bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Scaling of biological rates with body size as a backbone in the assembly of metacommunity biodiversity
Authors: Ortiz Esteban , Borthagaray Ana I. , Ramos-Jiliberto Rodrigo , Arim Matías
Published: June 2023

The dispersal–body mass association has been highlighted as a main determinant of biodiversity patterns in metacommunities. However, less attention has been devoted to other well-recognized determinants of metacommunity diversity: the scaling in density and regional richness with body size. Among active dispersers, the increase in movement with body size may enhance local richness and decrease β-diversity. Nevertheless, the reduction of population size and regional richness with body mass may determine a negative diversity–body size association. Consequently, metacommunity assembly probably emerges from a balance between the effect of these scalings. We formalize this hypothesis by relating the exponents of size-scaling rules with simulated trends in α-, β- and γ-diversity with body size. Our results highlight that the diversity–body size relationship in metacommunities may be driven by the combined effect of different scaling rules. Given their ubiquity in most terrestrial and aquatic biotas, these scaling rules may represent the basic determinants—backbone—of biodiversity, over which other mechanisms operate determining metacommunity assembly. Further studies are needed, aimed at explaining biodiversity patterns from functional relationships between biological rates and body size, as well as their association with environmental conditions and species interactions.
The natural capital of seagrass beds in the Caribbean: evaluating their ecosystem services and blue carbon trade potential
Authors: Shayka Bridget F. , Hesselbarth Maximilian H. K. , Schill Steven R. , Currie William S. , Allgeier Jacob E.
Published: June 2023

Seagrass beds provide tremendous services to society, including the storage of carbon, with important implications for climate change mitigation. Prioritizing conservation of this valuable natural capital is of global significance, and including seagrass beds in global carbon markets through projects that minimize loss, increase area or restore degraded areas represents a mechanism towards this end. Using newly available Caribbean seagrass distribution data, we estimated carbon storage in the region and calculated economic valuations of total ecosystem services and carbon storage. We estimated the 88 170 km
2
of seagrass in the Caribbean stores 1337.8 (360.5–2335.0, minimum and maximum estimates, respectively) Tg carbon. The value of these seagrass ecosystems in terms of total ecosystem services and carbon alone was estimated to be $255 billion yr
−1
and $88.3 billion, respectively, highlighting their potential monetary importance for the region. Our results show that Caribbean seagrass beds are globally substantial pools of carbon, and our findings underscore the importance of such evaluation schemes to promote urgently needed conservation of these highly threatened and globally important ecosystems.
Bridging two oceans: small toothed cetaceans (Odontoceti) from the Late Miocene Chagres Formation, eastern Caribbean (Colon, Panama)
Authors: Benites-Palomino Aldo , Vélez-Juarbe Jorge , De Gracia Carlos , Jaramillo Carlos
Published: June 2023

Fossil cetaceans are often found in Miocene marine outcrops across the globe. However, because this record is not homogeneous, the dissimilar increase in occurrences, along with the sampling bias has created regions with extensive records and others with great scarcity. Among these, the Caribbean has remained enigmatic due to the lack of well-preserved cetacean fossils. Here, we report new Caribbean fossil cetaceans from the Upper Miocene Chagres Formation exposed along Piña beach, Eastern Panama, including a scaphokogiine kogiid, an
Acrophyseter
-like physeteroid and the phocoenid
Piscolithax
. Along with previous records of the iniid
Isthminia panamensis
and the kogiine
Nanokogia isthmia
, the Chagres cetacean fauna shows some similarities with other Late Miocene cetacean communities such as the Californias in the North Pacific, although their closest affinities lie with the eastern South Pacific Pisco Formation, Peru. Such findings indicate that though deep and intermediate Caribbean–Pacific water interchange was reduced by the Middle Miocene due to the shallowing of the Central American Seaway, shallow waters marine connection that persisted until the Pliocene might have facilitated the dispersal of coastal species across both sides of the Isthmus.
A reaction network scheme for hidden Markov model parameter learning
Authors: Wiuf Carsten , Behera Abhishek , Singh Abhinav , Gopalkrishnan Manoj
Published: June 2023

With a view towards artificial cells, molecular communication systems, molecular multiagent systems and federated learning, we propose a novel reaction network scheme (termed the Baum–Welch (BW) reaction network) that learns parameters for hidden Markov models (HMMs). All variables including inputs and outputs are encoded by separate species. Each reaction in the scheme changes only one molecule of one species to one molecule of another. The reverse change is also accessible but via a different set of enzymes, in a design reminiscent of futile cycles in biochemical pathways. We show that every positive fixed point of the BW algorithm for HMMs is a fixed point of the reaction network scheme, and vice versa. Furthermore, we prove that the ‘expectation’ step and the ‘maximization’ step of the reaction network separately converge exponentially fast and compute the same values as the E-step and the M-step of the BW algorithm. We simulate example sequences, and show that our reaction network learns the same parameters for the HMM as the BW algorithm, and that the log-likelihood increases continuously along the trajectory of the reaction network.
A critical review on applications of the Avrami equation beyond materials science
Authors: Shirzad Kiana , Viney Christopher
Published: June 2023

The Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov (JMAK) formalization, often referred to as the Avrami equation, was originally developed to describe the progress of phase transformations in material systems. Many other transformations in the life, physical and social sciences follow a similar pattern of nucleation and growth. The Avrami equation has been applied widely to modelling such phenomena, including COVID-19, regardless of whether they have a formal thermodynamic basis. We present here an analytical overview of such applications of the Avrami equation outside its conventional use, emphasizing examples from the life sciences. We discuss the similarities that at least partially justify the extended application of the model to such cases. We point out the limitations of such adoption; some are inherent to the model itself, and some are associated with the extended contexts. We also propose a reasoned justification for why the model performs well in many of these non-thermodynamic applications, even when some of its fundamental assumptions are not satisfied. In particular, we explore connections between the relatively accessible verbal and mathematical language of everyday nucleation- and growth-based phase transformations, represented by the Avrami equation, and the more challenging language of the classic SIR (susceptible-infected-removed) model in epidemiology.
Can monetary incentives overturn fairness-based decisions?
Authors: Weiß Martin , Saulin Anne , Iotzov Vassil , Hewig Johannes , Hein Grit
Published: June 2023

Fairness norms and resulting behaviours are an important prerequisite for cooperation in human societies. At the same time, financial incentives are commonly used to motivate social behaviours, yet it remains unclear how financial incentives affect fairness-based behaviours. Combining a decision paradigm from behavioural economics with hierarchical drift-diffusion modelling, we investigated the effect of different financial incentives on two types of fairness-based decisions in four experimental groups. In two groups, participants divided points between themselves and a disadvantaged person, inciting fairness-based compensation behaviour, in two other groups they divided points between themselves and a fairness violator, inciting fairness-based punishment behaviour. In addition, each group received financial incentives that were either aligned or in conflict with the respective fairness-based behaviour. This design allowed us to directly investigate how different incentives shape the cognitive mechanism of fairness-based decisions and whether these effects are comparable across different fairness domains (fairness-based punishment versus fairness-based compensation). Results showed that offering conflicting incentives diminished fairness-congruent decision behaviour and rendered the fairness-congruent decision process less efficient. These findings demonstrate that financial incentives can undermine fairness-based behaviour, and thus are relevant for the development of incentive schemes aimed at fostering cooperative behaviour.
A very public replication of the temporal pattern to people's regrets
Authors: Richardson Jerry , Gilovich Thomas
Published: June 2023

Most people recognize that mistaken actions generally sting more than equally mistaken and consequential failures to act (Gleicher
et al.
1990
Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull.
16
, 284–295 (
doi:10.1177/0146167290162009
); Kruger
et al.
2005
J. Pers. Soc. Psychol.
88
, 725–735 (
doi:10.1037/0022-3514.88.5.725
); Landman 1987
Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull.
13
, 524–536 (
doi:10.1177/0146167287134009
)). At the same time, most people have some intuitive appreciation of Whittier's claim that ‘For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, “It might have been”’. As a result, few are surprised to learn that when people look back on their lives and identify what they regret most, they mention regrets of inaction significantly more often than regrets of action. Gilovich and Medvec (Gilovich & Medvec 1994
J. Pers. Soc. Psychol.
67
, 357–365 (
doi:10.1037/0022-3514.67.3.357
); Gilovich & Medvec 1995
Psychol. Rev.
102
, 379–395 (
doi:10.1037/0033-295X.102.2.379
)) identified the overarching pattern that incorporates both intuitions: regrets of recent vintage tend to centre on mistakes of action, but long-term regrets tend to involve failures to act. We conducted a replication of Gilovich and Medvec in the field using a unique source: a new museum in Chicago devoted to psychological science. We replicated the significant interaction between action/inaction and temporal perspective, but the precise pattern of that interaction diverged from that reported earlier.
Phases evolution and photocatalytic activity of Cu
2
O films electrodeposited from a non-pH-adjusted solution
Authors: Budi Setia , Takahashi Mari , Sutrisno Mega Gladiani , Adi Wisnu Ari , Fairuza Zahra , Kurniawan Budhy , Maenosono Shinya , Umar Akrajas Ali
Published: June 2023

A pure-phase Cu
2
O film photocatalyst was successfully prepared by the electrodeposition technique from a non-pH-adjusted solution. To investigate the phase evolution and photocatalytic activity of the film, the electrodeposition was conducted at different deposition temperatures. Photocatalytic activity of the films was evaluated from methylene blue (MB) dye degradation. The Cu
2
O phase initially appeared at room temperature and its fraction was found to increase with increasing the deposition temperature, while the impurity phase was successfully diminished. A pure Cu
2
O film with a narrow optical bandgap energy of 1.96 eV was obtained at 75°C. The multi-faceted crystals were found to form at 45°C and became a truncated octahedral structure that possessed {111} and {100} facets as deposition temperature further increased. A preferred orientation growth of {110} facet, which is known to possess a relatively high surface energy, was produced at 75°C. The performance of MB photodegradation enhanced gradually by increasing the deposition temperature. The increase of photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the rise of photoelectrochemical response and the decrease of resistance charge transfer because of narrowing bandgap energy, increasing Cu
2
O fraction, and growing a relatively high catalytic activity facet which had escalated redox reaction that decomposed MB at the photocatalyst–solution interface.
Hippariontracks and horses' toes: the evolution of the equid single hoof
Authors: Vincelette Alan R. , Renders Elise , Scott Kathleen M. , Falkingham Peter L. , Janis Christine M.
Published: June 2023

