Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrically Evoked Auditory Brainstem Response Using Extracochlear Stimulation at Different Cochlear Sites: A Comparison With Intracochlear Stimulation.

Objectives The distribution and extent of excitable spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) have been investigated using electrically evoked auditory brainstem response (EABR) during either pre- or perioperative period. In this study, we investigated the EABR with extracochlear stimulation (eEABR) as a preoperative testing tool to estimate these factors. Methods Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. Experiments were conducted in 9 rats with normal hearing and 7 rats that were partially deafened with ouabain treatment. Each experiment involved the following steps in common: (1) The extracochlear stimulating electrode placement at three different sites along the axis of the cochlea and eEABR recordings. (2) Cochleostomies and 4-channel intracochlear array implantation. Then, EABR recordings with various electrode pair combinations. (3) After electrophysiological measurements, cochleae harvesting for histopathological evaluation. The slope characteristics of the amplitude growth function measured from eEABR and EABR, frequency-specific auditory thresholds, and the density of SGNs were compared. Results There were similar trends in slope changes on different sites of stimulation with both types of stimulation in normal hearing animals, a monotonically increasing slope with increasing distance between bipolar pairs. In addition, eEABR slopes showed significant correlations with EABR slopes when the expected cochlear regions of stimulation were similar in normal hearing animals. In partial-deaf animals, the auditory thresholds at several frequencies had a significant correlation to the eEABR slopes of each extracochlear electrode at the apical, middle, and basal cochlear positions. It showed that increasing stimulating regions of the cochlea revealed a differential effect on eEABR slopes according to the neural conditions. Conclusion Our Results indicated that eEABR slopes showed significant spatial correlations to the functionality of the auditory nerve. Therefore, eEABR tests at various cochlear positions possibly can be used for estimating the extent of excitable SGNs in cochlear implant candidates prior to implantation.
Comparison of Adhesion Performance of a Self-curing and a Light-curing Universal Adhesive to Various Dental Substrates and CAD/CAM Materials.

PURPOSE To compare the adhesion of a self-curing (Tokuyama Universal Bond, TUB) and a light-curing (Scotchbond Universal, SBU) universal adhesive to CAD/CAM materials, enamel, and dentin. This study also assessed differences in enamel adhesion between self-etch vs selective etching modes, as well as immediate and long-term adhesion to dentin for both adhesives. MATERIALS AND METHODS Shear bond strength (SBS) testing was used to assess adhesion to enamel, dentin, Lava Ultimate (LU), Vita Enamic (VE), IPS e.max CAD (LD), IPS e.max ZirCAD (3Y-Zir), and Lava Esthetic (5Y-Zir) (n = 10). Moreover, bonding to enamel in self-etch and selective etching modes (n = 10) as well as immediate and aged resin-dentin bond strength (24 h after bonding, after 100,000 thermal cycles [TC] and long-term storage) was evaluated using the microtensile bond-strength test (n = 30). Failure mode was also determined for the bonding to dentin. Statistical analyses consisted of one-way and two-way ANOVA with appropriate post-hoc Tukey-Kramer or two-sample t-tests, as well as the chi-squared or Fisher's exact test (α = 0.05). RESULTS TUB and SBU universal adhesives presented similar bonding to LU, VE, 3Y-Zir, and 5Y-Zir. However, SBS for TUB was superior to SBU when bonding to lithium-disilicate glass-ceramic (IPS e.max CAD). SBU showed better adhesion to dentin and enamel when used in the self-etch mode, while TUB promoted strong bond strength to enamel in the selective etching mode. TUB after TC was the only aging condition that yielded a significant reduction in resin-dentin bond strength. CONCLUSION In-vitro adhesion performance of the self-curing and light-curing universal adhesives varies depending on the dental substrate or CAD/CAM restorative material used for bonding.
Gender mainstreaming at 25 years: Toward an inclusive, collaborative, and structured research agenda

