Science Citation Index

Background and Objective: Unexplained infertility is a major challenge in reproductive medicine and requires advanced diagnostic approaches to identify the underlyingfactors accurately. This study aims to evaluate the utility of risk factor analysis and a genepanel in diagnosing unexplained infertility using the next-generation sequencing (NGS)technology. Our study aimed to characterize and identify risk and genetic factors associatedwith unexplained infertility. Materials and methods: A cohort of patients with unexplainedinfertility was comprehensively screened for risk factors and genetic variations using atargeted gene panel (10 couples with unexplained infertility (UI) and 36 fertile couples).108 articles were selected (58 on female infertility and 50 on male infertility) presentinggenes that may be associated with unexplained infertility. A gene panel for unexplainedinfertility was compiled based on the literature data. A customized virtual panel wascreated from the exome sequencing data. Results: In the female group, controls had a highermean age, while in the male patients, both groups were similar in terms of age. Both gendergroups had comparable BMI values. No significant associations (p > 0.05) between riskfactors and unexplained infertility were found when evaluating anthropometric parameters and other sociodemographic characteristics. In two male patients (20%), a moleculardefect was detected in NGS variants classified aspossible benign and probably benignIn particular, missense variants were identified in the UGT2B7 and CATSPER2 genes, Amolecular defect classified as probably damaging was found in five female patients (50%).In particular, missense variants were identified in the CAPN10, MLH3, HABP2, IRS1, GDF9,and SLC19A1 genes. Conclusions: The study emphasizes that unexplained infertility is oftenrelated to mechanisms beyond causative mutations and highlights the need for integrativegenomic research involving broader gene panels and multi-faceted approaches, includingtranscriptomics and epigenetics, to uncover latent genetic predispositions.

Hazelnut orchards are popular for cropping on sloped sites, which are often highly erodible. This study aimed to assess the impact of soil management and season in a hazelnut orchard on soil properties and hydrological response. Three treatments (Tilled, Straw, and Grass) were established in Munije (Croatia) on Stagnosol. In Spring, Summer, and Fall, a rainfall simulation was performed (intensity of 58 mm h−1 for 30 min). Results reveal higher water stable aggregate values were observed for the Straw treatment in all seasons. Higher soil organic matter (SOM) content was noticed for the Grass treatment in all seasons, while lower values were recorded for the Tilled treatment. Sediment loss in Summer was up to 650% and 1300% higher for the Tilled treatment compared with the Straw and Grass treatments. This study strengthens the comprehension of utilizing a permanent ground cover in hazelnut orchards as a sustainable practice, contributing to the mitigation of soil erosion processes and the improvement of soil properties. The Straw treatment is a viable option since it increases soil stability and SOM, consequently preventing high soil erosion.

This paper reports on using low-cost, energy-efficient magnetic measurements to study pollution in the Lviv agglomeration, a major industrial and cultural centre of Western Ukraine. Soil magnetic properties were measured in two areas and along one transect. 66 surface topsoil samples were collected in the grid surveyed (a depth of 0–5 cm) at Jewish Park, 33 samples—along the transect. 15 soil samples were taken randomly from an area of Lychakiv Park to identify the magnetic properties of natural soil in the study area. The highest values of magnetic susceptibility (χ) were recorded in soil samples collected near roads with heavy traffic and the railway embankment area (150–237 × 10–8 m3/kg); At a distance of about 20–25 m from the road the χ values were 45–80 × 10–8 m3/kg. In the green space zones of Jewish Park, the Vysokyi Zamok castle, and the Lychakiv Cemetery, χ values displayed a significant decrease (12–24 × 10–8 m3/kg). The thermomagnetic analyses demonstrated a global maximum at 128 K, close to the Verwey transition and the isotropic point of magnetite. The hysteresis parameters suggest the presence of coarse-grained pseudo-single domain (PSD) and multidomain grains (MD) in the samples. The obtained results could be valuable in determining hotspots and pollution levels in the Lviv area using magnetic measurements of soil, as well as further precision geochemical studies.