The traditional story of the evolution of the horse (family Equidae) has been in large part about the evolution of their feet. How did modern horses come to have a single toe (digit III), with the hoof bearing a characteristic V-shaped keratinous frog on the sole, and what happened to the other digits? While it has long been known that the proximal portions of digits II and IV are retained as the splint bones, a recent hypothesis suggested that the distal portion of these digits have also been retained as part of the frog, drawing upon the famous Laetoli footprints of the tridactyl (three-toed) equidHipparionas part of the evidence. We show here that, while there is good anatomical and embryological evidence for the proximal portions of all the accessory digits (i.e. I and V, as well as II and IV) being retained in the feet of modern horses, evidence is lacking for the retention of any distal portions of these digits. There is also good ichnological evidence that many tridactyl equids possessed a frog, and that the frog has been part of the equid foot for much of equid evolutionary history.
ARF6 is a host factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro
Authors: Mirabelli C. , Bragazzi Cunha J. , Wotring J. W. , Sherman E. J. , El Saghir J. , Harder J. , Kretzler M. , Sexton J. Z. , Emmer B. T. , Wobus C. E.
Published: June 2023

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a newly emerged beta-coronavirus that enter cells via two routes, direct fusion at the plasma membrane or endocytosis followed by fusion with the late endosome/lysosome. While the viral receptor, ACE2, multiple entry factors and the mechanism of fusion of the virus at the plasma membrane have been investigated extensively, viral entry via the endocytic pathway is less understood. By using a human hepatocarcinoma cell line, Huh-7, which is resistant to the antiviral action of the TMPRSS2 inhibitor camostat, we discovered that SARS-CoV-2 entry is not dependent on dynamin but on cholesterol. ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (ARF6) has been described as a host factor for SARS-CoV-2 replication and is involved in the entry and infection of several pathogenic viruses. Using CRISPR/Cas9 genetic deletion, a modest reduction in SARS-CoV-2 uptake and infection in Huh-7 was observed. In addition, pharmacological inhibition of ARF6 with the small molecule NAV-2729 showed a dose-dependent reduction of viral infection. Importantly, NAV-2729 also reduced SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in more physiological models of infection: Calu-3 cells and kidney organoids. This highlighted a role for ARF6 in multiple cell contexts. Together, these experiments point to ARF6 as a putative target to develop antiviral strategies against SARS-CoV-2.
A comparison of diffusion MRI presurgical tractography techniques with intraoperative mapping-based validation
Authors: Radwan A.M. , Emsell L. , Vansteelandt K. , Cleeren E. , Peeters R. , De Vleeschouwer S. , Theys T. , Dupont P. , Sunaert S.
Published: June 2023

Objectives

Accurate presurgical brain mapping enables preoperative risk assessment and intraoperative guidance. This work investigated whether constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD) methods were more accurate than diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based methods for presurgical white matter mapping using intraoperative direct electrical stimulation (DES) as the ground truth.

Material and methods

Five different tractography methods were compared (3 DTI-based and 2 CSD-based) in 22 preoperative neurosurgical patients. The corticospinal tract (CST, N=20) and arcuate fasciculus (AF, N=7) bundles were reconstructed, then minimum distances between tractograms and DES coordinates were compared between tractography methods. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used for both bundles. For the CST, binary agreement, linear modeling, and posthoc testing were used to compare tractography methods while correcting for relative lesion and bundle volumes.

Results

Distance measures between 154 positive (functional response, pDES) and negative (no response, nDES) coordinates, and 134 tractograms resulted in 860 data points. Higher agreement was found between pDES coordinates and CSD-based compared to DTI-based tractograms. ROC curves showed overall higher sensitivity at shorter distance cutoffs for CSD (8.5 mm) compared to DTI (14.5 mm). CSD-based CST tractograms showed significantly higher agreement with pDES, which was confirmed by linear modeling and posthoc tests (PFWE < 0.05).

Conclusion

CSD-based CST tractograms were more accurate than DTI-based ones when validated using DES-based assessment of motor and sensory function. This demonstrates the potential benefits of structural mapping using CSD in clinical practice.

Clinical relevance statement

CSD-based tractograms of the CST are more sensitive than DTI-based tractograms when validated against sensory-motor DES mapping. This also demonstrated the feasibility of fully-automated CSD-based tractography for presurgical planning of the CST.

