Neural Correlates of Spontaneous BOLD Fluctuations: A Simultaneous LFP-fMRI Investigation In The Non-human Primate

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is widely used to explore functional connectivity (FC) between brain regions across neurological and psychiatric diseases. However, the neural basis of spontaneous low frequency blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) fluctuations is poorly understood. Here, we acquired rs-fMRI data in macaque monkeys together with simultaneous recordings of local field potentials (LFPs) in prefrontal cortex area 9/46d. We first evaluated the correlation between LFPs (1-100 Hz) and BOLD signals and found unique frequency power correlates of positive and negative FC. Anti-correlation of high and low power envelopes indicated that ongoing cross-frequency interactions are a neural correlate of FC. On the other hand, seed-based analysis of the BOLD signal from the vicinity of electrode revealed the same spatial topology when using the power envelopes of high frequency bands of LFPs in the regression analysis. Variations of the canonical hemodynamic response function (HRF) in distinct cortical areas were also investigated to find the optimal HRF that can best fit in model analysis and estimate the BOLD response. While we found the optimal HRF that yields the highest correlation, the HRF shape was consistent within subjects and between brain regions. Our results suggest that intrinsic connectivity networks may be specifically driven by unique LFP profiles and these profiles contribute differently to BOLD FC. This study provides insight into the neural correlates of spontaneous BOLD FC at rest

Analysis of Landscape Composition and Configuration Based on LULC Change Modeling

Land cover changes threaten biodiversity by impacting the natural habitats and require careful and continuous assessment. The standard approach for assessing these changes is land cover modeling. The present study investigated the spatio-temporal changes in Land Use Land Cover (LULC) in the Gorgan River Basin (GRB) during the 1990–2020 period and predicted the changes by 2040. First, a change analysis employing satellite imagery from 1990 to 2020 was carried out. Then, the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) technique was used to predict the transition potential. The accuracy rate, training RMS, and testing RMS of the artificial neural network, MLP, and the transition potential modeling were computed in order to evaluate the results. Utilizing projections for 2020, the prediction of land cover change was made. By contrasting the anticipated land cover map of 2020 with the actual land cover map of 2020, the accuracy of the model was evaluated. The LULC conditions in the future were predicted under two scenarios of the current change trend (scenario 1) and the ecological capability of the land (scenario 2) by 2040. Seven landscape metrics were considered, including Number of Patches, Patch Density, the Largest Patch Index, Edge Density, Land- scape Shape Index, Patch Area, and Area-Weighted Mean Shape Index. Based on the Cramer coefficient, the most critical factors affecting LULC change were elevation, distance from forest, and experimental probability of change. For the 1990–2020 period, the LULC change was shown to be influenced by deforestation, reduced rangeland, and expansion of agricultural and residential areas. Based on scenario 1, the area of forest, agriculture, and rangeland would face −0.8, 0.5, and 0.1% changes in the total area, respectively. In scenario 2, the area of forest, agriculture, and rangeland would change by 0.1, −1.3, and 1.3% of the total area, respectively. Landscape metrics results indicated the destructive trend of the landscape during the 1990–2020 period. For improving the natural condition of the GRB, it is suggested to prioritize different areas in need of regeneration due to inappropriate LULC changes and take preventive and protective measures where changes in LULC were predicted in the future, taking into account land management conditions (scenario 2)

The sustainability of budget deficit and public debt in Malaysian economy: The government intertemporal budget constraint

Malaysia has been in a budget deficit for over a decade. Prolonged budget deficits may hinder Malaysia’s economic growth and could expose the country to financial and economic instability. An excessive budget deficit could also continue to increase the Malaysian government debts over time. If the debt reaches the unsustainable level, this could lead to sharp adjustment, if not a crisis. This paper empirically evaluates the fiscal sustainability of Malaysia using intertemporal budget constraint framework. Specifically, this paper evaluates the capability of the Malaysian government in managing their budget deficit and public debt in the long run while remaining solvent using quarterly time-series data spanning the years 1990 and 2015. The estimation techniques (Unit root, Multivariate cointegration test, and OLS) were employed to ensure the robustness of the results. The findings from the analysis indicates that the fiscal stance in Malaysia is weak sustainability. This finding suggests that reducing the size of government spending may improve the fiscal budget deficit to undergo changes in the overall strategy. The findings suggest that this process has, in fact, been sustainable and point to prudent public sector policies by the fiscal authorities

Development of ELISA method for primary detection of HCV using core antigen

Studies show that Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) antigens appear before antibody while the early days of infection. Therefore detecting antigens could lead us to diagnosing the infection on time. The aim of this study was to develop a simple and sensitive enzyme immunoassay for the detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen in order to evaluate the role of core antigen as a marker of HCV infection. A total of 280 samples was tested by third generation anti-HCV, and the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed only when the anti-HCV enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was positive. All samples were tested with HCV core antigen using Elisa kits. Among the 280 samples, 95 samples were anti-HCV positive. Among those 95 samples, 75 samples were RT-PCR-positive. The cut-off value was set at 0.15 unit of optical density (equivalent to 2.5 pg/ml of core antigen based on the distribution of healthy subjects (anti-HCV-negative subjects). The difference between the mean optical density values of HCV-ribonucleic acid-positive (HCV-RNA-positive) samples and HCV-RNA-negative samples in the HCV core antigen assay was highly significant (1.4 us 0.08, p < 0.005). The sensitivity and specificity of the core antigen assay were 88% and 96%, respectively. The pretreatment of the anti-HCV-positive samples with a solution that contained 1.5 M glycin buffer (pH = 2) increased the sensitivity of the assay (from 57.3% to 88%). This assay is a simple, sensitive, and useful method for use as a screening strategy for HCV infection in anti-HCV-positive or anti-HCV-negative individuals