Previous studies, to some extent, link creativity, well-being, and environmental concerns. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the associations between self-reported creativity, psychological well-being, and climate change concerns. This study was based on data derived from the European Social Survey’s 10th round and applied several items from sections H, B, and C. The findings revealed that creativity was positively linked to climate change concerns and psychological well-being, while psychological well-being was, to some extent, negatively related to climate change concerns. The SEM model demonstrated an acceptable fit, χ2 = 1627.862; Df = 7; CFI = 0.959; TLI = 0.876; NFI = 0.958; RMSEA = 0.078 [0.075–0.082]. Additionally, the findings indicated that more creative and happy individuals were also more concerned about climate change; they were more prone to believe that climate change is caused by human activity, they felt a higher personal responsibility to reduce climate change, and they were significantly more worried about climate change. This implies that as creative and happy individuals have a heightened sense of responsibility for climate change, these individuals may indeed play a key role in promoting climate change awareness and actions, including communication on sustainability, sustainability-related projects, and other activities; thus, tailored campaigns could be developed within the frames of citizen science. The findings also suggest implications for policy development: policymakers could consider the perspectives of creative and happy individuals when crafting climate policies, potentially leading to more effective and widely accepted solutions.

The arid and semiarid grassland ecosystems are characterized by limited water resources and are generally vulnerable to climate change. Understanding how plants in arid and semiarid ecosystems respond to global climatic variation is crucial for ecological restoration under a changing climate. Although the effects of climate on aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB) have been widely explored, how AGB and BGB respond to climatic variation is seldom disentangled. There is still a need to understand how plant communities respond to global climate change. In this study, we conducted a transect survey across grasslands in Inner Mongolia to capture changes in AGB and BGB in plant communities. Then, we used structural equation modelling (SEM) to explore the relationship between environmental factors and the root:shoot ratio to understand how plant communities respond to ecological drought under global climate change. Our results showed that low precipitation use efficiency (LPUE) results in a high root:shoot (HRS) ratio, and BGB was more sensitive to environmental changes. By contrast, high precipitation use efficiency (HPUE) led to a low root:shoot (LRS) ratio, and environmental factors had a greater impact on AGB. For the LPUE pattern, soil water content (SWC), pH, and soil total nitrogen (STN) mainly affected the HRS ratio. Soil water content and STN influenced the HRS ratio through a positive effect on BGB. For the HPUE pattern, SWC, STN, and plant abundance (PA) predominantly regulate the LRS ratio, while biodiversity (plant abundance) affects the LRS ratio by positively affecting AGB. Our results highlight the differential impact of precipitation use efficiency on aboveground and belowground biomass allocation. This is important for monitoring the impact of drought events on plant biomass, improving productivity assessment models in arid and semi-arid regions, and assessing local carbon storage accurately.

Background: Population-level trends in mortality among people with diabetes are inadequately described. We aimed to examine the magnitude and trends in excess all-cause mortality in people with diabetes. Methods: In this retrospective, multicountry analysis, we collected aggregate data from 19 data sources in 16 high-income countries or jurisdictions (in six data sources in Asia, eight in Europe, one from Australia, and four from North America) for the period from Jan 1, 1995, to Dec 31, 2016, (or a subset of this period) on all-cause mortality in people with diagnosed total or type 2 diabetes. We collected data from administrative sources, health insurance records, registries, and a health survey. We estimated excess mortality using the standardised mortality ratio (SMR). Findings: In our dataset, there were approximately 21 million deaths during 0·5 billion person-years of follow-up among people with diagnosed diabetes. 17 of 19 data sources showed decreases in the age-standardised and sex-standardised mortality in people with diabetes, among which the annual percentage change in mortality ranged from –0·5% (95% CI –0·7 to –0·3) in Hungary to –4·2% (−4·3 to –4·1) in Hong Kong. The largest decreases in mortality were observed in east and southeast Asia, with a change of –4·2% (95% CI –4·3 to –4·1) in Hong Kong, –4·0% (−4·8 to –3·2) in South Korea, –3·5% (−4·0 to –3·0) in Taiwan, and –3·6% (−4·2 to –2·9) in Singapore. The annual estimated change in SMR between people with and without diabetes ranged from –3·0% (95% CI –3·0 to –2·9; US Medicare) to 1·6% (1·4 to 1·7; Lombardy, Italy). Among the 17 data sources with decreasing mortality among people with diabetes, we found a significant SMR increase in five data sources, no significant SMR change in four data sources, and a significant SMR decrease in eight data sources. Interpretation: All-cause mortality in diabetes has decreased in most of the high-income countries we assessed. In eight of 19 data sources analysed, mortality decreased more rapidly in people with diabetes than in those without diabetes. Further longevity gains will require continued improvement in prevention and management of diabetes. Funding: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Diabetes Australia Research Program, and Victoria State Government Operational Infrastructure Support Program