Graphical abstract

Presurgical white matter mapping using probabilistic CSD tractography is more accurate and sensitive than manual DTI FACT or automated probabilistic DTI tractography. This study included 22 patients with DES data, which was used as the ground truth. Distance in mm between tractograms and DES data resulted in 860 datapoints, 685 of which belonged to the CST and were used for linear modeling, DTI = diffusion tensor imaging, CSD = constrained spherical deconvolution, TCK = tractogram/tractography, FWE = family-wise error rate, AUC = area under the curve
Predominance of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria causing urinary tract infections (UTIs) among symptomatic patients in East Africa: a call for action
Authors: Maldonado-Barragán Antonio , Mshana Stephen E. , Keenan Katherine , Ke Xuejia , Gillespie Stephen H. , Stelling John , Maina John , Bazira Joel , Muhwezi Ivan , Mushi Martha F. , Green Dominique L. , Kesby Mike , Lynch Andy G. , Sabiiti Wilber , Sloan Derek J. , Sandeman Alison , Kiiru John , Asiimwe Benon , Holden Matthew T. G. ,   HATUA consortium
Published: June 2023

In low-and middle-income countries, antibiotics are often prescribed for patients with symptoms of urinary tract infections (UTIs) without microbiological confirmation. Inappropriate antibiotic use can contribute to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the selection of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. Data on antibiotic susceptibility patterns of cultured bacteria are important in drafting empirical treatment guidelines and monitoring resistance trends, which can prevent the spread of AMR. In East Africa, antibiotic susceptibility data are sparse. To fill the gap, this study reports common microorganisms and their susceptibility patterns isolated from patients with UTI-like symptoms in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda in 2019-2020. Microbiologically confirmed UTI was observed in 2,653 (35.0%) of the 7583 patients studied. The predominant bacteria wereEscherichia coli(37.0%),Staphylococcusspp. (26.3%),Klebsiellaspp. (5.8%) andEnterococcusspp. (5.5%).E. colicontributed 982 of the isolates with an MDR proportion of 52.2%.Staphylococcusspp. contributed 697 of the isolates with an MDR rate of 60.3%. The overall proportion of MDR bacteria (n=1,153) was 50.9%. MDR bacteria are common causes of UTI in patients attending healthcare centres in East African countries, which emphasizes the need for investment in laboratory culture capacities and diagnostic algorithms to improve accuracy of diagnosis that will lead to appropriate antibiotic uses to prevent and control AMR.
Effectiveness of a COVID-19 contact tracing app in a simulation model with indirect and informal contact tracing
Authors: Leung Ka Yin , Metting Esther , Ebbers Wolfgang , Veldhuijzen Irene , Andeweg Stijn P. , Luijben Guus , de Bruin Marijn , Wallinga Jacco , Klinkenberg Don
Published: June 2023

During the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing was used to identify individuals who had been in contact with a confirmed case so that these contacted individuals could be tested and quarantined to prevent further spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Many countries developed mobile apps to find these contacted individuals faster. We evaluate the epidemiological effectiveness of the Dutch app CoronaMelder, where we measure effectiveness as the reduction of the reproduction number R. To this end, we use a simulation model of SARS-CoV-2 spread and contact tracing, informed by data collected during the study period (December 2020 - March 2021) in the Netherlands. We show that the tracing app caused a clear but small reduction of the reproduction number, and the magnitude of the effect was found to be robust in sensitivity analyses. The app could have been more effective if more people had used it, and if time intervals between symptom onset and reporting of contacts would have been shorter. The model used is novel as it accounts for the clustered nature of social networks and as it accounts for cases informally alerting their contacts directly after symptom onset, without involvement of health authorities or a tracing app.
Cerebral aneurysm walls contain myoglobin that is possibly produced by myofibroblasts and contributes to wall thickening
Authors: Kimura Hidehito , Mori Tatsuya , Hayashi Kosuke , Ikeuchi Yusuke , Tanaka Kazuhiro , Shinohara Masakazu , Tomiyama Akio , Kohmura Eiji , Sasayama Takashi
Published: June 2023

Background

Cerebral aneurysms are associated with subarachnoid hemorrhages if ruptured; however, mechanisms underlying aneurysmal wall thinning and thickening remain unclear.

We previously identified patterns of hemodynamic flow in aneurysms that are associated with wall thickening and thinning, and in this study our objective was to uncover the biological basis for these findings.

Methods

Cerebral aneurysmal wall samples were collected between August 2020 and March 2022 for proteomic analysis and immunohistological investigation of smooth muscle cells, myoglobin, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. We examined the co-localization of myoglobin expression within smooth muscle cells, identified by α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) staining, and myofibroblasts, identified by periostin staining. We measured collagen density in the samples using Sirius Red staining and investigated its correlation with myoglobin density.

Results

Analysis of proteins extracted from an area of thickening in the aneurysmal wall of one patient confirmed the presence of myoglobin. In 24 formalin-fixed aneurysmal wall samples, 19 expressed myoglobin, with 11 showing strong expression, and eight showing weak expression. Myoglobin was scattered or clustered within the vascular smooth muscle layer and tended to be expressed at sites other than where iNOS was identified. Double-label immunofluorescence staining confirmed that the myoglobin-positive rate within α-SMA-positive cells and α-SMA-positive areas was 33.2±23.8% and 31.3±37.8%, respectively, whereas within periostin-positive cells and periostin-positive areas it was 92.2±13.7% and 79.8±29.5, respectively. A moderate correlation was observed between the density of myoglobin and collagen in the same sample field, with a Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient of 0.593 (p = 0.036).

