bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Redescription and taxonomic position of Rodentolepis (sensu lato) asymmetrica (Janicki, 1904), with the erection of Kontrimavichusia n. g. (Eucestoda: Hymenolepididae) from arvicoline rodents (Rodentia: Cricetidae)
Authors: Makarikov A. A. , Binkienė R.
Published: August 2022

Rodentolepis (sensu lato) asymmetrica (Janicki, 1904) is redescribed on the basis of materials from Microtus agrestis, Microtus arvalis and Myodes glareolus from Eastern Europe (Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine and the north-eastern part of Russia). A new genus, Kontrimavichusia n. g., is proposed for it based on morphological and molecular evidence. The unique morphological diagnostic characters of this currently monotypic genus include the presence of an armature on the suckers, ventral osmoregulatory canals connected with irregularly spaced transverse anastomoses, an internal seminal vesicle with circular musculature and uterus with numerous diverticula, situated dorsally to the genital ducts, extending bilaterally beyond the longitudinal osmoregulatory canals. In addition, the new genus differs from morphologically related genera of the Rodentolepis clade by the structure of its vagina. The copulatory part of the vagina in specimens of Kontrimavichusia n. g. is surrounded by circular musculature and covered externally by a dense layer of intensely-stained cells; the conductive part of the vagina is clearly distinguishable from the seminal receptacle. Molecular analysis of the partial 28S rRNA gene fully supports the erection of Kontrimavichusia n. g. as a distinct lineage.
First record of sharksucker Echeneis naucrates (Perciformes, Echeneidae) associated with a young Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis (Cetartiodactyla, Delphinidae) in north-eastern Brazil
Authors: Souto Luciano Raimundo Alardo , Ross Thais Ester Wolff , Sampaio Cláudio L.S. , Reis Maria do Socorro Santos dos , Bortolotto Guilherme A.
Published: August 2022

Suckerfish attached to dolphin species have been extensively reported worldwide, yet such association has been rarely seen in the tropical and shallow waters of South America. In Brazil, the Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis is distributed along almost the entire extent of the coast and only one case of association with suckerfish has been published. Here we report on a sharksucker Echeneis naucrates associated with a young Guiana dolphin on the north-eastern coast of Brazil. The juvenile dolphin with an attached sharksucker was observed on two occasions separated by a 47-day period; we hypothesize the occurrence of host attachment fidelity. The present report adds information to better discuss the ecological interactions between echeneids and dolphins, and expands the baseline information on cetacean species serving as host to suckerfish.
Prediction of depression treatment outcome from multimodal data: a CAN-BIND-1 report
Authors: Sajjadian Mehri , Uher Rudolf , Ho Keith , Hassel Stefanie , Milev Roumen , Frey Benicio N. , Farzan Faranak , Blier Pierre , Foster Jane A. , Parikh Sagar V. , Müller Daniel J. , Rotzinger Susan , Soares Claudio N. , Turecki Gustavo , Taylor Valerie H. , Lam Raymond W. , Strother Stephen C. , Kennedy Sidney H.
Published: August 2022

Background

Prediction of treatment outcomes is a key step in improving the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). The Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND) aims to predict antidepressant treatment outcomes through analyses of clinical assessment, neuroimaging, and blood biomarkers.

Methods

In the CAN-BIND-1 dataset of 192 adults with MDD and outcomes of treatment with escitalopram, we applied machine learning models in a nested cross-validation framework. Across 210 analyses, we examined combinations of predictive variables from three modalities, measured at baseline and after 2 weeks of treatment, and five machine learning methods with and without feature selection. To optimize the predictors-to-observations ratio, we followed a tiered approach with 134 and 1152 variables in tier 1 and tier 2 respectively.

Results

A combination of baseline tier 1 clinical, neuroimaging, and molecular variables predicted response with a mean balanced accuracy of 0.57 (best model mean 0.62) compared to 0.54 (best model mean 0.61) in single modality models. Adding week 2 predictors improved the prediction of response to a mean balanced accuracy of 0.59 (best model mean 0.66). Adding tier 2 features did not improve prediction.

Conclusions

A combination of clinical, neuroimaging, and molecular data improves the prediction of treatment outcomes over single modality measurement. The addition of measurements from the early stages of treatment adds precision. Present results are limited by lack of external validation. To achieve clinically meaningful prediction, the multimodal measurement should be scaled up to larger samples and the robustness of prediction tested in an external validation dataset.
Gait multi-objectives optimization of lower limb exoskeleton robot based on BSO-EOLLFF algorithm
Authors: Zhang Peng , Zhang Junxia , Elsabbagh Ahmed
Published: August 2022

Aiming at problems of low optimization accuracy and slow convergence speed in the gait optimization algorithm of lower limb exoskeleton robot, a novel gait multi-objectives optimization strategy based on beetle swarm optimization (BSO)-elite opposition-based learning (EOL) levy flight foraging (LFF) algorithm was proposed. In order to avoid the algorithm from falling into the local optimum, the EOL strategy with global search capability, the LFF strategy with local search capability and the dynamic mutation strategy with high population diversity were introduced to improve optimization performance. The optimization was performed by establishing a multi-objectives optimization function with the robot’s gait zero moment point (ZMP) stability margin and driving energy consumption. The joint comparative tests were carried out in SolidWorks, ADAMS and MATLAB software. The simulation results showed that compared with the particle swarm optimization algorithm and the BSO algorithm, the ZMP stability margin obtained by the BSO-EOLLFF algorithm was increased, and the average driving energy consumption was reduced by 25.82% and 17.26%, respectively. The human-machine experiments were conducted to verify the effectiveness and superiority. The robot could realize stable and smooth walking with less energy consumption. This research will provide support for the application of exoskeleton robot.
Population status, habitat preference and distribution of Bristled GrassbirdChaetornis striatain Bangladesh
Authors: Chowdhury Sayam U. , Foysal Mohammod , Khan Nazim Uddin , Ahmed Sakib , Diyan M. Abdullah Abu
Published: August 2022

