bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fall prevention by reactive balance training on a perturbation treadmill: is it feasible for prefrail and frail geriatric patients? A pilot study
Authors: Trampisch Ulrike Sonja , Petrovic Alexander , Daubert Diana , Wirth Rainer
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Prefrail and frail geriatric patients are at high risk of falling. Perturbation-based balance training on a treadmill appears to be highly effective, but there are no studies in prefrail and frail geriatric hospital patients. The aim of the work is to characterize the study population in whom reactive balance training on a perturbation treadmill was feasible.

Methods

The study is recruiting patients with at least one fall event in the past year (age ≥ 70). The patients complete a minimum of 60-min treadmill training with/without perturbations on at least 4 occasions.

Results

Until now, 80 patients (mean age 80 ± 5) took part in the study. More than half of the participants had some cognitive impairment with < 24 pts. (median MoCA 21 pts.), 35% were prefrail and 61% were frail. The drop-out rate was initially 31% and was reduced to 12% after adding a short pre-test on the treadmill.

Conclusion

Reactive balance training on a perturbation treadmill is feasible for prefrail and frail geriatric patients. Its effectiveness in fall prevention in this population needs to be proven.

Trial registration

German Clinical trial register (DRKS-ID: DRKS00024637 on 24.02.2021).
Mycobacteriaceae Phenome Atlas (MPA): A Standardized Atlas for the Mycobacteriaceae Phenome Based on Heterogeneous Sources
Authors: Liu Wan , Cen Hui , Wu Zhile , Zhou Haokui , Chen Shuo , Yang Xilan , Zhao Guoping , Zhang Guoqing
Published: June 2023

The bacterial family Mycobacteriaceae includes pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria, and systematic research on their genome and phenome can give comprehensive perspectives for exploring their disease mechanism. In this study, the phenotypes of Mycobacteriaceae were inferred from available phenomic data, and 82 microbial phenotypic traits were recruited as data elements of the microbial phenome. This Mycobacteriaceae phenome contains five categories and 20 subcategories of polyphasic phenotypes, and three categories and eight subcategories of functional phenotypes, all of which are complementary to the existing data standards of microbial phenotypes. The phenomic data of Mycobacteriaceae strains were compiled by literature mining, third-party database integration, and bioinformatics annotation. The phenotypes were searchable and comparable from the website of the Mycobacteriaceae Phenome Atlas (MPA, https://www.biosino.org/mpa/). A topological data analysis of MPA revealed the co-evolution between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and virulence factors, and uncovered potential pathogenicity-associated phenotypes. Two hundred and sixty potential pathogen-enriched pathways were found by Fisher's exact test. The application of MPA may provide novel insights into the pathogenicity mechanism and antimicrobial targets of Mycobacteriaceae.
Revitalization of First Nations languages: a Queensland perspective
Authors: O’Brien Grace Marie , Bobongie-Harris Francis
Published: June 2023

First Nations languages can play a significant role in ensuring connection to land, culture, Songlines, kinship, history, and stories. Ongoing language attrition for First Nations peoples of Australia has been due to colonization and past adverse government policies, which rendered First Nations languages a threat to the expansion of the colony. Through processes of dislocation from country and punishment for speaking language, many First Nations peoples began to lose their languages and were forcefully compelled to speak the English language on missions and reserves. Promoting First Nations languages in early educational contexts can instill a sense of cultural identity and connectedness to schooling for First Nations children, helping to ensure that languages are passed on to future generations. In many parts of Australia, First Nations languages are being revitalized and are being taught to both First Nations children and non-Indigenous children in early learning centers and in classrooms. This paper draws upon existing literature, briefly examining the removal of First Nations languages in Queensland from a historical perspective. The authors consider three essential elements required to work with First Nations communities when revitalizing First Nations languages and implementing a successful language program into schools: co-design, authentic delivery, and cultural inclusivity. We demonstrate how these elements have been used in the revitalization of First Nations languages in two Queensland schools. Finally, the importance of using an Indigenous centered approach to maintain languages at a local level is posited as a critical step in creating culturally inclusive environments for First Nations children in mainstream school settings.
Investigating playful punctuation in children’s narrative and persuasive writing
Authors: Burrell Andrew , Beard Roger
Published: June 2023

The writing of 38 9–10-year-old children was used to investigate their use of ludic (playful) punctuation in the composition of two kinds of writing, imaginative narrative and persuasive description. Framed within a consideration of language play in general, and children’s use of punctuation in particular, the investigation revealed the ways in which primary children, without being prompted to do so, use playful punctuation in order to achieve their communicative aims. An in-depth analysis was made of 145 scripts to identify and categorise the playful punctuation used by the children in both kinds of writing. The findings revealed clear differences between the two kinds of writing in how children used playful punctuation. The study illustrates how playful punctuation, as well as being an integral part of the transcriptional aspects of a text, can contribute to its composition; young writers use playful punctuation to contribute to the meaning, purpose and appropriateness of the text for its intended audience. The findings also suggest that such uses—like language play as a whole—warrant further attention in educational research. Future work needs to identify the writing tasks that enable the use of playful punctuation to flourish.
The Application of Computer Medicine in the Investigation of the Health Status of Left-Behind Children Aged 6–12 in Xiangxi
Authors: Zhang Xufeng , Shangguan Lai , Chen Shu
Published: June 2023

