bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Catalase regulation during plant‐virus‐vector interaction
Authors: Sharma Rohit , Pandey Saurabh , Prasad Manoj , Prasad Ashish
Published: October 2024

Key message

Plant‐virus‐host interaction is a complex process involving several players. A constant arms race between the hosts and viruses has led to their co‐evolution. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important signaling molecules that regulate plant growth, development, and stress responses. Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) has a wide host range and infects several plant species such as barley, rice, oats, wheat, etc. A recent study by Tian et al. (2024) has highlighted that the movement protein (MP) of BYDV is involved in manipulation of the host ROS pathway to promote viral multiplication as well as transmission. The findings display the multifaceted role of a viral protein that is otherwise involved in movement. The limited coding ability of viruses is compensated by their proteins having multiple roles in the modulation of several different host molecular pathways. This is one of the key reasons for viruses being successful pathogens despite their limited coding ability.
Lectin Functionalised Iron Magnetic Nanoparticle‐Based Sperm Selection: A Potential Technique to Improve Bull Sperm Quality In Vitro
Authors: Paul Nilendu , Kumaresan A. , Talluri T. R. , Raval Kathan , Elango Kamaraj , Pradeep Nag B. S. , Duraisamy Rajendran , Manimaran A.
Published: October 2024

Premature acrosomal exocytosis in cryopreserved semen is one of the reasons attributed to low fertility among livestock. In the present study, we attempted to enhance the cryopreserved semen quality by selective removal of acrosome‐reacted spermatozoa using FITC‐PNA conjugated iron magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). Further, the effect of nano purification on other sperm functional attributes was also assessed. Iron MNPs were prepared using co‐precipitation method and dextran‐coated MNPs were conjugated with FITC‐PNA (0.04 mg/mL). A preliminary experiment was conducted to standardise the dose of FITC‐PNA conjugated iron MNPs (0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mg). Among the different doses used, 0.6 mg FITC‐PNA conjugated iron MNPs significantly (p < 0.05) removed higher acrosomal reacted spermatozoa from the semen, and therefore, this dose was used in further experiments. Cryopreserved semen from Holstein Friesian breeding bulls (n = 6) were thawed and washed using Sperm‐TALP to remove residual extender. Washed spermatozoa (2 × 106) were exposed to 0.6 mg of FITC‐PNA conjugated iron MNPs for 10 min at 37°C. The nano purified semen was assessed for various vital sperm parameters viz., viability, intracellular calcium, apoptosis, mitochondrial ROS and mitochondrial membrane potential using flow cytometry. We found that nanopurification using FITC‐PNA conjugated iron MNPs significantly (p < 0.05) improved the sperm quality. The proportion of viable non‐apoptotic spermatozoa with low intracellular calcium levels was significantly (p < 0.05) enriched in nano purified semen. Nano purification did not affect sperm mitochondrial membrane potential and ROS production. In conclusion, these preliminary findings indicate that FITC‐PNA coated iron MNPs effectively removed acrosome reacted spermatozoa and significantly improved sperm functional attributes in the purified fraction.
Language, Cultural Identity, and Spirituality —A Case Study of the Representation of Minority Ethnic Subjects in Chinese Ethnographic Documentary
Authors: Tang Ruohan , Zou Yi
Published: October 2024

Since the 1990s, there has been a surge in ethnographic films by Han directors in China, highlighting the complex interplay of power dynamics between these filmmakers and the minority communities they portray. This study examines these dynamics through the lens of spirituality and cultural representation, focusing on the film “Ashiq: The Last Troubadour.” A case study and interviews with the director, Liu Xiangchen, reveal an essentialist portrayal of the Uygur Ashiq that emphasises their spiritual and cultural identity on Uighur language chant, inadvertently reinforcing Han dominance. The analysis suggests that while the director's intentions reflect a critical self‐awareness, the film perpetuates the marginalisation of the Ashiq. We argue that ethnographic cinema should offer a more nuanced depiction of ethnic minorities and their minority language to challenge social injustices further and promote inclusivity in China's diverse linguistic and cultural landscape.
Sharp propagation of chaos for the ensemble Langevin sampler
Authors: Vaes U.
Published: October 2024