The little-known Bristled GrassbirdChaetornis striatais thought to be declining due to the loss of grassland habitats throughout its range, and is currently classified as globally ‘Vulnerable’. In order to investigate the current status and possible causes of the presumed decline, we assessed population density of Bristled Grassbird in Padma and Jamuna river systems of Bangladesh. The study was conducted during the breeding seasons of the Bristled Grassbird in April and May in 2016–2019, using distance sampling and habitat suitability modelling. We also examined habitat preferences and responses to environmental changes based on vegetation structure and habitat modifications at point count locations. We detected a total of 39 birds with a mean group size of 1.44 individuals. We estimated 4.52 (95% CI: 2.65–7.73) individuals per km2with an encounter rate of 1.48 detections per point count station and 341.15 birds within the study area. Our habitat suitability model projected a total of 167.41 km2of suitable habitat and a total of 756.7 birds in floodplain grasslands of Padma and Jamuna river systems. The Bristled Grassbird was positively associated with grass height and grass density with 92.31% of 39 detections atSaccharum spontaneumdominated grasslands. We did not find a significant effect on Bristled Grassbird detections with increasing human activities, although the detection rate decreased linearly with increasing agricultural intervention and grass harvesting. These findings indicate that the Bristled Grassbird is more widely distributed throughout Bangladesh, and may be less vulnerable to grassland modifications, than previously thought.
Hilfe im direkten Lebensumfeld verorten
Authors: Nienaber André , Reichel Anja Maria , Schulz Michael
Published: August 2022

Die Autor_innen Nienaber, Reichel und Schulz blicken in dem Beitrag „Ein Blick in die Glaskugel“ bereits in die Zukunft der psychiatrischen Versorgung. Während sie dort grundsätzlich Gedanken zur Gestaltung dieser Aufgabe formulieren, machen sie im Folgenden auf Schlussfolgerungen für psychiatrisch Pflegende aufmerksam.
This One Simple Trick Helps Us Understand How Much Water Is in Martian Lavas
Authors: Klemetti Erik
Published: August 2022

Understanding how much water is in Martian magma is vital for understanding whether the Red Planet had seas in its early history.
Relative Contribution of Atmospheric Drivers to “Extreme” Snowfall Over the Amundsen Sea Embayment
Authors: Swetha Chittella Sai Prabala , Deb Pranab , Melchior van Wessem Jan
Published: August 2022

We investigate the atmospheric drivers of extreme precipitation over the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) of West Antarctica (WA) using daily output from the RACMO2 model and reanalysis data (1979–2016). Overall, 93.7% of days with extreme precipitation at the two coastal stations of ASE are associated with the four dominant Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) modes of geopotential height anomalies (at 850 hPa) over WA. The second EOF mode, associated with a coupled pattern consisting of an Amundsen Sea Low and a blocking high to the east, is the main driver of extreme precipitation over ASE, linked to 44.75% of extreme precipitation days. This is followed by EOF‐3 (associated with El Niño Southern Oscillation/PSA‐1), EOF‐4 (likely associated with more frequent “atmospheric river” events), and EOF‐1 (i.e., Southern Annular mode) with a contribution of 22.16%, 21.1%, and 12%, respectively. Extreme precipitation linked to EOF‐2 and EOF‐4 is more intense (by ∼2 mm/day) than the rest.
A Coulomb Stress Response Model for Time‐Dependent Earthquake Forecasts
Authors: Dahm Torsten , Hainzl Sebastian
Published: August 2022

Seismicity models are probabilistic forecasts of earthquake rates to support seismic hazard assessment. Physics‐based models allow extrapolating previously unsampled parameter ranges and enable conclusions on underlying tectonic or human‐induced processes. The Coulomb Failure (CF) and the rate‐and‐state (RS) models are two widely used physics‐based seismicity models both assuming pre‐existing populations of faults responding to Coulomb stress changes. The CF model depends on the absolute Coulomb stress and assumes instantaneous triggering if stress exceeds a threshold, while the RS model only depends on stress changes. Both models can predict background earthquake rates and time‐dependent stress effects, but the RS model with its three independent parameters can additionally explain delayed aftershock triggering. This study introduces a modified CF model where the instantaneous triggering is replaced by a mean time‐to‐failure depending on the absolute stress value. For the specific choice of an exponential dependence on stress and a stationary initial seismicity rate, we show that the model leads to identical results as the RS model and reproduces the Omori‐Utsu relation for aftershock decays as well stress‐shadowing effects. Thus, both CF and RS models can be seen as special cases of the new model. However, the new stress response model can also account for subcritical initial stress conditions and alternative functions of the mean time‐to‐failure depending on the problem and fracture mode.
The Peer‐To‐Peer Type Propagation From Meteorological Drought to Soil Moisture Drought Occurs in Areas With Strong Land‐Atmosphere Interaction
Authors: Li Qiaoqiao , Ye Aizhong , Zhang Yuhang , Zhou Junju
Published: August 2022

