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As humanity is faced with various changes in social-environmental systems, adaptation efforts have become increasingly important. Significant effort and resources have been spent on devising overarching, large-scale strategies in response to climate change and associated socioeconomic challenges. However, the mechanisms of adaptation employed by individuals and households in ordinary, daily life have received insufficient scholarly examination. This research aims to demonstrate the significance of everyday adaptation strategies of smallholder pastoralists who are on the front lines of changing socioeconomic regimes in East African drylands. We analyzed the daily spatiotemporal patterns of livestock behavior to understand everyday adaptation practices. Two different pastoralist communities in the Borana Zone in southern Ethiopia were compared, one of which keeps the traditional mobile pastoralism livelihood, while the other has sedentarized because of socio-environmental changes and policy incentives. The mobile pastoralists have larger grazing areas, and their cattle spend more time on foraging and resting. In contrast, the sedentarized pastoralists utilize the land near their settlements intensively and the cattle travel longer distances on average. Our findings suggest that sedentarization is a constrained adaptation strategy at best because it increases the recursive use of rangeland and its fragmentation and forces livestock to move more intensively on a daily and seasonal basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two bisimide compounds, TPA--TPDI and NPC--TPDI, consisting of a triptycene core and two triphenylamine (TPA) or N-phenylcarbazole (NPC) end groups were successfully synthesized by the condensation reactions from 1,4-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)triptycene dianhydride with 4-aminotriphenylamine and N-(4-aminophenyl)carbazole, respectively. These two monomers could polymerize electrochemically via the oxidative coupling reactions of triarylamine units. The electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical properties of the electro-generated triptycene poly(ether-imide)s (TPA--TPPI and NPC--TPPI) were studied. Both polymers have two colored oxidation states, and TPA--TPPI showed better electrochromic performance than NPC--TPPI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic is a prevalent environmental toxin. Arsenic is associated with a wide variety of adverse effects; however, studies on whether As-induced toxicities can be transferred from parents to offspring have received little attention. Caenorhabditis elegans has become an important animal model in biomedical and environmental toxicology research. In this study, transgenerational reproductive toxicity by arsenite exposure and the underlying mechanisms in C. elegans were investigated over six generations (F0-F5). Following arsenite maternal exposure of the F0 generation, subsequent generations (F1-F5) were cultured under arsenite-free conditions. We found that the brood size of C. elegans was significantly reduced by arsenite exposure in F0 and that this reduction in brood size was also observed in the offspring generations (F1-F5), after the toxicant had been removed from the diet. In addition, adult worms from F0 and F1 generations accumulated arsenite and arsenate when F0 L4 larvae were exposed to arsenite for 24 h. We found that the mRNA level of H3K4me2 demethylase LSD/KDM1, spr-5, was significantly reduced in the F0 exposed generation and subsequent unexposed generations (F1-F3). Likewise, the mRNA levels of spr-5 were also significantly decreased in the F1-F3 generations. Moreover, dimethylation of global H3K4 was increased in the F0-F3 generations. Our study demonstrates that maternal arsenite exposure causes transgenerational reproductive effects in C. elegans, which might be associated with H3K4 dimethylation and SPR-5 downregulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the recent development of automated writing evaluation (AWE) technology and the growing interest in applying this technology to language classrooms, few studies have looked at the effects of using AWE on reducing grammatical errors in L2 writing. This study identified the primary English grammatical error types made by 66 Taiwanese university students in order to examine how using AWE in a process-writing approach affected improvements in these error types in revisions and new text composition. The study adopted a time-series research design, in which measurements of grammatical errors in student writing were taken at various points during a nine-week pedagogical programme. An AWE system was employed as the writing and assessment tool. The AWE feedback reports on the student essays were analysed using descriptive analysis and paired-samples t tests. Using AWE in a process-writing approach seemed to exert a reducing effect on the number of grammatical errors during both revisions and new text composition, although the patterns regarding the precise appearances of effects varied amongst the error types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic poisoning affects millions of people worldwide. Although there is accumulating evidence to suggest that the nervous system is a target of arsenic, relatively little information is known regarding its effects on the nervous system. The effects of arsenite on the nervous system in Caenorhabditis eleganswere investigated in the present study. We found that abts-1, which encodes a Na+-dependent Cl−/HCO3−transporter, is required to protect C. elegansfrom arsenite toxicity. The abts-1::GFPtransgene is primarily expressed in neurons and the hypodermis, but stronger expression was also observed in the pharynx and body wall muscle cells after exposure to arsenite. The steady-state level of ABTS-1 mRNA increased in response to arsenite exposure. We showed that worms lacking abts-1are hypersensitive to the paralytic effects of the