Conclusions

Cerebral aneurysmal walls express myoglobin, which may be produced by myofibroblasts in the wall. Areas with high myoglobin levels retain high levels of collagen fibers, and myoglobin may be involved in wall thickening by suppressing destructive changes in the extracellular matrix collagen fibers.
Increasing HIV treatment literacy among people living with HIV using a novel health communication aid: Evidence from KwaZulu Natal province, South Africa
Authors: Govathson Caroline , Ndlovu Neo , Rambally-Greener Letitia , Schmucker Laura , Chetty-Makkan Candice , Miot Jacqui , Thirumurthy Harsha , Pascoe Sophie , Malone Shawn , Buttenheim Alison
Published: June 2023

Introduction

Effective health communication is important for promoting adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). During counselling sessions with people living with HIV (PLHIV) who are initiating or re-initiating ART, we assessed whether a simple visual aid using bead bottles to explain the concept of viral suppression resulted in changes in HIV treatment literacy.

Methods

At three public sector clinics in KwaZulu-Natal KZN) province, South Africa, we enrolled adults who tested HIV-positive and were newly initiating ART or re-engaging in HIV care. Trained HIV counsellors used bottles with coloured beads (“B-OK bottles”) to explain concepts related to viral load, viral suppression, and undetectable=Untransmittable (U=U). We assessed participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions about ART before and after counselling.

Results

Between November 2022 and January 2023, we enrolled 80 PLHIV. Participants’ median age was 32 years (IQR: 24–41) and 58% were male. After receiving counselling with the B-OK bottles, understanding of U=U increased from 6% to 99% and understanding of ‘viral suppression’ increased from 20% to 99%. Confidence in the protective effects of ART increased (64% to 100% for one’s own health; 58% to 94% for transmission to partners) and was observed among participants both initiating ART and re-engaging in care. The number of participants agreeing that viral suppression means their sexual partners are safe from HIV even without condoms increased from 14% to 93% p-value =0.0. However, 65% still expressed worry that ART does not completely eliminate the risk of sexually transmitting HIV.

Conclusions

Use of B-OK bottles during ART counselling was acceptable and increased HIV treatment literacy. While there was no significant effect on level of confidence in complete elimination of transmission risk when virally suppressed, we observed a significant reduction in concern about transmitting HIV and an increase in confidence in the protective effects of ART.

Clinical Trial Number (SANCTR)

DOH-27-092022-8067
Theory of radiologist interaction with instant messaging decision support tools: a sequential-explanatory study
Authors: Burns John Lee , Gichoya Judy Wawira , Kohli Marc D , Jones Josette , Purkayastha Saptarshi
Published: June 2023

Radiology specific clinical decision support systems (CDSS) and artificial intelligence are poorly integrated into the radiologist workflow. Current research and development efforts of radiology CDSS focus on 5 main interventions, based around exam centric time points– at time of radiology exam ordering, after image acquisition, intra-report support, post-report analysis, and radiology workflow adjacent. We review the literature surrounding CDSS tools in these time points, requirements for CDSS workflow augmentation, and technologies that support clinician to computer workflow augmentation.

We develop a theory of radiologist-decision tool interaction using a sequential explanatory study design. The study consists of 2 phases, the first a quantitative survey and the second a qualitative interview study. The phase 1 survey identifies differences between average users and radiologist users in software interventions using the User Acceptance of Information Technology: Toward a Unified View (UTAUT) framework. Phase 2 semi-structured interviews provide narratives on why these differences are found. To build this theory, we propose a novel solution called Radibot - a conversational agent capable of engaging clinicians with CDSS as an assistant using existing instant messaging systems supporting hospital communications. This work contributes an understanding of how radiologist-users differ from the average user and can be utilized by software developers to increase satisfaction of CDSS tools within radiology.

Author Summary

There is a need for human-machine interfaces between radiologists and clinical decision support systems (CDSS). Within the variety of systems radiologists interact with, there is no best fit for CDSS presented in the literature. After reviewing current literature surrounding CDSS use in healthcare and radiology, we propose a novel solution - a conversational agent capable of engaging clinicians as a team member using existing instant messaging systems supporting hospital communications.

We test the acceptance of this intervention using the User Acceptance of Information Technology: Toward a Unified View (UTAUT) framework in survey and interview formats. Within our sample group, we found that radiologists have a high intent to use and a positive attitude towards this intervention. Our sample of radiologists deviated from the standard user UTAUT expects, suggesting that radiologist’s acceptance of software tools differs from the standard user. This work builds a theory of radiologist-decision support tool interaction that may be useful for software developers and systems integrators.
Cholinergic innervation topography in GBA-associatedde novoParkinson’s disease patients
Authors: Slingerland Sofie , van der Zee Sygrid , Carli Giulia , Slomp Anne C. , Boertien Jeffrey M. , Bohnen Nicolaas I. , Albin Roger L. , Laar Teus van
Published: June 2023

The most common genetic risk factors for Parkinson’s disease areGBA1mutations, encoding the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase. Patients withGBA1mutations (GBA-PD) exhibit earlier age of onset and faster disease progression with more severe cognitive impairments, postural instability, and gait problems. The GBA-PD features suggests more severe cholinergic system pathologies. PET imaging with the vesicular acetylcholine transporter ligand [18F]-F-fluoroethoxybenzovesamicol ([18F]FEOBV PET) provides the opportunity to investigate cholinergic systems changes and their relationship to clinical features of GBA-PD.