The aim of this paper is to revisit propagation of chaos for a Langevin‐type interacting particle system recently proposed as a method to sample probability measures. The interacting particle system we consider coincides, in the setting of a log‐quadratic target distribution, with the ensemble Kalman sampler [SIAM J. Appl. Dyn. Syst. 19 (2020), no. 1, 412–441], for which propagation of chaos was first proved by Ding and Li in [SIAM J. Math. Anal. 53 (2021), no. 2, 1546–1578]. Like these authors, we prove propagation of chaos with an approach based on a synchronous coupling, as in Sznitman's classical argument. Instead of relying on a boostrapping argument, however, we use a technique based on stopping times in order to handle the presence of the empirical covariance in the coefficients of the dynamics. The use of stopping times to handle the lack of global Lipschitz continuity in the coefficients of stochastic dynamics originates from numerical analysis [SIAM J. Numer. Anal. 40 (2002), no. 3, 1041–1063] and was recently employed to prove mean‐field limits for consensus‐based optimization and related interacting particle systems [arXiv:2312.07373, 2023; Math. Models Methods Appl. Sci. 33 (2023), no. 2, 289–339]. In the context of ensemble Langevin sampling, this technique enables proving pathwise propagation of chaos with optimal rate, whereas previous results were optimal only up to a positive .
Shining a light on the impact of antifungals on
Aspergillus fumigatus
subcellular dynamics through fluorescence imaging
Authors: Storer I. S. R. , Sastré-Velásquez L. E. , Easter T. , Mertens B. , Dallemulle A. , Bottery M. , Tank R. , Offterdinger M. , Bromley M. J. , van Rhijn N. , Gsaller F.
Published: October 2024

Fluorescent proteins (FPs) are indispensable tools used for molecular imaging, single-cell dynamics, imaging in infection models, and more. However, next-generation FPs have yet to be characterized in
Aspergillus
. Here, we characterize 18 FPs in the pathogenic filamentous fungus
Aspergillus fumigatus
spanning the visible light spectrum. We report on
in vivo
FP brightness in hyphal and spore morphotypes and show how a fluoropyrimidine-based selection system can be used to iteratively introduce four distinct FPs enabling the simultaneous visualization of the cell membrane, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and vacuoles. Using this strain, we describe and compare the dynamic responses of organelles to stresses induced by voriconazole, amphotericin B, and the novel antifungal drugs olorofim and manogepix. The expansion to the fluorescent genetic toolbox will overcome boundaries in research applications that involve fluorescence imaging in filamentous fungi.
The puzzle of two tandem acyl-CoA ligases of
Pseudomonas putida
F1
Authors: Dong Huijuan , Chen Bo , Wang Haihong , Cronan John E.
Published: October 2024

The
Pseudomonas putida
F1 genome and those of many other pseudomonads contain two tandem genes encoding acyl-CoA ligases Pput_1340 (
fadD1
) and Pput_1339 (
fadD2
) with Pput_1339 (
fadD2
) being the upstream gene. The
fadD
designation was assigned when both genes were found to complement the growth of an
Escherichia coli
acyl-CoA synthetase
fadD
deletion strain with oleic acid as sole carbon source. Site-directed mutagenesis showed that residues of the ATP/AMP domain required for function of
E. coli
FadD were also essential for full function of FadD1 and FadD2. Growth of the constructed ∆
fadD1
, ∆
fadD2,
and ∆
fadD1
∆
fadD2
strains was tested in minimal medium with different chain length fatty acids as sole carbon sources. Lack of FadD1 significantly retarded growth with different chain length fatty acids and lack of both FadD1 and FadD2 further retarded growth. Derivatives of the ∆
fabA
∆
desA
unsaturated fatty acid auxotrophic strain carrying a deletion of either ∆
fadD1
or ∆
fadD2
were constructed. Growth of the ∆
fabA
∆
desA
∆
fadD1
strain was very weak, whereas the ∆
fabA
∆
desA
∆
fadD2
strain grew as well as the ∆
fabA
∆
desA
parent strain. Overexpression of either
fadD1
or
fadD2
restored growth of the ∆
fabA
∆
desA
∆
fadD1
strain with
fadD2
overexpression having a greater effect than
fadD1
overexpression. The ∆
fadD1
or ∆
fadD2
genes are cotranscribed although the expression level of
fadD1
is much higher than that of
fadD2
. This is attributed to a
fadD1
promoter located within the upstream FadD2 coding sequence.