Background Gender mainstreaming has been central to the development agenda for advancing gender equality globally for nearly three decades. We examined key learning across gender mainstreaming models and experiences and assess key successes and challenges in actualising gender mainstreaming’s transformative potential, in order to inform future research agendas. Methods We reviewed 27 years of peer-reviewed literature on gender mainstreaming (1995–2022) and described scholarly publishing trends on the topic based on a set of 528 articles and bibliographic data retrieved from the Scopus database and supplemental coding. The review provides a thematic synthesis of the extant literature, assessing the evidence base to identify gaps and opportunities for future research and collaboration with practitioners. We also contextualise recent research by tracing common threads of scholarly and practitioner discussions over the last two decades. Results Publications on gender mainstreaming have increased, primarily from authors with European and USA academic affiliations and funding. Gender mainstreaming in the health and law and policy sectors has been researched most frequently. Trends in co-authorship suggest increasing collaboration among academics, yet limited collaboration among researchers and practitioners. Widespread low citation counts raise concerns about engagement with the literature. Key challenges in gender mainstreaming identified include conceptual clarity, academic-practitioner disjunctures, politics, leadership and organisational culture, men’s roles, intersectionality, monitoring and evaluation, and public health sectoral concerns. Conclusions The gender mainstreaming literature has expanded considerably over the last 25 years, yet there remain critical knowledge gaps, theoretical inconsistencies, weak research methods and evaluation processes, and implementation challenges. Funders, researchers, and practitioners have failed to prioritise bridging north-south and academic-practitioner divides in gender mainstreaming policy, programmes, and research. Integration of intersectionality also remains nascent. A more inclusive, collaborative, and structured research agenda on gender mainstreaming is needed to effect greater change in the face of persistent and new challenges. Engaging and empowering regional women’s organisations, collaborative learning and research programmes, and joint research and advocacy groups; implementing gender-attuned editorial policies; and incorporating gender mainstreaming in educational curricula are recommended.
Permeability of oceanic crustal rock samples from IODP Hole 1256D

Permeability is an important parameter of oceanic crust: it controls hydrothermal circulation and influences the exchange of heat and chemicals between seawater and the crust. Using the most complete section of intact, in situ normal oceanic crust, this paper presents the first permeability measurements of samples from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Hole 1256D in a relatively undisturbed section through lavas, dikes, and into gabbros. At in situ pressures, saturated gabbro from Hole 1256D is about half as permeable as basalt (2.4 × 10−20 m2 and 4.0 × 10−20 m2, respectively). Although fresh basalt samples have higher permeabilities, the basalts at Hole 1256D contain saponite, an alteration mineral which drastically reduces permeability. These measurements represent an opportunity for comparison to models that predict permeability at IODP Hole 1256D. Similar to model predictions, sample permeability generally decreases with depth. However, even after applying the scaling rule, models predict higher permeabilities than exhibited by the samples, suggesting large‐scale cracks still control permeability in the 15 My old crust at Hole 1256D.
Toward the Assembly of 2D Tunable Crystal Patterns of Spherical Colloids on a Wafer-Scale

Entering an era of miniaturization prompted scientists to explore strategies to assemble colloidal crystals for numerous applications, including photonics. However, wet methods are intrinsically less versatile than dry methods, whereas the manual rubbing method of dry powders has been demonstrated only on sticky elastomeric layers, hindering particle transfer in printing applications and applicability in analytical screening. To address this clear impetus of broad applicability, we explore here the assembly on nonelastomeric, rigid substrates by utilizing the manual rubbing method to rapidly (≈20 s) attain monolayers comprising hexagonal closely packed (HCP) crystals of monodisperse dry powder spherical particles with a diameter ranging from 500 nm to 10 μm using a PDMS stamp. Our findings elucidate that the tribocharging-induced electrostatic attraction, particularly on relatively stiff substrates, and contact mechanics force between particles and substrates are critical contributors to attain large-scale HCP structures on conductive and insulating substrates. The best performance was obtained with polystyrene and PMMA powder, while silica was assembled only in HCP structures on fluorocarbon-coated substrates under zero-humidity conditions. Finally, we successfully demonstrated the assembly of tunable crystal patterns on a wafer-scale with great control on fluorocarbon-coated wafers, which is promising in microelectronics, bead-based assays, sensing, and anticounterfeiting applications.
Effects of Organic Fertilizer on Fruit Quality and Acidified Soil Chemical Properties in Yantai Orchard

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the improving effect of organic fertilizer on acidified soil as well as their effects on fruit quality and quantity in Yantai orchard. [Method] Plot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of organic fertilizer on fruit yield and quality of Red Fuji and chemical properties of acidified soil. [Result] The apple yield in acidified soil applied with organic fertilizer all increased.Under the application of biological organic fertilizer,the apple yield was higher,and it was 8.92% higher than that in the control group.Under the mixed application of chemical fertilizer and biological organic fertilizer,the growth and development of apple trees were improved,and the total soluble solid(TSS) content,vitamin C(Vc) content and TSS-acid ratio in mature apples all increased.The application of organic fertilizer significantly reduced soil acidity.Compared with those in the control group,the soil p H value,organic matter content and alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen content under the application of biological organic fertilizer were increased by 8.33%,15.10% and 30.80%,respectively. [Conclusion] The application of biological organic fertilizer could improve the yield of apple in acidified soil.
Does competitive action intensity influence team performance via leader bottom-line mentality? A social information processing perspective.