Meteorological and soil drought is disastrous to natural and social systems. It is expected that the occurrence of meteorological and soil drought compound events will become more frequent and extreme in the future. The propagation process of meteorological drought to soil drought plays an essential role in the occurrence of drought. However, the drought propagation process is not clear, especially the quantification of drought characteristic propagation process is rarely realized. This study constructs drought intensity propagation index (DIP) and drought duration propagation index (DDP), and then puts forward drought propagation partition in China. Furthermore, this study preliminarily discussed the driving factors of drought propagation and the relationship between land‐atmosphere interaction and main drought propagation partition (arid type drought propagation area, peer‐to‐peer type drought propagation area, and humid type drought propagation area). The results show that DDP and DIP are significantly negatively correlated in China from 1981 to 2020. From southeast to northwest, the propagation of drought intensity from meteorological drought to soil drought gradually increased and the propagation of drought duration gradually decreased. We further concluded that 68% of regions with similar intensity and duration of meteorological drought and soil drought (peer‐to‐peer type drought propagation area) are concentrated in semiarid and dry subhumid, which is exactly the area with strong land‐atmosphere interaction. In all land use types, grasslands are most prone to peer‐to‐peer propagation of drought. This study further reveals the law and mechanism of drought propagation and provides a new idea and attempt to clarify the drought propagation process.
Current status and future perspectives in targeted therapy of NPM1-mutated AML
Authors: Ranieri Roberta , Pianigiani Giulia , Sciabolacci Sofia , Perriello Vincenzo Maria , Marra Andrea , Cardinali Valeria , Pierangeli Sara , Milano Francesca , Gionfriddo Ilaria , Brunetti Lorenzo , Martelli Maria Paola , Falini Brunangelo
Published: August 2022

Nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) is a nucleus-cytoplasmic shuttling protein which is predominantly located in the nucleolus and exerts multiple functions, including regulation of centrosome duplication, ribosome biogenesis and export, histone assembly, maintenance of genomic stability and response to nucleolar stress. NPM1 mutations are the most common genetic alteration in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), detected in about 30–35% of adult AML and more than 50% of AML with normal karyotype. Because of its peculiar molecular and clinico-pathological features, including aberrant cytoplasmic dislocation of the NPM1 mutant and wild-type proteins, lack of involvement in driving clonal hematopoiesis, mutual exclusion with recurrent cytogenetic abnormalities, association with unique gene expression and micro-RNA profiles and high stability at relapse, NPM1-mutated AML is regarded as a distinct genetic entity in the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of hematopoietic malignancies. Starting from the structure and functions of NPM1, we provide an overview of the potential targeted therapies against NPM1-mutated AML and discuss strategies aimed at interfering with the oligomerization (compound NSC348884) and the abnormal traffic of NPM1 (avrainvillamide, XPO1 inhibitors) as well as at inducing selective NPM1-mutant protein degradation (ATRA/ATO, deguelin, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, imidazoquinoxaline derivatives) and at targeting the integrity of nucleolar structure (actinomycin D). We also discuss the current therapeutic results obtained in NPM1-mutated AML with the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax and the preliminary clinical results using menin inhibitors targeting HOX/MEIS1 expression. Finally, we review various immunotherapeutic approaches in NPM1-mutated AML, including immune check-point inhibitors, CAR and TCR T-cell-based therapies against neoantigens created by the NPM1 mutations.
MRI background parenchymal enhancement, breast density and breast cancer risk factors: A cross-sectional study in pre- and post-menopausal women
Authors: Brooks Jennifer D. , Christensen Rebecca A. G. , Sung Janice S. , Pike Malcolm C. , Orlow Irene , Bernstein Jonine L. , Morris Elizabeth A.
Published: August 2022

Breast tissue enhances on contrast MRI and is called background parenchymal enhancement (BPE). Having high BPE has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. We examined the relationship between BPE and the amount of fibroglandular tissue on MRI (MRI-FGT) and breast cancer risk factors. This was a cross-sectional study of 415 women without breast cancer undergoing contrast-enhanced breast MRI at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. All women completed a questionnaire assessing exposures at the time of MRI. Prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) describing the relationship between breast cancer risk factors and BPE and MRI-FGT were generated using modified Poisson regression. In multivariable-adjusted models a positive association between body mass index (BMI) and BPE was observed, with a 5-unit increase in BMI associated with a 14% and 44% increase in prevalence of high BPE in pre- and post-menopausal women, respectively. Conversely, a strong inverse relationship between BMI and MRI-FGT was observed in both pre- (PR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.57, 0.76) and post-menopausal (PR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.56, 0.78) women. Use of preventive medication (e.g., tamoxifen) was associated with having low BPE, while no association was observed for MRI-FGT. BPE is an imaging marker available from standard contrast-enhanced MRI, that is influenced by endogenous and exogenous hormonal exposures in both pre- and post-menopausal women.
Mutational and splicing landscape in a cohort of 43,000 patients tested for hereditary cancer
Authors: Horton Carolyn , Cass Ashley , Conner Blair R. , Hoang Lily , Zimmermann Heather , Abualkheir Nelly , Burks David , Qian Dajun , Molparia Bhuvan , Vuong Huy , LaDuca Holly , Grzybowski Jessica , Durda Kate , Pilarski Robert , Profato Jessica , Clayback Katherine , Mahoney Martin , Schroeder Courtney , Torres-Martinez Wilfredo , Elliott Aaron , Chao Elizabeth C. , Karam Rachid
Published: August 2022