In the computer-aided diagnosis system, the use of medical database data mining and knowledge discovery technology is of great significance and necessity of development. To understand the health status of left-behind children in ethnic minority areas, a questionnaire survey and computer-aided technology were used to diagnose and investigate the health status of left-behind children aged 6–12 years in Xiangxi, Hunan Province, such as body shape, physical function and personal cognition. The comparison results show that the body shape, function and perception of left-behind children are not optimistic. The countermeasures are to strengthen policy support, school physical education and the supervision consciousness of the guardian, make the government, schools and families form a joint force, establish a scientific work and leisure system, improve the quality of life, and effectively build the health level of left-behind children.
Epistemic rights violations and epistemic injustice
Authors: McGlynn Aidan
Published: June 2023

I offer a detailed discussion of the connections Lani Watson posits in her book The Right to Know between violations of a person’s epistemic rights on the one hand and the distinctively epistemic forms of injustice influentially discussed in the work of Miranda Fricker on the other. I argue that if we specify the content of the relevant epistemic rights (and the corresponding duties of others) carefully enough, it becomes plausible that there is an even tighter relationship between violations of these rights and various epistemic injustices than Watson claims. I close by tabling a speculative suggestion on the significance of this conclusion.
Mapping and assessment of coastal infrastructure for adaptation to coastal erosion along the coast of Ghana
Authors: Charuka Blessing , Angnuureng Donatus Bapentire , Agblorti Samuel K. M.
Published: June 2023

Globally, coastal managers are challenged to make informed decisions when selecting coastal infrastructure to respond to climate-induced sea-level rise and associated coastal hazards like coastal erosion and flooding. Classifying the types of coastal infrastructure permits the comparison of their potential efficiency, environmental and socioeconomic impacts, and long-term response to sea-level rise. At present, information on coastal infrastructure implemented along the coastal area of Ghana is not known thus creating a research gap to catalog this information. To achieve this, we combined satellite images from Google Earth Pro and the use of ArcGIS capabilities to conduct a national assessment of coastal infrastructure and its distribution along the coast of Ghana. Even though similar approaches have been applied in different geographic contexts, this article focuses on evaluating coastal infrastructure in Ghana. Results show that between 2004 and 2022, at least 110 km or approximately 20% of the coast of Ghana has been protected using grey infrastructure, distributed as groins 35.9 km (6.5%), revetments and seawalls 50 km (9%), and jetties and port breakwaters 25 km (4.5%) of the 550 Km coastline. These do not include the numerous private recreational infrastructure that could increase coastal vulnerability. The increasing use of grey infrastructure, particularly seawalls, and revetments along the coast has adverse impacts on overall coastal evolution and causes socioeconomic challenges. This study supports coastal managers to review coastal adaptation policy and develop shoreline management plans for the coast of Ghana.
Human exposure to Rabies due to dog menace: An evolving concern
Authors: Zaman Kamran , Mishra Shailendra , Mohanty Aroop , Adhikari Suraj , Sah Ranjit
Published: June 2023

Highlights
The historiography of the Greek-Turkish War in Asia Minor: Britain, Greece, and others, 1915 - 1923
Authors: Llewellyn-Smith Michael
Published: June 2023

2023 marks the centenary of the Treaty of Lausanne, which ended the state of war between Turkey and the western allies, in particular Greece, and reordered the Near East, settling frontiers and providing for the protection of minorities. This essay reviews the historiography of the period 1915-23 through Greek and British sources in printed books and papers, covering the Greek irredentist claim to western Asia Minor, the Paris peace conference, the occupation of Smyrna, the Greek war against Mustapha Kemal's Turkish nationalists, the collapse of the Greek army, the Lausanne treaty, and the convention on the exchange of Greek and Turkish populations agreed at Lausanne in 1923.
Reductive Views of Knowledge and the Small Difference Principle
Authors: Wimmer Simon
Published: June 2023

I develop a challenge to reductive views of knowing that $ \phi $ that appeal to what I call a gradable property. Such appeal allows for properties that are intrinsically very similar to the property of knowing that $ \phi $, but differ significantly in their normative significance. This violates the independently plausible claim Pautz (2017) labels the ‘small difference principle.’
New perspectives on morphological and genetic variability of Corynosoma bullosum [Linstow, 1892] parasitizing southern elephant seals from the Antarctic Peninsula
Authors: Soto F.A. , Rodríguez S.M. , Leonardi M.S. , Negrete J. , Cremonte F.
Published: June 2023