One hundred and twenty three newly diagnosed, treatment-naive Parkinson’s disease subjects – with confirmed presynaptic dopaminergic deficits on PET imaging – were included, all part of the Dutch Parkinson Cohort (DUPARC) study. FullGBA1sequencing of saliva samples was performed to evaluateGBA1variants. Patients underwent extensive neuropsychological assessment assessing all cognitive domains, motor evaluation with the Unified Parkinson’s disease Rating Scale, brain MRI, dopaminergic PET to measure striatal-to-occipital ratios of the putamen and [18F]FEOBV PET. We investigated differences in regional cholinergic innervation between GBA-PD carriers and non-GBA1mutation carriers (non-GBA-PD), using voxel-wise and volume-of-interest (VOI)-based approaches. The degree of overlap between t-maps from two-sample t-test models was quantified using the Dice similarity coefficient.

Seventeen (13.8%) subjects had aGBA1mutation. No significant differences were found in the clinical features and dopaminergic ratios between GBA-PD and non-GBA-PD at diagnosis. Lower [18F]FEOBV binding was found in both the GBA-PD and non-GBA-PD group compared to controls. Dice (P< 0.05, cluster size 100) showed a good overlap (0.6233) between the GBA-PD and non-GBA-PD maps. GBA-PD patients showed more widespread reduction in [18F]FEOBV binding than non-GBA-PD when compared to controls in occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal cortices (P< 0.05, FDR-corrected). In VOI analyses (Bonferroni corrected), the left cuneus, entorhinal cortex, fusiform gyrus and supramarginal gyrus were more affected in GBA-PD.

De novoGBA-PD show a distinct topography of regional cholinergic terminal ligand binding, including both higher and lower binding regions. Although the Parkinson’s disease groups were not distinguishable clinically, in comparison to healthy controls, GBA-PD showed more extensive cholinergic denervation compared to non-GBA-PD. Our results suggest thatde novoGBA-PD and non-GBA-PD show differential patterns of cholinergic system changes before clinical differences are observable.
Automated Image Transcription for Perinatal Blood Pressure Monitoring Using Mobile Health Technology
Authors: Katebi Nasim , Bremer Whitney , Nguyen Tony , Phan Daniel , Jeff Jamila , Armstrong Kirkland , Phabian-Millbrook Paula , Platner Marissa , Carroll Kimberly , Shoai Banafsheh , Rohloff Peter , Boulet Sheree L. , Franklin Cheryl G. , Clifford Gari D.
Published: June 2023

This paper introduces a novel approach to address the challenges associated with transferring blood pressure (BP) data from oscillometric devices used in self-measured BP monitoring systems. The primary objective of this study is to improve the accessibility and usability of BP data for monitoring and managing BP during pregnancy and postpartum, particularly in low-resource settings. To this end, we developed an automated image transcription technique to effectively transcribe readings from BP devices. The photos of the BP devices were captured as part of perinatal mobile health (mHealth) monitoring systems, conducted in four studies across two countries. The Guatemala Set 1 and Guatemala Set 2 datasets include the data captured by a cohort of 49 lay midwives from 1697 and 584 pregnant women carrying singletons in the second and third trimesters in rural Guatemala during routine screening. Additionally, we designed an mHealth system in Georgia for postpartum women to monitor and report their BP at home with 23 and 49 African American participants contributing to the Georgia I3 and Georgia IMPROVE projects, respectively. We developed a deep learning-based model which operates in two steps: LCD localization using the You Only Look Once (YOLO) object detection model and digit recognition using a convolutional neural network-based model capable of recognizing multiple digits. We applied color correction and thresholding techniques to minimize the impact of reflection and artifacts. Three experiments were conducted based on the devices used for training the digit recognition model. Overall, our results demonstrate that the device-specific model with transfer learning and the device independent model outperformed the device-specific model without transfer learning. The mean absolute error (MAE) of image transcription on held-out test datasets using the device-independent digit recognition were 1.1 and 1.1 mmHg for systolic and diastolic BP in the Georgia IMPROVE and 1 and 0.6 mmHg in Guatemala Set 2 datasets. The MAE, far below the FDA requirement of 5 mmHg, makes the proposed model suitable for general use when used with appropriate error devices.
miR-252 targeting temperature receptorCcTRPMto mediate the transition from summer-form to winter-form ofCacopsylla chinensis
Authors: Zhang Songdou , Li Jianying , Zhang Dongyue , Zhang Zhixian , Meng Shili , Li Zhen , Liu Xiaoxia
Published: June 2023