DNA germline genetic testing can identify individuals with cancer susceptibility. However, DNA sequencing alone is limited in its detection and classification of mRNA splicing variants, particularly those located far from coding sequences. Here we address the limitations of splicing variant identification and interpretation by pairing DNA and RNA sequencing and describe the mutational and splicing landscape in a clinical cohort of 43,524 individuals undergoing genetic testing for hereditary cancer predisposition.
Terrestrial health applications of visual assessment technology and machine learning in spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome
Authors: Ong Joshua , Tavakkoli Alireza , Zaman Nasif , Kamran Sharif Amit , Waisberg Ethan , Gautam Nikhil , Lee Andrew G.
Published: August 2022

The neuro-ocular effects of long-duration spaceflight have been termed Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS) and are a potential challenge for future, human space exploration. The underlying pathogenesis of SANS remains ill-defined, but several emerging translational applications of terrestrial head-mounted, visual assessment technology and machine learning frameworks are being studied for potential use in SANS. To develop such technology requires close consideration of the spaceflight environment which is limited in medical resources and imaging modalities. This austere environment necessitates the utilization of low mass, low footprint technology to build a visual assessment system that is comprehensive, accessible, and efficient. In this paper, we discuss the unique considerations for developing this technology for SANS and translational applications on Earth. Several key limitations observed in the austere spaceflight environment share similarities to barriers to care for underserved areas on Earth. We discuss common terrestrial ophthalmic diseases and how machine learning and visual assessment technology for SANS can help increase screening for early intervention. The foundational developments with this novel system may help protect the visual health of both astronauts and individuals on Earth.
Entanglement transitivity problems
Authors: Tabia Gelo Noel M. , Chen Kai-Siang , Hsieh Chung-Yun , Yin Yu-Chun , Liang Yeong-Cherng
Published: August 2022

One of the goals of science is to understand the relation between a whole and its parts, as exemplified by the problem of certifying the entanglement of a system from the knowledge of its reduced states. Here, we focus on a different but related question: can a collection of marginal information reveal new marginal information? We answer this affirmatively and show that (non-) entangled marginal states may exhibit (meta)transitivity of entanglement, i.e., implying that a different target marginal must be entangled. By showing that the global n-qubit state compatible with certain two-qubit marginals in a tree form is unique, we prove that transitivity exists for a system involving an arbitrarily large number of qubits. We also completely characterize—in the sense of providing both the necessary and sufficient conditions—when (meta)transitivity can occur in a tripartite scenario when the two-qudit marginals given are either the Werner states or the isotropic states. Our numerical results suggest that in the tripartite scenario, entanglement transitivity is generic among the marginals derived from pure states.
Mycobacterium abscessus pathogenesis identified by phenogenomic analyses
Authors: Boeck Lucas , Burbaud Sophie , Skwark Marcin , Pearson Will H. , Sangen Jasper , Wuest Andreas W. , Marshall Eleanor K. P. , Weimann Aaron , Everall Isobel , Bryant Josephine M. , Malhotra Sony , Bannerman Bridget P. , Kierdorf Katrin , Blundell Tom L. , Dionne Marc S. , Parkhill Julian , Andres Floto R.
Published: August 2022

The medical and scientific response to emerging and established pathogens is often severely hampered by ignorance of the genetic determinants of virulence, drug resistance and clinical outcomes that could be used to identify therapeutic drug targets and forecast patient trajectories. Taking the newly emergent multidrug-resistant bacteria Mycobacterium abscessus as an example, we show that combining high-dimensional phenotyping with whole-genome sequencing in a phenogenomic analysis can rapidly reveal actionable systems-level insights into bacterial pathobiology. Through phenotyping of 331 clinical isolates, we discovered three distinct clusters of isolates, each with different virulence traits and associated with a different clinical outcome. We combined genome-wide association studies with proteome-wide computational structural modelling to define likely causal variants, and employed direct coupling analysis to identify co-evolving, and therefore potentially epistatic, gene networks. We then used in vivo CRISPR-based silencing to validate our findings and discover clinically relevant M. abscessus virulence factors including a secretion system, thus illustrating how phenogenomics can reveal critical pathways within emerging pathogenic bacteria.
Evaluation of cognitive function in the Dog Aging Project: associations with baseline canine characteristics
Authors: Yarborough Sarah , Fitzpatrick Annette , Schwartz Stephen M. ,   Dog Aging Project Consortium, Creevy Kate E. , Ruple Audrey , Wilkins Vanessa , Kaeberlein Matt , Promislow Daniel , Akey Joshua M. , Benton Brooke , Borenstein Elhanan , Castelhano Marta G. , Coleman Amanda E. , Creevy Kate E. , Crowder Kyle , Dunbar Matthew D. , Fajt Virginia R. , Fitzpatrick Annette L. , Jeffery Unity , Jonlin Erica C. , Kaeberlein Matt , Karlsson Elinor K. , Kerr Kathleen F. , Levine Jonathan M. , Ma Jing , McClelland Robyn L. , Promislow Daniel E. L. , Ruple Audrey , Schwartz Stephen M. , Shrager Sandi , Snyder-Mackler Noah , Tolbert M. Katherine , Urfer Silvan R. , Wilfond Benjamin S.
Published: August 2022

Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) is a neurodegenerative disease in aging dogs. It has been described previously in relatively small cohorts of dogs using multiple different rating scales. This study aimed to use a minimally modified CCD rating scale developed by previous researchers to describe the prevalence of CCD more thoroughly in a large, nationwide cohort of companion dogs participating in the Dog Aging Project (DAP) (n = 15,019). Associations between various canine characteristics, predicted lifespan quartiles, and CCD were examined using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models and receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis. When controlling for all other characteristics, the odds of CCD increased 52% with each additional year of age. Among dogs of the same age, health status, breed type, and sterilization status, odds of CCD were 6.47 times higher in dogs who were not active compared to those who were very active. When controlling for age, breed type, activity level, and other comorbidities, dogs with a history of neurological, eye, or ear disorders had higher odds of CCD. Lifespan quartile analysis showed excellent discriminating ability between CCD positive and negative dogs. Weight-based lifespan quartile estimation could therefore serve as a tool to inform CCD screening by veterinarians.
Self-reconfigurable robot vision pipeline for safer adaptation to varying pavements width and surface conditions
Authors: Yi Lim , Félix Gómez Braulio , Ramalingam Balakrishnan , Rayguru Madan Mohan , Elara Mohan Rajesh , Hayat Abdullah Aamir
Published: August 2022

This work presents the vision pipeline for our in-house developed autonomous reconfigurable pavement sweeping robot named Panthera. As the goal of Panthera is to be an autonomous self-reconfigurable robot, it has to understand the type of pavement it is moving in so that it can adapt smoothly to changing pavement width and perform cleaning operations more efficiently and safely. deep learning (DL) based vision pipeline is proposed for the Panthera robot to recognize pavement features, including pavement type identification, pavement surface condition prediction, and pavement width estimation. The DeepLabv3+ semantic segmentation algorithm was customized to identify the pavement type classification, an eight-layer CNN was proposed for pavement surface condition prediction. Furthermore, pavement width estimation was computed by fusing the segmented pavement region on the depth map. In the end, the fuzzy inference system was implemented by taking input as the pavement width and its conditions detected and output as the safe operational speed. The vision pipeline was trained using the DL provided with the custom pavement images dataset. The performance was evaluated using offline test and real-time field trial images captured through the reconfigurable robot Panthera stereo vision sensor. In the experimental analysis, the DL-based vision pipeline components scored 88.02% and 93.22% accuracy for pavement segmentation and pavement surface condition assessment, respectively, and took approximately 10 ms computation time to process the single image frame from the vision sensor using the onboard computer.
Lightweight convolutional neural network for aircraft small target real-time detection in Airport videos in complex scenes
Authors: Li Weidong , Liu Jia , Mei Hang
Published: August 2022

Airport aircraft identification has essential application value in conflict early warning, anti-runway foreign body intrusion, remote command, etc. The scene video images have problems such as small aircraft targets and mutual occlusion due to the extended shooting distance. However, the detection model is generally complex in structure, and it is challenging to meet real-time detection in air traffic control. This paper proposes a real-time detection network of scene video aircraft-RPD (Realtime Planes Detection) to solve this problem. We construct the lightweight convolution backbone network RPDNet4 for feature extraction. We design a new core component CBL module(Conv (Convolution), BN (Batch Normalization), RELU (Rectified Linear Units)) to expand the range of receptive fields in the neural network. We design a lightweight channel adjustment module block by adding separable depth convolution to reduce the model’s structural parameters. The loss function of GIou loss improves the convergence speed of network training. the paper designs the four-scale prediction module and the adjacent scale feature fusion technology to fuse the adjacent features of different abstract levels. Furthermore, a feature pyramid structure with low-level to high-level is constructed to improve the accuracy of airport aircraft’s small target detection. The experimental results show that compared with YOLOv3, Faster-RCNN, and SSD models, the detection accuracy of the RPD model improved by 5.4%, 7.1%, and 23.6%; in terms of model parameters, the RPD model was reduced by 40.5%, 33.7%, and 80.2%; In terms of detection speed, YOLOv3 is 8.4 fps while RPD model reaches 13.6 fps which is 61.9% faster than YOLOv3.
Application of nickel chitosan nanoconjugate as an antifungal agent for combating Fusarium rot of wheat
Authors: Chouhan Divya , Dutta Ankita , Kumar Anoop , Mandal Palash , Choudhuri Chandrani
Published: August 2022