Previous descriptions of Corynosoma bullosum (Linstow, 1892) show that specimens vary greatly in the proportions of different body structures, measurements of females and males, number of rows of hooks, and egg measurements, among other features. We redescribe this species from specimens found in southern elephant seal faeces from King George Island. We also provide a molecular characterization, in addition to 5.8S and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) existing sequences. We examined 41 elephant seals, and 30 adult acanthocephalans were found in 15 of them. The specimens were identified as belonging to the genus Corynosoma due to each having a tubular body with an inflated anterior part forming a thorny disk and the posterior part bearing somatic spines on the ventral surface, and genital spines surrounding the genital pore. Individual morphology corresponded to C. bullosum: large size, marked sexual dimorphism, and proboscis with 16–18 rows of spines with 11–15 spines per row. The molecular profile of three specimens of C. bullosum was analysed using 18S rDNA. We inferred phylogenetic relationships of the family Polymorphidae using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. We provide an updated morphological redescription for C. bullosum including electron microscopy photographs and molecular data. The 18S gene sequences showed low genetic variation and supported that C. bullosum is a sister to Corynosoma australe.
Facsimiles of yore: printing technology and the page image in the Japanese Government General of Korea’s reproduction of historical sources
Authors: Reynolds Graeme R.
Published: June 2023

During the 1930s the Japanese Government General of Korea’s Society for the Compilation of Korean History commissioned facsimiles of some 21 rare historical sources to accompany the publication of the colossalHistory of Korea(Chōsenshi 朝鮮史), funnelling select xylographic, typographic, and chirographic products of the defunct Chosŏn dynasty’s book ecology through offset lithography and collotype, and on occasion movable type. This article investigates the Society for the Compilation of Korean History’s collection and classification of historical materials against the larger backdrop of colonial knowledge production, illuminates the different economic and editorial logics of the new printing technologies used to produce the facsimiles, and examines the products as one example of the significance of facsimiles in the field of history. It suggests that the interplay of traditional print media, dominated by woodblock prints, and the new photomechanical means of reproduction, allowed for the swift reproduction of the unfolded page image and the easy utilization of traditional-style binding, permitting the Society to create purposefully antiquated reproductions with a high degree of fidelity to the original. At the same time, the use of modern materials (paper, string, and covers) and certain features common to traditional Japanese book binding meant that the facsimiles were irrevocably hybrid. These facsimiles ended up in a wide range of research libraries, representing the Korean past to the scholarly community in the Japanese empire.
Actors, activities, and forms of authority in the IPCC
Authors: Hughes Hannah
Published: June 2023

Scholarship on global environmental assessments call for these organisations to become more reflexive to address challenges around participation, inclusivity of perspectives, and responsivity to the policy domains they inform. However, there has been less call for reflexivity in IPCC scholarship or closer examination of how routine concepts condition scholarly understanding by focusing on science and politics over other social dynamics. In this article, I suggest that scholarly reflexivity could advance new analytical approaches that provide practical insights for changing organisational structures. Through reflecting on my understanding of the IPCC, I develop actors, activities, and forms of authority as a new analytical framework for studying international organisations and knowledge bodies. Through its application, I describe the social order of the IPCC within and between the panel, the bureau, the technical support units, the secretariat and the authors, which is revealing of which actors, on the basis of what authority, have symbolic power over the writing of climate change. The fine-grained analysis of organisations enabled by this analytical framework reveals how dominance can and is being remade through intergovernmental relations and potentially, identifies avenues that managers of these bodies can pursue to challenge it.
Kinematic directional index for the performance of redundant manipulators
Authors: Boschetti Giovanni , Minto Riccardo
Published: June 2023

Performance indexes are a powerful tool to evaluate the behavior of industrial manipulators throughout their workspace and improve their performance. When dealing with intrinsically redundant manipulators, the additional joint influences their performance; hence, it is fundamental to consider the influence of the redundant joint when evaluating the performance index. This work improves the formulation of the kinematic directional index (KDI) by considering redundant manipulators. The KDI represents an improvement over traditional indexes, as it takes into account the direction of motion when evaluating the performance of a manipulator. However, in its current formulation, it is not suitable for redundant manipulators. Therefore, we extend the index to redundant manipulators. This is achieved by adopting a geometric approach that allows identifying the appropriate redundancy to maximize the velocity of a serial manipulator along the direction of motion. This approach is applied to a 4-degree-of-freedom (DOF) planar redundant manipulator and a 7-DOF spatial articulated one. Experimental validation for the articulated robot is presented, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method and its advantages.
Financial feasibility of selling frozen produce in local and regional markets
Authors: Fitzsimmons Jill Ann , Lass Daniel , Minifie Kate , Kinchla Amanda J.
Published: June 2023

Farmers and food entrepreneurs are encouraged to enter direct and intermediated markets for value-added food products, but do not have information that they need to determine whether the markets are financially feasible for their operations. We conduct timed trials in a state-of-the-art regional shared-use food processing facility in the Northeast, and test production costs for two high-quality, safe, value-added frozen products: blueberries and spinach. We combine this with research on capital costs, field research on distribution costs and baseline per-unit revenues, and published research on potential market returns, and assess the conditions under which frozen produce sales can be a good business choice for farmers and food businesses in local and regional food markets. We develop a roadmap and a calculator tool that potential market entrants, extension agents, regional food business centers and other agricultural support providers can modify to reflect local and regional market conditions. The tool can help determine whether entering the frozen produce market is a good fit for a farm or food business. In general, we find that frozen regional blueberries have potential to generate a profitable return for medium-scale farmers with access to a shared-use facility, or farmer aggregators with the ability to invest in their own facilities. Frozen regional spinach is unlikely to generate a profitable return at the regional scale. Our results provide critical information to policy makers regarding the scale of production necessary to justify investments in regional shared-used kitchens. Results also suggest that policy makers should be cautious when encouraging farmers and food businesses to enter value-added markets, as there is significant potential for these markets to under-perform.
The costs of recognition: global politics, religion, and the colonial history of South Asia
Authors: Birnbaum Maria
Published: June 2023