Leader bottom-line mentality (LBLM) exists when leaders solely focus on securing bottom-line outcomes to the exclusion of alternative considerations. Our research examines why leaders adopt LBLMs and the implications of this focused leadership strategy on team sales performance and pro-environmental behavior. Utilizing social information processing theory, we examine LBLM as a mediator and contend that competitive action intensity in the work environment provokes LBLM, which then signals to teams the importance of raising sales performance and reducing pro-environmental behavior. We also suggest that leader performance reward expectancy (i.e., perceptions that rewards are directly tied to high performance) serves as a first-stage moderator and team performance reward expectancy serves as a second-stage moderator, with higher (vs. lower) levels of each strengthening the indirect effects of competitive action intensity, through LBLM, onto team sales performance and pro-environmental behavior. Utilizing field data from a large pharmaceutical company (Study 1) as well as an experimental causal chain design (Studies 2a and 2b), we found support for our theoretical model. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Seismotectonics and landslides of the Crati Graben (Calabrian Arc, Southern Italy)

ABSTRACT The Crati Graben is a depression of Plio-Holocene age mainly controlled by extensional N–S striking faults and WNW–ESE transcurrent faults, in its northern and southern extremity. It is characterized by high landslide susceptibility due to the particular geo-structural pattern and seismotectonic characters. Landslides involve many villages, infrastructure and food crops, bringing serious economic and social damage. The seismotectonic and landslides Main Map of the Crati Graben, described in this paper, represents an update in detail of the framework of landslide risk areas and shows the main active and recent faults of the Crati Graben. The landslides and the faults, have been identified and classified, originally at detail scale (1:5000) and, then, represented at 1:50,000 scale. The geo-structural and geomorphological data were analysed in a geographic information system. The work has revealed a correlation between the trend of faults with respect to the distribution of landslides and of the historical and instrumental seismicity. The work presents an updated knowledge framework of risk conditions of the study zone, where risk areas related to slope instability are hierarchically classified according to the destructive potential of landslides. This document may be therefore a useful reference in planning and prioritising in the design of interventions for the safety of slopes and waterways.
Isotope mapping on mountainous regions: current state and way forward

Advances in precipitation isoscape studies and its basis/application were reviewed with a focus on mountainous regions. A recent study showed that precipitation isoscapes over Japanese Alps region can be mapped by a relatively simple model considering altitude and inland effects. However, accurate modelling of a steady state isoscape requires isotope monitoring longer than a few years to reduce errors associated with year-to-year variations. Published values of isotopic lapse rates are likely to be overestimated because of too much emphasis of snow/ice data and an overlapping of altitude and inland effects. Precipitation isotope maps for mountainous regions have been applied for the following purposes so far: areal estimation of recharge elevation for groundwater and spring, scaling up of hydrograph separation, improvements of transit time estimation and runoff/groundwater models for large basins, and basin-scale evapotranspiration partitioning. These advances are promising especially in detecting changes in alpine environment and in providing scientific basis for river basin managements. Innovations in mapping with finer temporal resolutions and in applying to ecological, anthropological, and forensic studies will be important as well as continuous monitoring for longer time scales.
Intake of contaminants, heavy metals and nutrients with potential toxicity via total diet in four geographical areas of Spain

The purpose of this study was to monitor the intake of potentially toxic contaminants, heavy metals and nutrients. Lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, molybdenum, copper, iron, zinc and manganese were studied. Intakes of four populations were estimated from their daily diets and compared with the Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADI) or the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intakes (PTWE) as established by the FAO/WHO to estimate the risk of toxicity and recommended Spanish Intake (RI) or the US Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) or the US Safe and Adequate Daily Dietary Intakes (ESADDI). Representative market basket diets (foods providing the 95% of the total energy intake) from four Spanish regions, Andalucia, Galicia, Madrid and Valencia, were collected and determined for trace element contents. Data on the contribution of food groups to the total daily intake of trace elements were also obtained. Daily lead intakes from the diets ranged from 37 and 521 μg/day, with the Madrid population having the highest average Pb intake and exceeding the PTWI. Average total dietary cadmium intakes were about 25-45 % of the PTWI. The intake of mercury, which is mainly derived from the fish group (66-90%), was about 9-17% of the PTWI. Daily intakes of iron and zinc in the four areas were below the ADI. In Madrid the intake of copper was within the range of the maximum acceptable daily intake of this element. A database listing the contents of heavy metals in 234 food items was created. Content of minerals in the total diets was also determined by means of a computerized program with a database containing the Spanish Food Composition Tables. In the case of elements, the variation in the results between our database and direct analysis suggests the need to analyse total diets when the safety margin between RI and ADI is smaller than the coefficient of variation.
A single-cell atlas of IL-23 inhibition in cutaneous psoriasis distinguishes clinical response