Agro-researchers are endlessly trying to derive a potential biomolecule having antifungal properties in order to replace the application of synthetic fungicides on agricultural fields. Rot disease often caused by Fusarium solani made severe loss of wheat crops every year. Chitosan and its metallic nano-derivatives hold a broad-spectrum antifungal property. Our interdisciplinary study deals with the application of nickel chitosan nanoconjugate (NiCNC) against Fusarium rot of wheat, in comparison with chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) and commercial fungicide Mancozeb. CNPs and NiCNC were characterized on the basis of UV–Vis spectrophotometry, HR-TEM, FESEM, EDXS and FT-IR. Both CNPs and NiCNC were found effective against the fungal growth, of which NiCNC at 0.04 mg/mL showed complete termination of F. solani grown in suitable medium. Ultrastructural analysis of F. solani conidia treated with NiCNC revealed pronounced damages and disruption of the membrane surface. Fluorescence microscopic study revealed generation of oxidative stress in the fungal system upon NiCNC exposure. Moreover, NiCNC showed reduction in rot disease incidence by 83.33% of wheat seedlings which was further confirmed through the observation of anatomical sections of the stem. NiCNC application helps the seedling to overcome the adverse effect of pathogen, which was evaluated through stress indices attributes.
The chronification of post-COVID condition associated with neurocognitive symptoms, functional impairment and increased healthcare utilization
Authors: Nehme Mayssam , Braillard Olivia , Chappuis François ,   CoviCare Study Team, Nehme Mayssam , Braillard Olivia , Vetter Pauline , Courvoisier Delphine S. , Assal Frederic , Lador Frederic , Benzakour Lamyae , Coen Matteo , Guerreiro Ivan , Allali Gilles , Graf Christophe , Reny Jean-Luc , Stringhini Silvia , Spechbach Hervé , Jacquerioz Frederique , Salamun Julien , Bondolfi Guido , Zekry Dina , Soccal Paola M. , Favale Riccardo , Genevay Stéphane , Lauper Kim , Meyer Philippe , Poku Nana Kwabena , Py Agathe , Landis Basile N. , Agoritsas Thomas , Grira Marwène , Sandoval José , Ehrsam Julien , Regard Simon , Genecand Camille , Tardin Aglaé , Kaiser Laurent , Chappuis François , Guessous Idris , Guessous Idris
Published: August 2022

Post-COVID condition is prevalent in 10–35% of cases in outpatient settings, however a stratification of the duration and severity of symptoms is still lacking, adding to the complexity and heterogeneity of the definition of post-COVID condition and its oucomes. In addition, the potential impacts of a longer duration of disease are not yet clear, along with which risk factors are associated with a chronification of symptoms beyond the initial 12 weeks. In this study, follow-up was conducted at 7 and 15 months after testing at the outpatient SARS-CoV-2 testing center of the Geneva University Hospitals. The chronification of symptoms was defined as the continuous presence of symptoms at each evaluation timepoint (7 and 15 months). Adjusted estimates of healthcare utilization, treatment, functional impairment and quality of life were calculated. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations between the chronification of symptoms and predictors. Overall 1383 participants were included, with a mean age of 44.3 years, standard deviation (SD) 13.4 years, 61.4% were women and 54.5% did not have any comorbidities. Out of SARS-CoV-2 positive participants (n = 767), 37.0% still had symptoms 7 months after their test of which 47.9% had a resolution of symptoms at the second follow-up (15 months after the infection), and 52.1% had persistent symptoms and were considered to have a chronification of their post-COVID condition. Individuals with a chronification of symptoms had an increased utilization of healthcare resources, more recourse to treatment, more functional impairment, and a poorer quality of life. Having several symptoms at testing and difficulty concentrating at 7 months were associated with a chronification of symptoms. COVID-19 patients develop post-COVID condition to varying degrees and duration. Individuals with a chronification of symptoms experience a long-term impact on their health status, functional capacity and quality of life, requiring a special attention, more involved care and early on identification considering the associated predictors.
Object-centered sensorimotor bias of torque control in the chronic stage following stroke
Authors: Schneider Thomas Rudolf , Hermsdörfer Joachim
Published: August 2022

When lifting objects whose center of mass (CoM) are not centered below the handle one must compensate for arising external torques already at lift-off to avoid object tilt. Previous studies showed that finger force scaling during object lifting may be impaired at both hands following stroke. However, torque control in object manipulation has not yet been studied in patients with stroke. In this pilot study, thirteen patients with chronic stage left hemispheric stroke (SL), nine patients with right hemispheric stroke (SR) and hand-matched controls had to grasp and lift an object with the fingertips of their ipsilesional hand at a handle while preventing object tilt. Object CoM and therewith the external torque was varied by either relocating a covert weight or the handle. The compensatory torque at lift-off (Tcom) is the sum of the torque resulting from (1) grip force being produced at different vertical finger positions (∆CoP × GF) and (2) different vertical load forces on both sides of the handle (∆Fy × w/2). When having to rely on sensorimotor memories, ∆CoP × GF was elevated when the object CoM was on the ipsilesional-, but decreased when CoM was on the contralesional side in SL, whereas ∆Fy × w/2 was biased in the opposite direction, resulting in normal Tcom. SR patients applied a smaller ∆CoP × GF when the CoM was on the contralesional side. Torques were not altered when geometric cues were available. Our findings provide evidence for an object-centered spatial bias of manual sensorimotor torque control with the ipsilesional hand following stroke reminiscent of premotor neglect. Both intact finger force-to-position coordination and visuomotor control may compensate for the spatial sensorimotor bias in most stroke patients. Future studies will have to confirm the found bias and evaluate the association with premotor neglect.
A comprehensive meta-analysis and prioritization study to identify vitiligo associated coding and non-coding SNV candidates using web-based bioinformatics tools
Authors: Dutta Tithi , Mitra Sayantan , Saha Arpan , Ganguly Kausik , Pyne Tushar , Sengupta Mainak
Published: August 2022