In this article I consider religion in international political scholarship and suggest a study of its epistemological politics and conceptual history. I argue that scholarship which strives to ‘engage’ or ‘recognize’ religion in global politics remain ignorant of the costs involved. Building on this argument, I ask if the troubles with recognizing religion reflect more basic qualities of recognition scholarship. Following the work by Jacques Rancière, Patchen Markell, Elizabeth Povinelli, and Jens Bartelson I argue that recognition has two faces and that along with its frequently acknowledged empowering aspect, it also comes with costs. In order to assess the costs of recognition I propose a study of its conditions of possibility, that is, a study of the ways in which the subjects of recognition become recognizable as such. In the final section of the paper, I apply this to the example of religion in global politics and the formation of the Muslim subject in the lead-up to the partition of British India and the founding of Pakistan.
First carnivorous fungus from Santonian Taimyr amber
Authors: SUKHOMLYN Maryna M. , PERKOVSKY Evgeny E.
Published: June 2023

Mycelium from the Yantardakh Lagerstätte (Santonian of Taimyr) is reported. Its hyphae are arranged mostly parallel, weakly branched and septated. The clamp connections indicate the Basidiomycota affinity. Two types of outgrowths are formed on the mycelium, located perpendicular to the parent hypha: the former rather long and common; and the latter are short peg-shaped, formed with a lower frequency. Arthroconidia and large spherical structures, looking like exudate drops are observed upon hyphae. Hyphae rings similar to the trapping loops of extant Basidiomycota have been found. Altogether, these rings, numerous drops and peg-like hyphal outgrowths may be interpreted as this mycelium belongs to nematophagous fungus of Agaricomycetes. Thus, this is the first finding of mycelium putatively nematophagous Basidiomycota from the Cretaceous of North Asia, which also implies the presence of nematodes in the Taimyr amber forest.
How Disability Stereotypes Shape Memory for Personal Attributes
Authors: Tempel Tobias , Baur Simon
Published: June 2023

Abstract. Two experiments examined effects of including an information about a disability in a person description on memory about that person’s traits. In Experiment 1, this information impaired correct recognition of traits of a person that had been described in correspondence to gender stereotypes. In Experiment 2, it induced false memories in accordance with stereotypes about people with disabilities. Participants’ false alarms for traits belonging to the dimension of warmth increased, whereas false alarms for traits belonging to the dimension of competence decreased. Thus, activating stereotypes through a disability prime influenced what could be recognized correctly or falsely was assumed to be recognized about a person.
Relation of pest insect-killing and soilborne pathogen-inhibition abilities to species diversification in environmental Pseudomonas protegens
Authors: Garrido-Sanz Daniel , Vesga Pilar , Heiman Clara M , Altenried Aline , Keel Christoph , Vacheron Jordan
Published: June 2023

Strains belonging to the Pseudomonas protegens phylogenomic subgroup have long been known for their beneficial association with plant roots, notably antagonising soilborne phytopathogens. Interestingly, they can also infect and kill pest insects, emphasising their interest as biocontrol agents. In the present study, we used all available Pseudomonas genomes to reassess the phylogeny of this subgroup. Clustering analysis revealed the presence of 12 distinct species, many of which were previously unknown. The differences between these species also extend to the phenotypic level. Most of the species were able to antagonise two soilborne phytopathogens, Fusarium graminearum and Pythium ultimum, and to kill the plant pest insect Pieris brassicae in feeding and systemic infection assays. However, four strains failed to do so, likely as a consequence of adaptation to particular niches. The absence of the insecticidal Fit toxin explained the non-pathogenic behaviour of the four strains towards Pieris brassicae. Further analyses of the Fit toxin genomic island evidence that the loss of this toxin is related to non-insecticidal niche specialisation. This work expands the knowledge on the growing Pseudomonas protegens subgroup and suggests that loss of phytopathogen inhibition and pest insect killing abilities in some of these bacteria may be linked to species diversification processes involving adaptation to particular niches. Our work sheds light on the important ecological consequences of gain and loss dynamics for functions involved in pathogenic host interactions of environmental bacteria.
Local γδ T cells: translating promise to practice in cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Zlatareva Iva , Wu Yin
Published: June 2023