cholinesterase inhibitor, aldicarb, and the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, levamisole. We also showed that arsenite enhanced sensitivity to aldicarb and levamisole in abts-1mutant worms. Our results indicate neuronal effects of arsenite and the ABTS-1 bicarbonate transporter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of the distribution of first person dual pronouns in Philippine languages and addresses the issue as to whether or not first person dual pronouns can be reconstructed for the ancestral language of all Philippine languages. Based on data from different microgroups of Philippine languages, the following conclusions are reached. First, no first person dual pronouns can be reconstructed for the parent of the Philippine languages. Second, the wide distribution of first person dual pronouns in different microgroups of Philippine languages is due to drift rather than direct inheritance from the parent of the Philippine languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a solution method for the response of a thin shell structure subjected to low velocity impact by a sphere is presented. The governing equation of the impact process is obtained by simultaneously solving the equations of motions for the sphere and shell. The derivation is based on the explicit expression of the displacement of the mid-surface of the shell under a single impulse load acting normal to apex of the shell. Incorporating the theory of convolution and Hertz contact law, a non-linear integro-differential equation in terms of the indentation of the contact, for the impact process is derived. The non-linear integro-differential equation is solved by the numerical scheme of Runge-Kutta method to obtain the time history of the contact force at the impact point of the shell. The contact force is then applied on the apex of the shell, the dynamic responses of the shell including the displacement and stress are obtained by the finite element method. The results are validated with the experimental test and numerical calculation published in the literatures. The effects of the radius and velocity of the impactor on the impact response is investigated through parametric study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  We prospectively assessed the relationship between nodular gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection. Of 1409 adults who underwent endoscopy for persistent dyspepsia between June 2004 and August 2005, 41 (2.9%) patients were diagnosed with nodular gastritis (11 [27%] men and 30 [73%] women). The mean age was 45.9 years. A control group of 65 patients without nodular gastritis was also evaluated. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was higher in patients with nodular gastritis than in controls (38/41 [93%] vs. 33/65 [51%]). Of 21 patients treated to eradicate H. pylori, the nodular gastritis pattern resolved or improved in 16 patients on subsequent endoscopy. This study suggests that a nodular pattern of the gastric mucosa on endocscopy is a good indicator for H. pylori infection in adults, with the high positive predictive value of 92.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study on the involvement of women in social movements of the Homemakers' Union and Foundation (HUF) in Taiwan. It is inferred that HUF was founded in 1987 and was initiated as both a women's environmental movement and an educational reform movement. In the book "New Feminism" by Lu Hsiu-lien, Hsiu-lien encouraged women to develop their potential and show their abilities to end sexual discrimination in the country.

Tracking environmental change is important to ensure efficient and sustainable natural resources management. East Africa is dominated by arid and semi-arid rangeland systems, where extensive grazing of livestock represents the primary livelihood for most of the human population. Despite several mapping efforts, East Africa lacks accurate and reliable high-resolution rangeland health maps necessary for management, policy, and research purposes. Earth Observations offer the opportunity to assess spatiotemporal dynamics in rangeland health conditions at much higher spatial and temporal coverage than conventional approaches that rely on in-situ methods, while complimenting their certainty. Using machine learning-based classification and linear unmixing, this paper produced Landsat-based time series at 30 m spatial resolution for mapping of land cover classes (LCC) and vegetation fractional cover (VFC, including photosynthetic vegetation PV, non-photosynthetic vegetation NPV, and bare ground BG), two major data assets to derive metrics for rangeland health in East Africa. Due to scarcity of in-situ measurements in a large, remote and highly heterogeneous landscape, an algorithm was developed to combine very high-resolution WorldView-2 and -3 satellite imagery at < 2 m resolutions with a limited set of ground observations to generate reference labels across the study region. The LCC analysis yielded an overall accuracy of 0.856 using our validation dataset, with Kappa of 0.832; VFC, yielded R² = 0.801, p < 2.2e-16, normalized root mean squared error (nRMSE) = 0.123. Our products represent the first multi-decadal high-resolution dataset specifically designed for mapping and monitoring rangelands health in East Africa including Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, covering a total area of 745,840 km², dominated by arid and semi-arid extensive rangeland systems. These data can be valuable to a wide range of development, humanitarian, and ecological conservation efforts and are available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7106166 (Soto et al., 2023) and Google Earth Engine (GEE; details in data availability section). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article calls for sufficient and comprehensive research on land grabbing from around the world and discusses several problems that affect the effectiveness of research on land transactions.