Vitiligo is a prevalent depigmentation disorder affecting around 1% of the general population. So far, various Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and Candidate Gene Association Studies (CGAS) have identified several single nucleotide variants (SNVs) as a risk factor for vitiligo. Nonetheless, little has been discerned regarding their direct functional significance to the disease pathogenesis. In this study, we did extensive data mining and downstream analysis using several experimentally validated datasets like GTEx Portal and web tools like rSNPBase, RegulomeDB, HaploReg and STRING to prioritize 13 SNVs from a set of 291SNVs that have been previously reported to be associated with vitiligo. We also prioritized their underlying/target genes and tried annotating their functional contribution to vitiligo pathogenesis. Our analysis revealed genes like FGFR10P, SUOX, CDK5RAP1 and RERE that have never been implicated in vitiligo previously to have strong potentials to contribute to the disease pathogenesis. The study is the first of its kind to prioritize and functionally annotate vitiligo-associated GWAS and CGAS SNVs and their underlying/target genes, based on functional data available in the public domain database.
Pulmonary pathophysiology development of COVID-19 assessed by serial Electrical Impedance Tomography in the MaastrICCht cohort
Authors: Heines Serge J. H. , van Bussel Bas C. T. , Jong Melanie J. Acampo-de , Bennis Frank C. , van Gassel Rob J. J. , Groven Rald V. M. , Heijnen Nanon F. L. , Hermans Ben J. M. , Hounjet René , van Koll Johan , Mulder Mark M. G. , van de Poll Marcel C. G. , van Rosmalen Frank , Segers Ruud , Steyns Sander , Strauch Ulrich , Tas Jeanette , van der Horst Iwan C. C. , van Kuijk Sander M. J. , Bergmans Dennis C. J. J.
Published: August 2022

Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection present with different lung compliance and progression of disease differs. Measures of lung mechanics in SARS-CoV-2 patients may unravel different pathophysiologic mechanisms during mechanical ventilation. The objective of this prospective observational study is to describe whether Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) guided positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels unravel changes in EIT-derived parameters over time and whether the changes differ between survivors and non-survivors. Serial EIT-measurements of alveolar overdistension, collapse, and compliance change in ventilated SARS-CoV-2 patients were analysed. In 80 out of 94 patients, we took 283 EIT measurements (93 from day 1–3 after intubation, 66 from day 4–6, and 124 from day 7 and beyond). Fifty-one patients (64%) survived the ICU. At admission mean PaO2/FiO2-ratio was 184.3 (SD 61.4) vs. 151.3 (SD 54.4) mmHg, (p = 0.017) and PEEP was 11.8 (SD 2.8) cmH2O vs. 11.3 (SD 3.4) cmH2O, (p = 0.475), for ICU survivors and non-survivors. At day 1–3, compliance was ~ 55 mL/cmH2O vs. ~ 45 mL/cmH2O in survivors vs. non-survivors. The intersection of overdistension and collapse curves appeared similar at a PEEP of ~ 12–13 cmH2O. At day 4–6 compliance changed to ~ 50 mL/cmH2O vs. ~ 38 mL/cmH2O. At day 7 and beyond, compliance was ~ 38 mL/cmH2O with the intersection at a PEEP of ~ 9 cmH2O vs. ~ 25 mL/cmH2O with overdistension intersecting at collapse curves at a PEEP of ~ 7 cmH2O. Surviving SARS-CoV-2 patients show more favourable EIT-derived parameters and a higher compliance compared to non-survivors over time. This knowledge is valuable for discovering the different groups.
Whole-genome resequencing of Chinese pangolins reveals a population structure and provides insights into their conservation
Authors: Wang Qing , Lan Tianming , Li Haimeng , Sahu Sunil Kumar , Shi Minhui , Zhu Yixin , Han Lei , Yang Shangchen , Li Qian , Zhang Le , Deng Zhangwen , Liu Huan , Hua Yan
Published: August 2022

Poaching and trafficking have a substantial negative impact on the population growth and range expansion of the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla). However, recently reported activities of Chinese pangolins in several sites of Guangdong province in China indicate a promising sign for the recovery of this threatened species. Here, we re-sequence genomes of 15 individuals and perform comprehensive population genomics analyses with previously published 22 individuals. These Chinese pangolins are found to be divided into three distinct populations. Multiple lines of evidence indicate the existence of a newly discovered population (CPA) comprises entirely of individuals from Guangdong province. The other two populations (CPB and CPC) have previously been documented. The genetic differentiation of the CPA and CPC is extremely large (FST = 0.541), which is larger than many subspecies-level differentiations. Even for the closer CPA and CPB, their differentiation (FST = 0.101) is still comparable with the population-level differentiation of many endangered species. Further analysis reveals that the CPA and CPB populations separate 2.5–4.0 thousand years ago (kya), and on the other hand, CPA and CPC diverge around 25–40 kya. The CPA population harbors more runs of homozygosity (ROHs) than the CPB and CPC populations, indicating that inbreeding is more prevalent in the CPA population. Although the CPC population has less mutational load than CPA and CPB populations, we predict that several Loss of Function (LoF) mutations will be translocated into the CPA or CPB populations by using the CPC as a donor population for genetic rescue. Our findings imply that the conservation of Chinese pangolins is challenging, and implementing genetic rescue among the three groups should be done with extreme caution.
An automated liquid jet for fluorescence dosimetry and microsecond radiolytic labeling of proteins
Authors: Rosi Matthew , Russell Brandon , Kristensen Line G. , Farquhar Erik R. , Jain Rohit , Abel Donald , Sullivan Michael , Costello Shawn M. , Dominguez-Martin Maria Agustina , Chen Yan , Marqusee Susan , Petzold Christopher J. , Kerfeld Cheryl A. , DePonte Daniel P. , Farahmand Farid , Gupta Sayan , Ralston Corie Y.
Published: August 2022