A novel PAX6 nonsense mutation identified in an Iranian family with various eye anomalies

Purpose: The aim of this study was to detect the genetic defects in a large pedigree of affected individuals with various phenotypes of ocular anomalies including partial aniridia, congenital cataract, and nystagmus. Methods: The entire coding region of paired box gene 6 (PAX6) was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequenced, and compared with a GenBank database. Results: A novel mutation (c.1170 C > T; p.Gln297X) was found in the proband and all affected members. This nonsense mutation leads to PAX6 protein truncation. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that this novel mutation is most likely responsible for the pathogenesis of the congenital aniridia, cataract, and nystagmus in this pedigree. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of this mutation of PAX6 gene in a kindred pedigree with various ocular abnormalities. Keywords: PAX6 nonsense mutation, Polymerase chain reaction, Congenital aniridia, Cataract, Nystagmu

Sexual-Reproductive Health Belief Model of college students

Sexual- reproductive health of youth is one of the most unknown aspects of our community, while the world, including our country is faced with the risk of AIDS spreading. The aim of this study was to describe Health Belief Model (HBM) of the students about sexual-reproductive health behaviors and evaluate the ability of the model in predicting related behaviors. By using quota sampling, 1117 male and female students of Qazvin Medical Science and International universities were included in the study in 1991. A self-completed questionnaire was prepared containing close questions based on HBM components including perceived threats (susceptibility and severity) of related diseases, perceived reproductive benefits and barriers and self efficacy of youth about reproductive health. A total of 645 of participants were female and 457 were male (Mean age 21.4±2.4 and 22.7±3.5, respectively). The Health Belief Model of the students showed that they perceived a moderate threat for AIDS and venereal diseases and their health outcomes. Most of them perceived the benefits of reproductive health behaviors. They believed that the ability of youth in considering reproductive health is low or moderate. However, they noted to some barriers for spreading of reproductive health in youth including inadequacy of services. Boys felt a higher level of threat for acquiring the AIDS and venereal diseases in compare to girls, but girls had a higher knowledge about these diseases and their complications. The Health Belief Model of the students with premarital intercourse behavior was not significantly different with the students without this behavior (Mann-Withney, P<0.05). Female students and the students without the history of premarital intercourse had significantly more positive attitude towards abstinence, comparing to male students and students with the history of premarital intercourse, respectively (Mann-Withney, P<0.05). Seventy five percent of students believed in respecting to ethics as the best way of prevention of AIDS and venereal diseases. HBM was successful in describing the students’ beliefs about reproductive health and related disease. However, it seemed that HBM had a limited capability in predicting reproductive health behaviors, at least for students and/or in our community. Regarding to the positive attitude of most students toward abstinence, especially among female students, it seemed that socio-cultural components are more important than threats for AIDS and venereal diseases. ‏Therefore, developing HBM by integrating the model by related cultural components is recommende

Seroepidemiological prevalence of brucellosis in livestock breeders of the central rural area of Bushehr province 2003-4

Background: Brucellosis is the most important zoonotic disease. As Brucellosis is endemic in Iran, this study was designed to evaluate seroepidemiological prevalence of brucellosis in livestock breeders of the central rural area of Bushehr province in 2003-2004. Methods: Sera of 397 livestock breeders from the central rural area of Bushehr province were collected and tested for anti-brucella IgG antibody using ELISA method. Results: The prevalence of brucellosis in livestock breeders was 10.8%. Brucella seropositively was found to have a significant association with sheep contact and abortion in domestic animals (p<0.05) but anti-brucella Ig antibody positivity had not a significant association with sex, age, contact with cattle, goats and camel, keeping livestock at home, consumption of milk products and raw milk, history of brucellosis in person and/or family and nonspecific signs such as fever, myalgia, low back pain and artheralgia. Conclusion: The prevalence of brucellosis is high in the central rural area of Bushehr province. The prevalence was much higher among livestock breeders in contact with sheep and also in those who had abortion in their domestic animals

Bioresource-Functionalized Quantum Dots for Energy Generation and Storage: Recent Advances and Feature Perspective

The exponential increase in global energy demand in daily life prompts us to search for a bioresource for energy production and storage. Therefore, in developing countries with large populations, there is a need for alternative energy resources to compensate for the energy deficit in an environmentally friendly way and to be independent in their energy demands. The objective of this review article is to compile and evaluate the progress in the development of quantum dots (QDs) for energy generation and storage. Therefore, this article discusses the energy scenario by presenting the basic concepts and advances of various solar cells, providing an overview of energy storage systems (supercapacitors and batteries), and highlighting the research progress to date and future opportunities. This exploratory study will examine the systematic and sequential advances in all three generations of solar cells, namely perovskite solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, Si cells, and thin-film solar cells. The discussion will focus on the development of novel QDs that are economical, efficient, and stable. In addition, the current status of high-performance devices for each technology will be discussed in detail. Finally, the prospects, opportunities for improvement, and future trends in the development of cost-effective and efficient QDs for solar cells and storage from biological resources will be highlighted