A green fluorescent protein (GFP)-based bacterial biosensor for the detection of bioavailable As(III), As(V), and Sb(III) was developed and characterized. The biosensor strain Escherichia coli DH5a (pVLAS1) was developed based on the expression of gfp under the control of the ars promoter and the arsR gene of Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258. Strain DH5a (pVLAS1) responded mainly to As(III), As(V), and Sb(III), with the lowest detectable concentrations being 0.4, 1, and 0.75 µM, respectively, during a 2-h exposure and 0.1 µM for all three metal ions with an 8-h induction period. To assess its applicability for analyzing environmentally relevant samples, the biosensor was field-tested on shallow-well groundwater for which contaminant levels were known. Our results demonstrate that the nonpathogenic bacterial biosensor developed in the present study is useful and applicable in determining the bioavailability of arsenic with high sensitivity in contaminated groundwater samples, and they suggest a potential for its inexpensive application in field-ready tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale land transactions (LSLTs) can precipitate dramatic changes in land systems. Ethiopia has experienced one of the largest amounts of LSLTs in Africa, yet their effects on local land systems are poorly understood. In this study, we quantify the direct and indirect land use and land cover (LULC) changes associated with LSLTs at eight socio-environmentally diverse sites in central and western Ethiopia. To estimate these effects, we employ a novel, two-stage counterfactual analysis. We first use a region-growing procedure to identify a "control" site with comparable landscape-level characteristics to each LSLT. Then, we sample and reweight points within each control site to further improve covariate balance. This two-stage approach both controls for potential confounding factors at multiple spatial levels and reduces the costs of extensive LULC data classification. Our results show that the majority of the reported transacted area (62%) remained unconverted to large-scale agriculture. Most of the land that was developed into large-scale agriculture displaced smallholder agriculture (53%), followed by conversion of woodland/shrubland (35%) and forest (9%). Beyond their boundaries, LSLTs indirectly influenced rates of smallholder agricultural expansion and abandonment, pointing to site dependence in how LSLTs affect adjacent land systems. In particular, the low prevalence of forest within and around these LSLTs underscores a need to move beyond measures of deforestation as proxies for LSLT effects on land systems. Our two-stage approach shows promise as an efficient method for generating robust counterfactuals and thereby LULC change estimates in systems lacking wall-to-wall LULC data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Monascus-fermented products are mentioned in an ancient Chinese pharmacopoeia of medicinal food and herbs. Monascus-fermented products offer valuable therapeutic benefits and have been extensively used in East Asia for several centuries. Several biological activities of Monascus-fermented products were recently described, and the extract of Monascus-fermented products showed strong antioxidant activity of scavenging DPPH radicals. To evaluate whether Monascus-fermented dioscorea products have potential as nutritional supplements, Monascus-fermented dioscorea's modulation of oxidative-stress resistance and associated regulatory mechanisms in Caenorhabditis elegans were investigated. Principal Findings: We examined oxidative stress resistance of the ethanol extract of red mold dioscorea (RMDE) in C. elegans, and found that RMDE-treated wild-type C. elegans showed an increased survival during juglone-induced oxidative stress compared to untreated controls, whereas the antioxidant phenotype was absent from a daf-16 mutant. In addition, the RMDE reduced the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species in C. elegans. Finally, the RMDE affected the subcellular distribution of the FOXO transcription factor, DAF-16, in C. elegans and induced the expression of the sod-3 antioxidative gene. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the RMDE acts as an antioxidative stress agent and thus may have potential as a nutritional supplement. Further studies in C. elegans suggest that the antioxidant effect of RMDE is mediated via regulation of the DAF-16/FOXO-dependent pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new macrocyclic β-dihydroagarofuran-type sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids, fortuneines A (), B (), and C (), together with the four known alkaloids wilfornine E (), aquifoliunine E-I (), euoverrine B (), and euojaponine I (), were isolated from the aerial parts of Euonymus fortunei. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including HR-ESI-MS, H- and C-NMR, DEPT, H,H-COSY, HSQC, HMBC, and ROESY. This is the first isolation of the above sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids from this plant, except for compound . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because arsenic is the most prevalent environmental toxin, it is imperative that we understand the mechanisms of metalloid detoxification. In prokaryotes, arsenic detoxification is accomplished by chromosomal and plasmid-borne operon-encoded efflux systems. Bacterial ArsA ATPase is the catalytic component of an oxyanion pump that is responsible for resistance to arsenite (As(III)) and antimonite (Sb(III)). Here, we describe the identification of a Caenorhabditis elegans homolog ( asna-1) that encodes the ATPase component of the Escherichia coli As(III) and Sb(III) transporter. We evaluated the responses of wild-type and asna-1-mutant nematodes to various metal ions and found that asna-1-mutant nematodes are more sensitive to As(III) and Sb(III) toxicity than are wild-type animals. These results provide evidence that ASNA-1 is required for C. elegans' defense against As(III) and Sb(III) toxicity. A purified maltose-binding protein (MBP)–ASNA-1 fusion protein was biochemically characterized, and its properties compared with those of ArsAs. The ATPase activity of the ASNA-1 protein was dependent on the presence of As(III) or Sb(III). As(III) stimulated ATPase activity by 2 ± 0.2-fold, whereas Sb(III) stimulated it by 4.6 ± 0.15-fold. The results indicate that As(III)- and Sb(III)-stimulated ArsA ATPase activities are not restricted to bacteria, but extend to animals, by demonstrating that the asna-1 gene from the nematode, C. elegans, encodes a functional ArsA ATPase whose activity is stimulated by As(III) and Sb(III) and which is critical for As(III) and Sb(III) tolerance in the intact organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread use of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has resulted in its ubiquitous presence in the environment, which has led to serious health concerns. One of these concerns is its possible link to Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is the most common neurodegenerative disease in aged individuals. This study investigated whether early-life and chronic exposure to DEHP affects AD via the toxicity of amyloid-β (Aβ), which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of AD, using Caenorhabditis elegans AD models (strains CL4176 and CL2006). We show that early-life DEHP exposure increased Aβ toxicity in C. elegans strains CL4176 and CL2006. Early-life and chronic exposure to DEHP also significantly increased intracellular ROS levels and Aβ deposition in aged CL2006 nematodes. Moreover, it was found that DEHP-induced Aβ toxicity does not require transcription factors DAF-16 or SKN-1, while early-life and chronic exposure to DEHP significantly increased the accumulation of lysosome-related organelles and the mRNA levels of the autophagy-related gene bec-1 in aged CL2006 nematodes. Our findings suggest that early-life and chronic exposure to DEHP enhances Aβ toxicity, which may be associated with the autophagy–lysosomal degradation pathway in C. elegans. [Display omitted] • DEHP exposure increases amyloid-β toxicity in transgenic C. elegans AD models. • Chronic DEHP exposure increases intracellular ROS levels in C. elegans AD models. • Chronic DEHP exposure increases amyloid-β deposition in C. elegans AD models. • Chronic DEHP exposure increases LRO accumulation in C. elegans AD models. • Chronic DEHP exposure increases the mRNA levels of bec-1 in C. elegans AD models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are emerging environmental contaminants and have raised significant concern due to their potential adverse impact on the environment. Ibuprofen is one of the most extensively used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and is also considered an environmental contaminant. The negative impact of ibuprofen on non-target organisms has been documented; however, the molecular mechanisms behind its reproductive toxicity remain unclear. We investigated the impact of early-life long-term ibuprofen exposure on reproductive capacity and its involvement of spermiogenesis in the non-target model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Hermaphrodites were exposed to various ibuprofen concentrations (0.1, 1, 10, and 100 mg/L), resulting in a dose-dependent inhibition of reproduction. In addition, the lowest observed adverse effect concentration (LOAEC) for ibuprofen exposure on the total brood size of C. elegans was 0.1 mg/L, a concentration that falls within the environmentally relevant range for ibuprofen. Outcross progeny assays revealed a significant 47% reduction in total brood size for larval males (him-5) exposed to ibuprofen, while females (fog-2) exhibited only a minor effect. We found that early-life long-term ibuprofen exposure impairs spermatogenesis. The number of mitotic cells significantly reduced by 31%. The rate of sperm malformation in exposed males was 63%, much higher than in unexposed males (11%). Additionally, the percentage of sperm activation decreased from 89% to 39% in ibuprofen-exposed worms. Mechanistic insights indicated that ibuprofen downregulated mRNA levels of genes related to spermatogenesis and DAF-7/TGF-β signaling. RNAi assays provided evidence for the crucial role of the transcription factor DAF-5 in mediating the spermatogenesis impairment by ibuprofen. Our study provides insight into the environmental impacts of pharmaceutical contaminants, such as ibuprofen, on both male and female reproductive systems to safeguard environmental health. [Display omitted] • Ibuprofen impairs spermatogenesis in male