Temperature determines the geographical distribution of organisms and affects the outbreak and damage of pests. Insects seasonal polyphenism is a successful strategy adopted by some species to adapt the changeable external environment.Cacopsylla chinensis(Yang & Li) showed two seasonal morphotypes, summer-form and winter-form, with significant differences in morphological characteristics. Low temperature is the key environmental factor to induce its transition from summer-form to winter-form. However, the detailed molecular mechanism remains unknown. Here, we firstly confirmed that low temperature of 10°C induced the transition from summer-form to winter-form by affecting the cuticle thickness and chitin content. Subsequently, we demonstrated thatCcTRPMfunctions as a temperature receptor to regulate this transition. In addition, miR-252 was identified to mediate the expression ofCcTRPMto involve in this morphological transition. Finally, we foundCcTre1andCcCHS1, two rate-limiting enzymes of insect chitin biosyntheis, act as the critical down-stream signal ofCcTRPMin mediating this behavioral transition. Taken together, our results revealed that a signal transduction cascade mediates the seasonal polyphenism inC. chinensis. These findings not only lay a solid foundation for fully clarifying the ecological adaptation mechanism ofC. chinensisoutbreak, but also broaden our understanding about insect polymorphism.
Designing meaningful continuous representations of T cell receptor sequences with deep generative models
Authors: Leary Allen Y. , Scott Darius , Gupta Namita T. , Waite Janelle C. , Skokos Dimitris , Atwal Gurinder S. , Hawkins Peter G.
Published: June 2023

T Cell Receptor (TCR) antigen binding underlies a key mechanism of the adaptive immune response yet the vast diversity of TCRs and the complexity of protein interactions limits our ability to build useful low dimensional representations of TCRs. To address the current limitations in TCR analysis we develop a capacity-controlled disentangling variational autoencoder trained using a dataset of approximately 100 million TCR sequences, that we name TCR-VALID. We design TCR-VALID such that the model representations are low-dimensional, continuous, disentangled, and sufficiently informative to provide high-quality TCR sequencede novogeneration. We thoroughly quantify these properties of the representations, providing a framework for future protein representation learning in low dimensions. The continuity of TCR-VALID representations allows fast and accurate TCR clustering, benchmarked against other state-of-the-art TCR clustering tools and pre-trained language models.
“Impact of sociodemographic factors on the relationship between perceived general health and number of healthcare visits”
Authors: Saleh Shirin , Abril Jazmine
Published: June 2023

This retrospective cross-sectional study examines the relationship between the number of healthcare visits, perceived health status, and sociodemographic characteristics. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for 2017-2018, the study analyzed responses from 4,755 participants aged 20-80. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between healthcare visits and perceived health status while controlling for sociodemographic factors. The results revealed that increased healthcare visits were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of reporting good or better health status. This association remained significant even after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. However, gender was not found to be a significant predictor of perceived health status. Other sociodemographic factors, including age, race, education, marital status, and annual household income, were all significant predictors in the model.

Furthermore, the study identified racial disparities in perceived health, with Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Black individuals reporting lower rates of good or better health than Non-Hispanic White individuals. Higher levels of education were associated with better-perceived health, highlighting the importance of health literacy in healthcare access. Additionally, income was found to mediate the relationship between healthcare visits and perceived health status, with individuals of higher income more likely to perceive their health as better.
The extension of mammalian pregnancy required taming inflammation; independent evolution of extended placentation in the tammar wallaby
Authors: Dudley Jessica S. , Renfree Marilyn B. , Wagner Günter P. , Griffith Oliver W.
Published: June 2023

In the first live bearing mammals, it is assumed that pregnancy was short and ended with a brief period of inflammatory maternal-fetal interaction. This mode of reproduction has been retained in many marsupials. While inflammation is key to successful implantation in eutherians, a key innovation in eutherians is the ability to switch off this inflammation after it has been initiated. This extended period, in which inflammation is suppressed, likely allowed for an extended period of placentation. One lineage of marsupials, the macropodids (wallabies and kangaroos), have extended placentation beyond the 2-4 days seen in other marsupial taxa, which allows us to test whether a moderated inflammation response after attachment is a general pattern associated with the extension of placentation in mammals. We show that during tammar wallaby pregnancy, some inflammatory genes are expressed at key time points of gestation, includingIL6, before attachment,IL12AandLIFthroughout the period of placentation and prostaglandins before birth. However, we did not see evidence of a complete inflammatory response at any time point. We argue that genes involved in a moderated inflammation reaction may have been co-opted into roles for placentation, facilitating the establishment and maintenance of extended fetal-maternal contact. Whilst the absence of other key mediators of inflammation may prevent prolonged damage to the uterus. We argue the moderation of inflammation following maternal-fetal contact is a convergently evolved key innovation that allowed for the extension of placentation in different mammalian lineages.