A 2-year study was carried out in a Croatia to assess the impacts of tillage and fertilisation on soil bulk density (BD), penetration resistance (PR), CO2 emissions and grain yields. The tillage treatments were: conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT) and reduced tillage (RT). Inside these plots, subplots were fertilised with organic fertiliser, 600 kg ha−1 (CF), 15 t ha−1 (FYM15) and 30 t ha−1 (FYM30) of farmyard manure. In 2017, BD at 10–20 cm was significantly higher in MT than in RT and CT. The same was observed in 2018 at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm. In 2017, RT had a significantly lower PR than MT and CT. In 2018, PR in RT was significantly lower than MT. In 2017 and 2018 FYM30 and FYM15 application decreased significantly BD in comparison to CF. In 2017, the highest dose of farmyard manure (FYM30 50, 5 kg ha−1 day−1) increased significantly CO2 fluxes comparing to CF (40.7 kg ha−1 day−1). Soil CO2 fluxes under CT (47.9 and 52.3 kg ha−1 day−1 in 2017 and 2018, respectively) were significantly higher than RT (39.1 kg ha−1 day−1) in 2017 and MT (41.7 kg ha−1 day−1) in 2018. Conventional tillage (2.26 t ha−1) had significant lower oat yields than RT (2.72 t ha−1) and MT (2.56 t ha−1). The opposite occurred in barley yields. Farmyard manure significantly increased oat yields in 2017 compared to CF. Overall, reduced tillage with addition of FYM30 can be considered a sustainable management practice, since improved soil physical properties, reduced CO2 fluxes and increased grain yield.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the association between levels of residential surrounding greenness, preschool children's park use, sedentary behaviour, and mental and general health. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1489 4-6-year-old children – residents of Kaunas city, Lithuania. Responses to the questionnaires completed by parents were used to ascertain children's general and mental health. We estimated exposure to greenness by the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), and time spent in a park (i.e. park use). We used multivariate logistic regression models to explore the independent associations between health outcomes and surrounding greenness and time spent in the nearest city park, controlling for potential confounders. Results: Of all the studied children, 14% had poor perceived general health, and 44.7% spent 5 or more hours per week in city parks. A significant increase in sedentary behaviour was observed in children with poor health. Every additional hour of time spent in parks was associated with decreased sedentary behaviour and a lower risk of poor health; meanwhile, lower residential greenness was associated with poorer mental and general health. Compared with NDVI-100 m > median and park use exceeding 5 h per week, lower greenness exposure and shorter park usage were associated with the risk of poor health (adjusted odds ratio 2.32 (95% CI: 1.43, 3.78) and the general risk of mental difficulties (adjusted odds ratio 1.43 (95% CI: 1.03, 2.18) in 4–6-year-old children. Conclusions: Lower residential greenness levels and less time spent in a park were associated with poorer general and mental health among 4-6-year-old children. Physical activity in green spaces is recommended as a measure to prevent poor general and mental health among children.

Two mainstream topics have been widely discussed over the past few years: ways to reduce the human impact on nature and the way that the industrial revolution 4.0 changes industries. The aim of this research topic is to analyse the positive and negative factors of big data implementation in the sector of cryptocurrency (as part of the industrial revolution 4.0) and in the sector of municipal waste management. The analysis reveals the differences and similarities between the cryptocurrency and municipal waste management sectors in the context of big data. The findings are significant for the estimation of the technological development of digitalized and non-digitalized sectors. View Full-Text