him-5 nematodes. • Spermatogenesis and TGF-β-related genes are involved in ibuprofen-induced toxicity. • Ibuprofen-induced impairment of spermatogenesis is associated with DAF-5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the antimicrobial property and food package capability of polymethylpentene (PMP) substrate with silicon oxdie (SiOx) and organic silicon (SiCxHy) stacked layers deposited by an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition system were investigated. The experimental results show that the stacked pair number of SiOx/SiCxHy on PMP is limited to three pairs, beyond which the films will crack and cause package failure. The three-pair SiOx/SiCxHy on PMP shows a low water vapor transmission rate of 0.57 g/m²/day and a high water contact angle of 102°. Three-pair thin-film coated PMP demonstrates no microbe adhesion and exhibits antibacterial properties within 24 h. Food shelf life testing performed at 28 °C and 80% humidity reports that the three-pair thin-film coated PMP can enhance the food shelf-life to 120 h. The results indicate that the silicon-based thin film may be a promising material for antibacterial food packaging applications to extend the shelf-life of food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One novel, highly oxygenated nortriterpenoid, schintrilactone C (), and four known compounds, -, were isolated from the rattan of Schisandra sphenanthera. Their structures were determined by analysis of 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic data. Schintrilactone C is the third example of wuweiziartane-type nortriterpenoids, bearing a modified five-membered D ring, a δ-lactone E ring, and a spirocyclic moiety in the side chain at C(13). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3-[1-( p-chlorobenzyl)-5-(isopropyl)-3- tert-butylthioindol-2-yl]-2, 2-dimethylpropanoic acid (MK-886) is widely used for inhibition of leucotriene synthesis in in vitro studies, however, many of its other effects have been reported. The present study investigated the effect of MK-886 on cytosolic-free Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) and viability in human PC3 prostate cancer cells. [Ca2+]i in suspended cells was measured by using fura-2. MK-886 at concentrations of 1 µM and above increased [Ca2+]i in a concentration-dependent manner with an EC50 value of 20 µM. The Ca2+ signal was reduced partly by removing extracellular Ca2+. MK-886 evoked Mn2+ quenching of fura-2 fluorescence, implicating Ca2+ entry. MK-886-induced Ca2+ influx was inhibited by store-operated Ca2+ entry inhibitors nifedipine, econazole and SKF96365. In Ca2+-free medium, after pre-treatment with 10 µM MK-886, 1 µM thapsigargin (an endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump inhibitor)-induced [Ca2+]i rises were abolished; and conversely, thapsigargin pre-treatment abolished MK-886-induced [Ca2+]i rises. Inhibition of phospholipase C with U73122 did not alter MK-886-induced [Ca2+]i rises. MK-886 at concentrations of 1–100 µM concentration-dependently decreased cell viability with an IC50 value of 60 µM. The cytotoxic effect of MK-886 was not inhibited by pre-chelating cytosolic Ca2+ with BAPTA/AM. Together, in PC3 cells, MK-886 induced [Ca2+]i rises by causing phospholipase C-independent Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum; and Ca2+ influx via store-operated Ca2+ channels. Independently, MK-886 was cytotoxic to cells in a Ca2+-independent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although nanodiamonds have long being considered as a potential tool for biomedical research, the practical in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) application of nanodiamonds remains relatively unexplored. In this paper, we present the first application of in vivo MRI contrast enhancement using only iron embedded magnetic nanodiamonds. An MR image enhancement was clearly demonstrated in the rendering of T2-weighted images of mice obtained using an unmodified commercial MRI scanner. The excellent contrast obtained using these nanodiamonds opens the door to the non-invasive in vivo tracking of nanodiamonds and image enhancement. In the future, one can apply these magnetic nanodiamonds together with surface modifications to facilitate drug delivery, targeted therapy, localized thermal treatment, and diagnostic imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boron neutron capture therapy is a potentially powerful anti-cancer treatment, the success of which depends heavily on the boron delivery agent. Enabling the real-time tracing of delivery agents as they move through the body is crucial to the further development of boron neutron capture therapy. In this study, we fabricate fluorescent 10B embedded nanodiamonds using physical ion implantation in conjunction with a two-step annealing process. Fluorescent 10B embedded nanodiamonds perform well in cell viability test. The red fluorescence of the 10B embedded nanodiamonds allows their use in fluorescence microscopy and in vivo imaging systems, thereby making it possible to conduct tracking in real time. The proposed fluorescent 10B embedded nanodiamonds, combining optical visibility and 10B transport capability, might be a promising boron delivery agent suitable for a wide range of biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]