Rapid bench-to-bedside translation of basic immunology to cancer immunotherapy has revolutionised the clinical practice of oncology over the last decade. Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting αβ T cells now offer durable remissions and even cures for some patients with hitherto treatment-refractory metastatic cancers. Unfortunately, these treatments only benefit a minority of patients and efforts to improve efficacy through combination therapies utilising αβ T cells have seen diminishing returns. Alongside αβ T cells and B cells, γδ T cells are a third lineage of adaptive lymphocytes. Less is known about these cells, and they remain relatively untested in cancer immunotherapy. Whilst preclinical evidence supports their utility, the few early-phase trials involving γδ T cells have failed to demonstrate convincing efficacy in solid cancers. Here we review recent progress in our understanding of how these cells are regulated, especially locally within tissues, and the potential for translation. In particular, we focus on the latest advances in the field of butyrophilin (BTN) and BTN-like (BTNL) regulation of γδ T cells and speculate on how these advances may address the limitations of historical approaches in utilising these cells, as well as how they may inform novel approaches in deploying these cells for cancer immunotherapy.
Bimodal electroencephalography-functional magnetic resonance imaging dataset for inner-speech recognition
Authors: Simistira Liwicki Foteini , Gupta Vibha , Saini Rajkumar , De Kanjar , Abid Nosheen , Rakesh Sumit , Wellington Scott , Wilson Holly , Liwicki Marcus , Eriksson Johan
Published: June 2023

The recognition of inner speech, which could give a ‘voice’ to patients that have no ability to speak or move, is a challenge for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). A shortcoming of the available datasets is that they do not combine modalities to increase the performance of inner speech recognition. Multimodal datasets of brain data enable the fusion of neuroimaging modalities with complimentary properties, such as the high spatial resolution of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the temporal resolution of electroencephalography (EEG), and therefore are promising for decoding inner speech. This paper presents the first publicly available bimodal dataset containing EEG and fMRI data acquired nonsimultaneously during inner-speech production. Data were obtained from four healthy, right-handed participants during an inner-speech task with words in either a social or numerical category. Each of the 8-word stimuli were assessed with 40 trials, resulting in 320 trials in each modality for each participant. The aim of this work is to provide a publicly available bimodal dataset on inner speech, contributing towards speech prostheses.
Climate warming drives a temperate-zone lizard to its upper thermal limits, restricting activity, and increasing energetic costs
Authors: Doucette Lisa I. , Duncan Richard P. , Osborne William S. , Evans Murray , Georges Arthur , Gruber Bernd , Sarre Stephen D.
Published: June 2023

Lizards are considered vulnerable to climate change because many operate near their thermal maxima. Exposure to higher temperatures could reduce activity of these animals by forcing them to shelter in thermal refugia for prolonged periods to avoid exceeding lethal limits. While rising temperatures should reduce activity in tropical species, the situation is less clear for temperate-zone species where activity can be constrained by both low and high temperatures. Here, we measure the effects of natural variation in environmental temperatures on activity in a temperate grassland lizard and show that it is operating near its upper thermal limit in summer even when sheltering in thermal refuges. As air temperatures increased above 32 °C, lizard activity declined markedly as individuals sought refuge in cool microhabitats while still incurring substantial metabolic costs. We estimate that warming over the last two decades has required these lizards to increase their energy intake up to 40% to offset metabolic losses caused by rising temperatures. Our results show that recent increases in temperature are sufficient to exceed the thermal and metabolic limits of temperate-zone grassland lizards. Extended periods of high temperatures could place natural populations of ectotherms under significantly increased environmental stress and contribute to population declines and extinction.
Scale-adaptive model for detection and grading of age-related macular degeneration from color retinal fundus images
Authors: El-Den Niveen Nasr , Naglah Ahmed , Elsharkawy Mohamed , Ghazal Mohammed , Alghamdi Norah Saleh , Sandhu Harpal , Mahdi Hani , El-Baz Ayman
Published: June 2023

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a retinal disease that affects the macula, can be caused by aging abnormalities in number of different cells and tissues in the retina, retinal pigment epithelium, and choroid, leading to vision loss. An advanced form of AMD, called exudative or wet AMD, is characterized by the ingrowth of abnormal blood vessels beneath or into the macula itself. The diagnosis is confirmed by either fundus auto-fluorescence imaging or optical coherence tomography (OCT) supplemented by fluorescein angiography or OCT angiography without dye. Fluorescein angiography, the gold standard diagnostic procedure for AMD, involves invasive injections of fluorescent dye to highlight retinal vasculature. Meanwhile, patients can be exposed to life-threatening allergic reactions and other risks. This study proposes a scale-adaptive auto-encoder-based model integrated with a deep learning model that can detect AMD early by automatically analyzing the texture patterns in color fundus imaging and correlating them to the vasculature activity in the retina. Moreover, the proposed model can automatically distinguish between AMD grades assisting in early diagnosis and thus allowing for earlier treatment of the patient’s condition, slowing the disease and minimizing its severity. Our model features two main blocks, the first is an auto-encoder-based network for scale adaption, and the second is a convolutional neural network (CNN) classification network. Based on a conducted set of experiments, the proposed model achieves higher diagnostic accuracy compared to other models with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity that reach 96.2%, 96.2%, and 99%, respectively.
Waning cellular immune responses and predictive factors in maintaining cellular immunity against SARS-CoV-2 six months after BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination
Authors: Ishii Takashi , Hamada Kensuke , Jubishi Daisuke , Hashimoto Hideki , Okamoto Koh , Hisasue Naoko , Sunohara Mitsuhiro , Saito Minako , Shinohara Takayuki , Yamashita Marie , Wakimoto Yuji , Otani Amato , Ikeda Mahoko , Harada Sohei , Okugawa Shu , Moriya Kyoji , Yanagimoto Shintaro
Published: June 2023