X-ray radiolytic labeling uses broadband X-rays for in situ hydroxyl radical labeling to map protein interactions and conformation. High flux density beams are essential to overcome radical scavengers. However, conventional sample delivery environments, such as capillary flow, limit the use of a fully unattenuated focused broadband beam. An alternative is to use a liquid jet, and we have previously demonstrated that use of this form of sample delivery can increase labeling by tenfold at an unfocused X-ray source. Here we report the first use of a liquid jet for automated inline quantitative fluorescence dosage characterization and sample exposure at a high flux density microfocused synchrotron beamline. Our approach enables exposure times in single-digit microseconds while retaining a high level of side-chain labeling. This development significantly boosts the method’s overall effectiveness and efficiency, generates high-quality data, and opens up the arena for high throughput and ultrafast time-resolved in situ hydroxyl radical labeling.
LeMeDISCO is a computational method for large-scale prediction & molecular interpretation of disease comorbidity
Authors: Astore Courtney , Zhou Hongyi , Ilkowski Bartosz , Forness Jessica , Skolnick Jeffrey
Published: August 2022

To understand the origin of disease comorbidity and to identify the essential proteins and pathways underlying comorbid diseases, we developedLeMeDISCO(Large-Scale Molecular Interpretation ofDiseaseComorbidity), an algorithm that predicts disease comorbidities from shared mode of action proteins predicted by the artificial intelligence-basedMEDICASCYalgorithm.LeMeDISCOwas applied to predict the occurrence of comorbid diseases for 3608 distinct diseases. Benchmarking shows thatLeMeDISCOhas much better comorbidity recall than the two molecular methods XD-score (44.5% vs. 6.4%) and the SABscore (68.6% vs. 8.0%). Its performance is somewhat comparable to the phenotype method-based Symptom Similarity Score, 63.7% vs. 100%, butLeMeDISCOworks for far more cases and its large comorbidity recall is attributed to shared proteins that can help provide an understanding of the molecular mechanism(s) underlying disease comorbidity. TheLeMeDISCOweb server is available for academic users at:http://sites.gatech.edu/cssb/LeMeDISCO.
An equation of state unifies diversity, productivity, abundance and biomass
Authors: Harte John , Brush Micah , Newman Erica A. , Umemura Kaito
Published: August 2022

To advance understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem function, ecologists seek widely applicable relationships among species diversity and other ecosystem characteristics such as species productivity, biomass, and abundance. These metrics vary widely across ecosystems and no relationship among any combination of them that is valid across habitats, taxa, and spatial scales, has heretofore been found. Here we derive such a relationship, an equation of state, among species richness, energy flow, biomass, and abundance by combining results from the Maximum Entropy Theory of Ecology and the Metabolic Theory of Ecology. It accurately captures the relationship among these state variables in 42 data sets, including vegetation and arthropod communities, that span a wide variety of spatial scales and habitats. The success of our ecological equation of state opens opportunities for estimating difficult-to-measure state variables from measurements of others, adds support for two current theories in ecology, and is a step toward unification in ecology.
The impact of summer drought on peat soil microbiome structure and function-A multi-proxy-comparison
Authors: Wang Haitao , Meister Mareike , Jensen Corinna , Kuss Andreas W , Urich Tim
Published: August 2022

Different proxies for changes in structure and/or function of microbiomes have been developed, allowing assessing microbiome dynamics at multiple levels. However, the lack and differences in understanding the microbiome dynamics are due to the differences in the choice of proxies in different studies and the limitations of proxies themselves. Here, using both amplicon and metatranscriptomic sequencings, we compared four different proxies (16/18S rRNA genes, 16/18S rRNA transcripts, mRNA taxonomy and mRNA function) to reveal the impact of a severe summer drought in 2018 on prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbiome structures and functions in two rewetted fen peatlands in northern Germany. We found that both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbiome compositions were significantly different between dry and wet months. Interestingly, mRNA proxies showed stronger and more significant impacts of drought for prokaryotes, while 18S rRNA transcript and mRNA taxonomy showed stronger drought impacts for eukaryotes. Accordingly, by comparing the accuracy of microbiome changes in predicting dry and wet months under different proxies, we found that mRNA proxies performed better for prokaryotes, while 18S rRNA transcript and mRNA taxonomy performed better for eukaryotes. In both cases, rRNA gene proxies showed much lower to the lowest accuracy, suggesting the drawback of DNA based approaches. To our knowledge, this is the first study comparing all these proxies to reveal the dynamics of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbiomes in soils. This study shows that microbiomes are sensitive to (extreme) weather changes in rewetted fens, and the associated microbial changes might contribute to ecological consequences.
A portable and miniaturized lab-on-fiber sensor based on a responsive Fabry–Perot resonance cavity for the detection of thiocyanate
Authors: Wang Guangrong , Lv Zhixin , Wang Chengyang , Chen Dan , Zhang Xuemin , Zhang Liying , Fan Fuqiang , Fu Yu , Wang Tieqiang
Published: August 2022

A portable lab-on-fiber sensor was constructed through integrating a responsive metal–insulator–metal resonator on the end surface of an optical fiber tip for the detection of SCN−.