IMPORTANCE

Pseudomonas
bacteria demonstrate a great deal of metabolic diversity and consequently colonize a wide range of ecological niches. A characteristic of these bacteria is a pair of genes in tandem annotated as acyl-CoA ligases involved in fatty acid degradation. The
Pseudomonas putida
F1 genome is annotated as having at least nine genes encoding acyl-CoA ligases which are scattered around the chromosome excepting the tandem pair. Since similar tandem pairs are found in other pseudomonads, we have constructed and characterized deletion mutants of the tandem ligases. We report that the encoded proteins are authentic acyl-CoA ligases involved in fatty acid degradation.
The vibriophage-encoded inhibitor OrbA abrogates BREX-mediated defense through the ATPase BrxC
Authors: Oshiro Reid T. , Dunham Drew T. , Seed Kimberley D.
Published: October 2024

Bacteria and phages are locked in a co-evolutionary arms race where each entity evolves mechanisms to restrict the proliferation of the other. Phage-encoded defense inhibitors have proven powerful tools to interrogate how defense systems function. A relatively common defense system is BREX (bacteriophage exclusion); however, how BREX functions to restrict phage infection remains poorly understood. A BREX system encoded by the
s
ulfametho
x
azole and
t
rimethoprim (SXT) integrative and conjugative element,
Vch
Ind5, was recently identified in
Vibrio cholerae
, the causative agent of the diarrheal disease cholera. The lytic phage ICP1 (
I
nternational Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
c
holera
p
hage
1
) that co-circulates with
V. cholerae
encodes the BREX-inhibitor OrbA, but how OrbA inhibits BREX is unclear. Here, we determine that OrbA inhibits BREX using a unique mechanism from known BREX inhibitors by directly binding to the BREX component BrxC. BrxC has a functional ATPase domain that, when mutated, not only disrupts BrxC function but also alters how BrxC multimerizes. Furthermore, we find that OrbA binding disrupts BrxC-BrxC interactions. We determine that OrbA cannot bind BrxC encoded by the distantly related BREX system encoded by the aSXT
Vch
Ban9, and thus fails to inhibit this BREX system that also circulates in epidemic
V. cholerae
. Lastly, we find that homologs of the
Vch
Ind5 BrxC are more diverse than the homologs of the
Vch
Ban9 BrxC. These data provide new insight into the function of the BrxC ATPase and highlight how phage-encoded inhibitors can disrupt phage defense systems using different mechanisms.

IMPORTANCE

With renewed interest in phage therapy to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens, understanding the mechanisms bacteria use to defend themselves against phages and the counter-strategies phages evolve to inhibit defenses is paramount. Bacteriophage exclusion (BREX) is a common defense system with few known inhibitors. Here, we probe how the vibriophage-encoded inhibitor OrbA inhibits the BREX system of
Vibrio cholerae
, the causative agent of the diarrheal disease cholera. By interrogating OrbA function, we have begun to understand the importance and function of a BREX component. Our results demonstrate the importance of identifying inhibitors against defense systems, as they are powerful tools for dissecting defense activity and can inform strategies to increase the efficacy of some phage therapies.
Draft genome sequencing of multidrug-resistant
Pseudomonas asiatica
strains isolated from dairy cows with clinical mastitis and their farm environment
Authors: Sultana Taniya , Siddique Naim , Rahaman Monira , Rahman Md. Morshedur , Rahman ANM Aminoor , Talukder Anup Kumar , Das Ziban Chandra , Hoque M. Nazmul
Published: October 2024

We report, for the first time, the draft genomes of four multidrug-resistant
Pseudomonas asiatica
strains isolated from milk (2M1), feces (2F1 and 2F2), and farm soil (2S1) samples of dairy cows with clinical mastitis. The assembled genomes of these strains were 5.7 Mbp, 62.8% G + C content, and 50× genome coverage.
Assessment of resistance to colicinogenic synthetic phage antimicrobial system
Authors: McGillin Meghan , Tokman Jeffrey I. , Hsu Ella , Alcaine Samuel D.
Published: October 2024