Several clinical trials have shown that the humoral response produced by anti-spike antibodies elicited by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines gradually declines. The kinetics, durability and influence of epidemiological and clinical factors on cellular immunity have not been fully elucidated. We analyzed cellular immune responses elicited by BNT162b2 mRNA vaccines in 321 health care workers using whole blood interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release assays. IFN-γ, induced by CD4 + and CD8 + T cells stimulated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike epitopes (Ag2), levels were highest at 3 weeks after the second vaccination (6 W) and decreased by 37.4% at 3 months (4 M) and 60.0% at 6 months (7 M), the decline of which seemed slower than that of anti-spike antibody levels. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the levels of IFN-γ induced by Ag2 at 7 M were significantly correlated with age, dyslipidemia, focal adverse reactions to full vaccination, lymphocyte and monocyte counts in whole blood, Ag2 levels before the second vaccination, and Ag2 levels at 6 W. We clarified the dynamics and predictive factors for the long-lasting effects of cellular immune responses. The results emphasize the need for a booster vaccine from the perspective of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-elicited cellular immunity.
A collection of cannabinoid-related negative findings from autaptic hippocampal neurons
Authors: Straiker Alex , Dvorakova Michaela , Bosquez-Berger Taryn , Blahos Jaroslav , Mackie Ken
Published: June 2023

Autaptic hippocampal neurons are an architecturally simple model of neurotransmission that express several forms of cannabinoid signaling. Over the past twenty years this model has proven valuable for studies ranging from enzymatic control of endocannabinoid production and breakdown, to CB1 receptor structure/function, to CB2 signaling, understanding ‘spice’ (synthetic cannabinoid) pharmacology, and more. However, while studying cannabinoid signaling in these neurons, we have occasionally encountered what one might call ‘interesting negatives’, valid and informative findings in the context of our experimental design that, given the nature of scientific publishing, may not otherwise find their way into the scientific literature. In autaptic hippocampal neurons we have found that: (1) The fatty acid binding protein (FABP) blocker SBFI-26 does not alter CB1-mediated neuroplasticity. (2) 1-AG signals poorly relative to 2-AG in autaptic neurons. (3) Indomethacin is not a CB1 PAM in autaptic neurons. (4) The CB1-associated protein SGIP1a is not necessary for CB1 desensitization. We are presenting these negative or perplexing findings in the hope that they will prove beneficial to other laboratories and elicit fruitful discussions regarding their relevance and significance.
A generalizable deep learning regression model for automated glaucoma screening from fundus images
Authors: Hemelings Ruben , Elen Bart , Schuster Alexander K. , Blaschko Matthew B. , Barbosa-Breda João , Hujanen Pekko , Junglas Annika , Nickels Stefan , White Andrew , Pfeiffer Norbert , Mitchell Paul , De Boever Patrick , Tuulonen Anja , Stalmans Ingeborg
Published: June 2023

A plethora of classification models for the detection of glaucoma from fundus images have been proposed in recent years. Often trained with data from a single glaucoma clinic, they report impressive performance on internal test sets, but tend to struggle in generalizing to external sets. This performance drop can be attributed to data shifts in glaucoma prevalence, fundus camera, and the definition of glaucoma ground truth. In this study, we confirm that a previously described regression network for glaucoma referral (G-RISK) obtains excellent results in a variety of challenging settings. Thirteen different data sources of labeled fundus images were utilized. The data sources include two large population cohorts (Australian Blue Mountains Eye Study, BMES and German Gutenberg Health Study, GHS) and 11 publicly available datasets (AIROGS, ORIGA, REFUGE1, LAG, ODIR, REFUGE2, GAMMA, RIM-ONEr3, RIM-ONE DL, ACRIMA, PAPILA). To minimize data shifts in input data, a standardized image processing strategy was developed to obtain 30° disc-centered images from the original data. A total of 149,455 images were included for model testing. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for BMES and GHS population cohorts were at 0.976 [95% CI: 0.967–0.986] and 0.984 [95% CI: 0.980–0.991] on participant level, respectively. At a fixed specificity of 95%, sensitivities were at 87.3% and 90.3%, respectively, surpassing the minimum criteria of 85% sensitivity recommended by Prevent Blindness America. AUC values on the eleven publicly available data sets ranged from 0.854 to 0.988. These results confirm the excellent generalizability of a glaucoma risk regression model trained with homogeneous data from a single tertiary referral center. Further validation using prospective cohort studies is warranted.
From fossils to mind
Authors: de Sousa Alexandra A. , Beaudet Amélie , Calvey Tanya , Bardo Ameline , Benoit Julien , Charvet Christine J. , Dehay Colette , Gómez-Robles Aida , Gunz Philipp , Heuer Katja , van den Heuvel Martijn P. , Hurst Shawn , Lauters Pascaline , Reed Denné , Salagnon Mathilde , Sherwood Chet C. , Ströckens Felix , Tawane Mirriam , Todorov Orlin S. , Toro Roberto , Wei Yongbin
Published: June 2023