Psoriasis vulgaris and other chronic inflammatory diseases improve markedly with therapeutic blockade of interleukin-23 (IL-23) signaling, but the genetic mechanisms underlying clinical responses remain poorly understood. Using single-cell transcriptomics, we profiled immune cells isolated from lesional psoriatic skin before and during IL-23 blockade. In clinically responsive patients, a psoriatic transcriptional signature in skin-resident memory T cells was strongly attenuated. In contrast, poorly responsive patients were distinguished by persistent activation of IL-17–producing T (T17) cells, a mechanism distinct from alternative cytokine signaling or resistance isolated to epidermal keratinocytes. Even in IL-23 blockade–responsive patients, we detected a recurring set of recalcitrant, disease-specific transcriptional abnormalities. This irreversible immunological state may necessitate ongoing IL-23 inhibition. Spatial transcriptomic analyses also suggested that successful IL-23 blockade requires dampening of >90% of IL-17–induced response in lymphocyte-adjacent keratinocytes, an unexpectedly high threshold. Collectively, our data establish a patient-level paradigm for dissecting responses to immunomodulatory treatments. In patients with psoriasis treated with anti–IL-23 therapy, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics reveal distinct mechanisms of response. Editor’s summary Although the underlying cause of psoriasis is not completely understood, therapies that suppress the activity of IL-17–producing T (T17) cells have achieved broad clinical success. Using single-cell transcriptomics of skin biopsies collected from patients with psoriasis, Wu et al. examined the molecular basis of responses to IL-23 blockade. Patients who successfully responded to treatment showed reduced abundance of T17 cells and partial correction of psoriasis-specific gene expression. Even in patients displaying a strong clinical response to IL-23 blockade, a portion of the psoriatic T17 transcriptional identity persisted, although less than in poor responders. Conversely, successful response was associated with a greater than 90% attenuation of an IL-17–induced keratinocyte transcriptional signature. This study provides insight into single-cell resolution into the immunological drivers of cutaneous psoriasis and underlying clinical responses to IL-23 blockade. —Claire Olingy
Brain-phenotype predictions can survive across diverse real-world data

Recent work suggests that machine learning models predicting psychiatric treatment outcomes based on clinical data may fail when applied to unharmonized samples. Neuroimaging predictive models offer the opportunity to incorporate neurobiological information, which may be more robust to dataset shifts. Yet, among the minority of neuroimaging studies that undertake any form of external validation, there is a notable lack of attention to generalization across dataset-specific idiosyncrasies. Research settings, by design, remove the between-site variations that real-world and, eventually, clinical applications demand. Here, we rigorously test the ability of a range of predictive models to generalize across three diverse, unharmonized samples: the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (n=1291), the Healthy Brain Network (n=1110), and the Human Connectome Project in Development (n=428). These datasets have high inter-dataset heterogeneity, encompassing substantial variations in age distribution, sex, racial and ethnic minority representation, recruitment geography, clinical symptom burdens, fMRI tasks, sequences, and behavioral measures. We demonstrate that reproducible and generalizable brain-behavior associations can be realized across diverse dataset features with sample sizes in the hundreds. Results indicate the potential of functional connectivity-based predictive models to be robust despite substantial inter-dataset variability. Notably, for the HCPD and HBN datasets, the best predictions were not from training and testing in the same dataset (i.e., cross-validation) but across datasets. This result suggests that training on diverse data may improve prediction in specific cases. Overall, this work provides a critical foundation for future work evaluating the generalizability of neuroimaging predictive models in real-world scenarios and clinical settings.
Instability of excitatory synapses in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and the outcome for excitatory circuit inputs to individual cortical neurons

Synapses are lost on a massive scale in the brain and spinal cord of people living with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), and this synaptic loss extends far beyond demyelinating lesions. Post-mortem studies show the long-term consequences of multiple sclerosis (MS) on synapses but do not inform on the early impacts of neuroinflammation on synapses that subsequently lead to synapse loss. How excitatory circuit inputs are altered across the dendritic tree of individual neurons under neuroinflammatory stress is not well understood. Here, we directly assessed the structural dynamics of labeled excitatory synapses in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) as a model of immune-mediated cortical neuronal damage. We used in vivo two-photon imaging and a synthetic tissue-hydrogel super-resolution imaging technique to reveal the dynamics of excitatory synapses, map their location across the dendritic tree of individual neurons, and examine neurons at super-resolution for synaptic loss. We found that excitatory synapses are destabilized but not lost from dendritic spines in EAE, starting with the earliest imaging session before symptom onset. This led to dramatic changes in excitatory circuit inputs to individual cells. In EAE, stable synapses are replaced by synapses that appear or disappear across the imaging sessions or repeatedly change at the same location. These unstable excitatory inputs occur closer to one another in EAE than in healthy controls and are distributed across the dendritic tree. When imaged at super-resolution, we found that a small proportion of dendritic protrusions lost their presynapse and/or postsynapse. Our finding of diffuse destabilizing effects of neuroinflammation on excitatory synapses across cortical neurons may have significant functional consequences since normal dendritic spine dynamics and clustering are essential for learning and memory.