Significance statement

Our data suggest that moderation of the inflammatory reaction to embryo attachment allows for extension of pregnancy in mammals. The ancestor of all mammals likely experienced an ancestral inflammatory reaction in response to embryo attachment. In contrast, eutherians and some marsupials, such as macropodids, have an extended period of fetal-maternal contact. During this period of placentation many inflammatory genes are silenced while a few others are still expressed. This moderated expression of inflammatory genes suggests that some genes of inflammation were coopted into establishing and maintaining the placenta. This challenges the perspective of inflammation as being detrimental to pregnancy, instead suggesting that fetal-maternal interactions are based on a modified inflammation response necessary for maintaining pregnancy over an extensive period of time.
Levy statistics define anxiety and depression in mice subjected to chronic stress
Authors: Li Qinxi , Nie Yuru , Li Xiaojie , Luo Yiping , Zhao Bangcheng , Zhang Ni , Kuang Weihong , Tian Chao , Chen Daojun , Zhang Yingqian , Wu Zhe , Zhong Zhihui
Published: June 2023

Introduction: Anxiety and depression are recognized as adaptive responses to external stressors in organisms. Current methods for evaluating anxiety and depression in rodents are both burdensome and stressful. The objective of this investigation is to explore a simplified methodology for identifying stress-induced and stress-free states, as well as anxiety and depression levels, by analyzing the movement patterns of rodents. Methods: To address this issue, we utilized Levy statistics to examine the movement patterns of stressed rodents and compared them to non-stressed controls. We employed the two-dimensional Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to identify significant differences in the γ and μ parameters derived from Levy flight (LF) between anxiety, depression, and control mice. Additionally, we employed the support vector machine algorithm to optimize the classification of each group. Results: Our analysis revealed that stressed mice displayed heavy-tailed distributions of movement velocity in open fields, resembling the movement patterns observed in animal predators searching for scarce food sources in nature. In contrast, non-stressed mice exhibited a normal distribution of speed. Notably, the effectiveness of this methodology in the field of drug discovery was confirmed by the response of stressed mice to fluoxetine, a well-established selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Conclusion: This study unveils a previously unidentified statistical walking pattern in mice experiencing anxiety and depression. These findings offer a novel and accessible approach for distinguishing between anxiety, depression, and healthy mice. This method provides a one-step gentle approach (free walk in an open field) instead of the traditional multi-step stressful tests.
Assessing the performance of protein regression models
Authors: Michael Richard , Kæstel-Hansen Jacob , Groth Peter Mørch , Bartels Simon , Salomon Jesper , Tian Pengfei , Hatzakis Nikos S. , Boomsma Wouter
Published: June 2023

To optimize proteins for particular traits holds great promise for industrial and pharmaceutical purposes. Machine Learning is increasingly applied in this field topredictproperties of proteins, thereby guiding the experimental optimization process. A natural question is: How much progress are we making with such predictions, and how important is the choice of regressor and representation? In this paper, we demonstrate that different assessment criteria for regressor performance can lead to dramatically different conclusions, depending on the choice of metric, and how one defines generalization. We highlight the fundamental issues of sample bias in typical regression scenarios and how this can lead to misleading conclusions about regressor performance. Finally, we make the case for the importance of calibrated uncertainty in this domain.
From asexuality to sexual reproduction: cyclical switch of gametogenic pathways in hybrids depends on ploidy level
Authors: Dedukh Dmitrij , Marta Anatolie , Myung Ra-Yeon , Ko Myeong-Hun , Choi Da-Song , Won Yong-Jin , Janko Karel
Published: June 2023

The cellular and molecular mechanisms governing sexual reproduction is highly conserved across eukaryotes. Nevertheless, hybridization can disrupt such machinery leading to asexual reproduction. To investigate how hybridization and polyploidization affect gametogenesis and reproductive outcomes of asexual hybrids, we conducted a comprehensive study on diploid and triploid hybrids along with their sexual parental species from the freshwater fish family Cobitidae. In diploid and triploid hybrids, most gonocytes maintain their original ploidy level. During meiosis, such gonocytes experience abnormal chromosome pairing preventing progression beyond pachytene. Diploid hybrid females regain fertility through premeiotic genome endoreplication, resulting in the rare emergence of tetraploid gonocytes. Tetraploid gonocytes bypass meiosis and lead to clonal diploid gametes. In contrast, triploid hybrids lack genome endoreplication but utilize premeiotic genome elimination of a single-copy parental genome forming diploid gonocytes that undergo meiosis and produce haploid gametes. Therefore, the interplay of parental genomes leads to diverse gametogenic outcomes in hybrids dependent on their ploidy and genome dosage. These alterations in gametogenic pathways can persist across generations, potentially enabling the cyclic maintenance of asexual/polyploid hybrids in natural populations.
Eye Blinks as a Visual Processing Stage
Authors: Yang Bin , Intoy Janis , Rucci Michele
Published: June 2023

Humans blink their eyes frequently during normal viewing, more often than it seems necessary for keeping the cornea well lubricated. Since the closure of the eyelid disrupts the image on the retina, eye blinks are commonly assumed to be detrimental to visual processing. However, blinks also provide luminance modulations rich in spatial information to neural pathways highly sensitive to temporal changes. Here we report that the luminance transients from blinks enhance visual sensitivity. By coupling high-resolution eye-tracking in human observers with modeling of blink transients and spectral analysis of visual input signals, we show that blinking increases the power of retinal stimulation and that this effect significantly enhances visibility despite the time lost in exposure to the external scene. We further show that, as predicted from the spectral content of input signals, this enhancement is selective for stimuli at low spatial frequencies and occurs irrespective of whether the luminance transients are actively generated or passively experienced. These findings indicate that, like eye movements, blinking acts as a computational tool in a visual processing strategy that uses motor behavior to reformat spatial information in the temporal domain.