Fossil endocasts record features of brains from the past: size, shape, vasculature, and gyrification. These data, alongside experimental and comparative evidence, are needed to resolve questions about brain energetics, cognitive specializations, and developmental plasticity. Through the application of interdisciplinary techniques to the fossil record, paleoneurology has been leading major innovations. Neuroimaging is shedding light on fossil brain organization and behaviors. Inferences about the development and physiology of the brains of extinct species can be experimentally investigated through brain organoids and transgenic models based on ancient DNA. Phylogenetic comparative methods integrate data across species and associate genotypes to phenotypes, and brains to behaviors. Meanwhile, fossil and archeological discoveries continuously contribute new knowledge. Through cooperation, the scientific community can accelerate knowledge acquisition. Sharing digitized museum collections improves the availability of rare fossils and artifacts. Comparative neuroanatomical data are available through online databases, along with tools for their measurement and analysis. In the context of these advances, the paleoneurological record provides ample opportunity for future research. Biomedical and ecological sciences can benefit from paleoneurology’s approach to understanding the mind as well as its novel research pipelines that establish connections between neuroanatomy, genes and behavior.
Social and asocial learning in zebrafish are encoded by a shared brain network that is differentially modulated by local activation
Authors: Pinho Júlia S. , Cunliffe Vincent , Kareklas Kyriacos , Petri Giovanni , Oliveira Rui F.
Published: June 2023

Group living animals use social and asocial cues to predict the presence of reward or punishment in the environment through associative learning. The degree to which social and asocial learning share the same mechanisms is still a matter of debate. We have used a classical conditioning paradigm in zebrafish, in which a social (fish image) or an asocial (circle image) conditioned stimulus (CS) have been paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US=food), and we have used the expression of the immediate early genec-fosto map the neural circuits associated with each learning type. Our results show that the learning performance is similar to social and asocial CSs. However, the brain regions activated in each learning type are distinct and a community analysis of brain network data reveals segregated functional submodules, which seem to be associated with different cognitive functions involved in the learning tasks. These results suggest that, despite localized differences in brain activity between social and asocial learning, they share a common learning module and social learning also recruits a specific social stimulus integration module. Therefore, our results support the occurrence of a common general-purpose learning module, that is differentially modulated by localized activation in social and asocial learning.
Multi-proxy validation of glacial-interglacial rainfall variations in southwest Sulawesi
Authors: Kimbrough Alena K. , Gagan Michael K. , Dunbar Gavin B. , Hantoro Wahyoe S. , Shen Chuan-Chou , Hu Hsun-Ming , Cheng Hai , Edwards R. Lawrence , Rifai Hamdi , Suwargadi Bambang W.
Published: June 2023

Speleothem δ18O is widely used as a proxy for rainfall amount in the tropics on glacial-interglacial to interannual scales. However, uncertainties in the interpretation of this renowned proxy pose a vexing problem in tropical paleoclimatology. Here, we present paired multi-proxy geochemical measurements for stalagmites from southwest Sulawesi, Indonesia, and confirm changes in rainfall amount across ice age terminations. Collectively, the stalagmites span two glacial-interglacial transitions from ~380,000 to 330,000 and 230,000 to 170,000 years ago. Mg/Ca in the slow-growing stalagmites is affected by water moving through the karst and prior calcite precipitation, making it a good proxy for changes in local rainfall. When paired, Mg/Ca and δ18O corroborate prominent shifts from drier glacials to wetter interglacials in the core of the Australasian monsoon domain. These shifts in rainfall occur 4,000-7,000 years later than glacial-interglacial increases in global temperature and the associated response of Sulawesi vegetation, determined by speleothem δ13C.
A computational program for automated surgical planning of fenestrated endovascular repair
Authors: Dillon Tom M. , Liang Patric , Schermerhorn Marc L. , Roche Ellen T.
Published: June 2023

An Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) is a dilation of the aorta at the level of the abdomen. To reduce the risk of rupture, an endograft is often implanted inside the aneurysm to decrease pressure on the aneurysm sac. To maintain blood flow to major abdominal vessels, a fenestrated endograft can be used, whereby physicians modify commercial endografts by creating fenestrations based on preoperative computed tomography imaging. The manual process of aligning patient-specific visceral anatomy onto endografts can be tedious and subject to human error. Here we developed a computational program, ‘FenFit’, for automated fitting of fenestrations onto commercially available endografts. A pilot clinical study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of FenFit compared to physician manual planning, showing FenFit can reduce planning time by 62-fold on average. Our program has potential to improve clinical outcomes by providing a user interface that is expeditious and far less susceptible to human error.
Energy efficient perching and takeoff of a miniature rotorcraft
Authors: Hsiao Yi-Hsuan , Bai Songnan , Zhou Yongsen , Jia Huaiyuan , Ding Runze , Chen Yufeng , Wang Zuankai , Chirarattananon Pakpong
Published: June 2023