This work presents a multi-hurdle approach that addresses antimicrobial resistance by minimizing the selective pressure of antimicrobials using a novel colicinogenic–phage system. We have created two synthetic T7 phages (T7-E1 and T7-M) by inserting the gene of colicin E1 (Cea) or colicin M (Cma) into the genome of the T7 phage, thereby adding an additional colicin-based hurdle to the T7 lytic cycle. The colicin–phages' efficacy in suppressing the outgrowth of a T7-resistant sub-population within a mixed culture of
Escherichia coli
was demonstrated using a challenge matrix design under planktonic and structured conditions. When T7-resistant cells were present at 1% of the total planktonic population, T7-E1 delayed the outgrowth. At 0.1% resistance, T7-M delayed resistant outgrowth, whereas T7-E1 suppressed the resistant sub-population. When T7-E1 and T7-M were combined into a triple-hurdle treatment, the T7-E1/T7-M cocktail completely suppressed a mixed planktonic population of 50% resistance cell concentrations. In structured environments, the colicin–phage treatments formed clear and confluent plaque-like zones of clearing in the mixed populations of 50% resistant cells with a lawn density of 1 × 10
6
CFU/mL. Reducing the lawn density to 1 × 10
5
CFU/mL diminished the multi-hurdle treatments' effectiveness, as demonstrated by localized zones of clearing within turbid bacterial lawns, highlighting the relationship between bacterial lawn density and phage effectiveness in structured environments. Fluctuation assays revealed persistence as the predominant mechanism for overcoming the treatments by T7-sensitive
E. coli
. Results indicate that T7-M treatment significantly reduces persister formation compared to WT-T7, while T7-E1 unexpectedly increases persister formation significantly. This suggests a complex relationship between antimicrobial stress and persister formation.

IMPORTANCE

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant challenge in treating bacterial infections. To address this, we present a multi-hurdle approach that combines the power of different antimicrobials to target resistance. We have weaponized the natural predator of
Escherichia coli
, the T7-phage, by engineering it to produce toxins called colicins, resulting in a colicin–phage antimicrobial. This multi-hurdled approach aims to decrease resistance risk because survival requires different tactics to overcome the phage and colicin activity, thus adding a hurdle in a bacterium's pathway to resistance. In cases of pre-existing resistance, the colicin effectively controlled the sub-population resistant to the phage. When investigating the emergence of resistance, we discovered that antimicrobial persistence was the predominant survival strategy. These findings reveal an essential slice of the AMR pie by emphasizing bacterial survival tactics that are not based on resistance genes. By expanding our AMR lens to include persistence, we can more effectively address treatment failure.
Supplemental Material: Marsh topography reveals the signature of storm-surge-driven sedimentation
Authors: Tognin Davide , al. et
Published: October 2024

Additional information about the geomorphological settings, the methodology, and the classification of storm-dominated periods. Additional results include a plot of the considered variables along each transect.  
Hybrid Photoexcitation in Undoped Diamond by Mid-Infrared Femtosecond Laser Pulses
Authors: Kudryashov S. I. , Smirnov N. A. , Buga S. G. , Blank V. D. , Pakholchuk P. P. , Busleev N. I. , Kornilov N. V.
Published: October 2024

Direct interband and intragap photoexcitation by intense mid-infrared (4.0 and 4.7 μm) femtosecond (fs) laser pulses was explored in ultrapure chemical-vapor deposited (CVD) diamond via acquisition of characteristic ultraviolet photoluminescence of free excitons and A-band photoluminescence of electrons anchored at deep donor–acceptor or dislocation-related traps, respectively. At lower laser intensities (<10 TW/cm2) the excitonic photoluminescence yields exhibit highly nonlinear dependences with Iλ2-scaling and power slopes N ≈ 17 (4.0 μm) and 14 (4.7 μm), still insufficient to cross over the direct bandgap (≥6.5 eV) by ≈1.2 and 2.8 eV, respectively. Similarly high slope of ≈9 (4.7 μm) for intragap (≥3.5 eV) photo-population of donor–acceptor traps is still insufficient for their direct excitation by ≈1 eV. At the intermediate Iλ2-dependent values of the Keldysh parameter γ ∼ 1 such incomplete multiphoton excitation anticipates the hybrid total “multiphoton + tunneling” photoexcitation generally predicted by the Keldysh theory, but never unambiguously experimentally demonstrated. At higher laser intensities (>10 TW/cm2) both the excitonic and A-band photoluminescence yields exhibit (sub)linear slopes, apparently, indicating formation of more strongly absorbing electron–hole plasma. These findings shed light on the hybrid multiphoton + tunneling character of Keldysh photoexcitation at intermediate values γ and pave the way to defect/impurity band engineering of intragap nonlinear optical properties in bulk dielectrics for their precise fs-laser nanomodification.
Cerebral venous thrombosis: an unanticipated consequence of unilateral internal jugular vein ligation
Authors: Moideen Areej , Panda Smriti , Parihar Jasmine , Meena Sanjay Kumar
Published: October 2024

