with SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein with a two-shot protocol generated potent serum receptor binding domain cross-neutralizing antibody responses to both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-1. Furthermore, responses were equally effective against most SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) and some were highly effective against Omicron. This result contrasts with human infection or many two-shot vaccination protocols where responses were typically more SARS-CoV-2 specific and where VOCs were less well neutralized. Structural studies showed that cloned macaque neutralizing antibodies, particularly using a given heavy chain germline gene, recognized a relatively conserved region proximal to the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor binding site (RBS), whereas many frequently elicited human neutralizing antibodies targeted more variable epitopes overlapping the RBS. B cell repertoire differences between humans and macaques appeared to influence the vaccine response. The macaque neutralizing antibodies identified a pan-SARS-related virus epitope region less well targeted by human antibodies that could be exploited in rational vaccine design.

A series of extracted fractions from sophora subprostrata was screened by determining anti-ulcer effects in pylorus ligated and stressed rats. Fr. [C-2] had the most potent anti-ulcer effects of all fractions extracted. Sophoradin and sophoranone which were isolated from Fr. [C-2] were also found to have inhibitory effects on ulcer formation in pylorus ligated and stressed rats. The anti-ulcer effect of sophoradin was relatively potent in comparison with that of sophoranone and/or Fr. [C-2]. The anti-ulcer effect of sophoranone was approximately the same as that of Fr. [C-2]. The authors examined the effects of sophoradin and sophoranone on gastric secretion in pylorus ligated rats. Sophoradin and sophoranone significantly reduced the volume of gastric juice. Sophoradin but not sophoranone inhibited the free and total acid output of gastric juice. The effect of sophoradin was examined on various secretagogues which induced gastric secretions in rats with acute fistula. Sophoradin showed a tendency to inhibit tetragastrin- and insulin-induced gastric acid secretion, but there were no effects on methacholine- and histamine-induced secretions. These results suggest that sophoradin may have marked anti-ulcer and inhibitory effects on gastric secretion.

Larvae of swimming crab were reared in 1-2 l tanks, supplied with marine rotifers cultured with several feeds: baker's yeast, baker's yeast fortified with cuttlefish liver oil, freshwater Chlorella, and marine micro algae Nannochloropsis. The fatty acid compositions of the rotifers were analyzed to evaluate their dietary value. Larval survival, growth and velocity of development were improved according to the amount of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3HUFA) contained in rotifers. Consequently, it was considered that the larval swimming crab demanded the n-3HUFA in feeds as essential fatty acid and enrichment of feed rotifers should be a routine technique in the seed production process of the swimming crab.

The purpose of the present investigation was to describe the formation, maturation and eruption of the dentition, including supernumerary teeth in a sample of patients with cleidocranial dysplasia. The dentition was evaluated from orthopantomograms, intraoral radiographs, cephalometric films, surgically removed teeth and intraoral photographs in 22 patients (10 men, 12 women), aged 3.5 to 34 years. Formation of primary teeth was normal, whereas all patients but one had supernumerary permanent teeth. Frequency of supernumerary teeth ranged from 22% in the maxillary incisor region to 5% in the molar regions. Anterior to the molar region supernumerary teeth were formed lingually and occlusally to the normal teeth. Maturation of the primary dentition was normal, while permanent teeth were delayed from 1 to 4 years. Supernumerary teeth were delayed about 4 years in relation to normal permanent teeth. Eruption of primary teeth was normal, whereas all patients had severe eruption problems of permanent teeth.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)