The flight time of aircraft rapidly decreases with smaller scales because the lift-to-drag ratio decreases when scaling down. Aerial-surface locomotion, or perching is one energy efficient solution to prolong the fight time by maintaining the drone at a high vantage point. Current perching strategies require additional components to ensure robots firmly attach to the surfaces, and able to detach afterwards, resulting in increased power consumption owing to the added weight. Here, we report a 32-g rotorcraft with the ability to repeatedly perch and take off from overhangs and walls on different wet and dry substances. A propelling thrust is used to support the robot to keep rotorcraft balance against the surface. Integrating with the mussel-inspired wet adhesives, the rotorcraft dispenses the additional components required for attachment and taking off. The final rotorcraft is 32.15 g, only 1.09 g heavier than the original prototype, but shows a 50% and 85% reduction in power consumption when perching on ceilings and walls respectively. The saved power leads to a fourfold increase in the total mission time.
ViscY nuclear magnetic resonance experiments for in situ chemical reaction monitoring under spin diffusion conditions
Authors: Pedinielli François , Leroy Ritchy , Akrial Salah-Eddine , Robert Anthony , Nuzillard Jean-Marc , Lameiras Pedro
Published: June 2023

Viscosity-enhanced spectroscopY (ViscY) offers a new way to analyze complex mixtures of time-varying composition.
Integration of a copper-based metal–organic framework with an ionic liquid for electrochemically discriminating cysteine enantiomers
Authors: Pan Qian-xiu , Zhu Chen-yu , Dong Jie , Zhang Baogang , Cui Lin , Zhang Chun-yang
Published: June 2023

We integrate a copper metal–organic framework with an ionic liquid to develop an electrochemical sensor for the discrimination of cysteine enantiomers.
Construction of three contiguous stereocenters through amine-catalyzed asymmetric aldol reactions
Authors: Hikawa Ryoga , Shimogaki Mio , Kano Taichi
Published: June 2023

Three contiguous stereocenters were constructed by an amino acid-catalyzed asymmetric aldol reaction of α-siloxyketones with racemizable α-haloaldehydesviadynamic kinetic resolution.
Unusual selectivity in the ring-opening of γ-valerolactone oxide by amines
Authors: Mazloomi Zahra , Kallmeier Fabian , Kirchhecker Sarah , Stadler Bernhard M. , Pandey Swechchha , Schünemann Claas , Spannenberg Anke , Hering-Junghans Christian , Tin Sergey , de Vries Johannes G. , Baráth Eszter
Published: June 2023

Primary and secondary amines selectively react with the lactone moiety of γ-valerolactone oxide (GVLO).
A mesoporous Al2O3 zincophilic sieve enables ultra-long lifespan of Zn-ion batteries
Authors: Wu Qianyao , Qi Kaiwen , Liu Mengke , Fan Zhechen , Ding Xuan , Chen Shiyuan , Zhu Yongchun
Published: June 2023

A mesoporous Al2O3 zincophilic sieve of 3.0 nm pore size and zincophilic groups can regulate the solvation structure and accelerate Zn2+ diffusion.
Metal-free anomalous [5+1] cycloaddition reactions of donor–acceptor aziridines for the synthesis of 2H-1,4-oxazines
Authors: Zheng Jianfeng , Bi Jingzhi , Ma Lan , Chen Lvli , Tang Luhao , Xiong Dong , Tian Yin
Published: June 2023

A new metal-free [5+1] cycloaddition reaction of donor–acceptor aziridines with 2-(2-isocyanoethyl)indoles exhibits broad substrate scope with a series of 2H-1,4-oxazines containing an indole heterocycle skeleton obtained in high yield under mild reaction conditions.
Triple-armed aliphatic tricarboxylic acids as sources of ligands for uranyl ion: influence of bridgehead functionalization
Authors: Thuéry Pierre , Atoini Youssef , Harrowfield Jack
Published: June 2023

Seven uranyl ion complexes with two tripodal, tricarboxylic acids with nitromethane or phosphine oxide bridgeheads display various diperiodic and triperiodic arrangements, depending on the bridgehead and the structure-directing species present.
Modulating the luminescent performances on blue-emitting coordination polymersviatuning the end-solvent molecules
Authors: Hu Hui , Zhang Zhen-Wei , Zhang Da-Shuai , Zhou Xue , Ji Hui , Zhang Yong-Zheng , Deng Yuchen , Geng Longlong , Zhang Xiuling , Lv Chao , Wei Rongmin , Wang Jin-Hua
Published: June 2023

We present an anthracene-based coordination system with blue light emitting properties which could be easily modulated by tuning the end-coordination solvent molecules. These complexes also show promising applications as fluorescent thermometers.
2,4,6,8-Tetraazidopyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine: a novel energetic binary compound
Authors: Leškovskis Kristaps , Mishnev Anatoly , Novosjolova Irina , Krumm Burkhard , Klapötke Thomas M. , Turks Māris
Published: June 2023

The novel binary energetic compound C6N16 is synthesized. Its chemical structure is fully characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray analysis, and its energetic properties are determined by experimental and computational methods.
Ferro- and ferrielectricity and negative piezoelectricity in thioamide-based supramolecular organic discotics
Authors: Urbanaviciute Indre , Garcia-Iglesias Miguel , Gorbunov Andrey , Meijer E. W. , Kemerink Martijn
Published: June 2023

Ferro- and piezoelectric hysteresis curves of a thioamide-based supramolecular organic discotic show intuitively expected but rarely observed ferrielectric behavior.