Retrograde cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare complication following internal jugular vein (IJV) ligation. The patient described in this report is a male in his 30s with locally advanced carcinoma tongue. He underwent near-total glossectomy and bilateral neck dissection. Due to heavy nodal burden, his right IJV had to be sacrificed. The patient presented with features of raised intracranial pressure (ICP) postoperatively. Magnetic resonance venogram of the brain revealed CVT involving sigmoid and transverse sinus. This case report describes a perplexing case of right-sided IJV ligation giving rise to CVT, resulting in raised ICP. Although the contralateral cerebral venous system was found to be normal, it failed to compensate for the obstructed outflow on the affected side. In this case report, we have elucidated the possible mechanism for the development of raised ICP and described the management in the light of existing evidence.
Increased choroidal stromal area in patients with active Graves’ ophthalmopathy based on binarisation method of optical coherence tomographic images
Authors: Zhou Min , Wu Dide , Cai Leqi , Wang Congyao , Su Yihua , Li Ye , Ke Wanyi , Chen Tingting , Hong Shubin , Xiao Haipeng , Wan Pengxia
Published: October 2024

Objective

To investigate the change in choroidal components of patients with Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO) with different degrees of disease activity and severity by using the image binarisation method of optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 151 eyes of 90 patients with GO. Patients were grouped according to the clinical activity score (CAS) and disease severity. Total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area, stromal area (SA) and choroidal vascularity index (CVI) were acquired by image binarisation of the OCT. Ocular parameters between groups were compared using generalised estimating equations, accounting for intereye correlation and adjusting for relevant factors.

Results

As for the included eyes, 104 eyes were inactive GO and 47 eyes were active GO. Local choroidal thicknesses were thicker in active GO than in inactive GO. TCA and SA were significantly larger in active GO than in inactive GO group (3.44±0.91 mm2vs 3.14±0.88 mm2, p=0.046; 1.16 (1.03–1.50) mm2vs 1.10 (0.96–1.27) mm2, p=0.002, respectively). CAS was positively correlated with TCA (r=0.171, p=0.036) and SA (r=0.172, p=0.035), and negatively associated with CVI (r=−0.174, p=0.032). In multiple regression models, age, diopter and intraocular pressure (IOP) exhibited significant correlations with the SA (β=−0.006, p=0.010; β=0.076, p<0.001; β=0.015, p=0.010, respectively).

Conclusions

Thickened choroid was observed in active GO compared with inactive GO. The proportional increase of SA was augmented as the disease activity progressed. Age, diopter and IOP were independent factors that affected choroidal area and components in patients with GO. Multicentre prospective cohort studies with a large sample size are still needed.
Improving completion rate of advance care planning at a tertiary rheumatological centre in Singapore: a quality improvement project
Authors: Kwan Yu Heng , Lee Zheng Cong , Tan Meredith Wei-Yuan , Lee Michelle Huiye , Chong Pei Xin , Tan Li Khoon , Loh Evelyn Shuting , Poh Wei Ling , Seow Esther Jia Ning , Woon Ting Hui , Sum Charmaine Wai Yan , Xin Serene Xiaosi , Fong Warren Weng Seng
Published: October 2024

Advanced care planning (ACP) is a series of ongoing voluntary discussions between patients, families and healthcare professionals to plan for their future healthcare needs. Despite patients with rheumatic diseases having high symptom burden and disease complications, the ACP completion rates in patients with rheumatic diseases remain low. In this quality improvement project, we aimed to increase the number of completed ACP in a tertiary referral rheumatology centre in Singapore from 0 to 1 per month. We showed a statistically significant increase in ACP completion across 1 year with two Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. Further studies are needed to explore further interventions for ACP completion in patients with rheumatic diseases.
Implementation of a mixed-methods heat acclimation programme in a professional soccer referee before the 2022 FIFA world cup in Qatar: a case study
Authors: Read Dale B , Evans Daniel T , Breivik Simon , Elliott Joshua D , Gibson Oliver R , Birdsey Laurence P
Published: October 2024

Objectives

This case study reports the real-world practicalities of implementing a mixed-methods heat acclimation (HA) programme before the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Methods

One male English soccer referee (age: 44 years; height: 1.82 m; body mass: 76.0 kg) who had officiated professionally for over 17 years and had over 10 years’ experience officiating in European and international matches undertook an 11-session HA programme over 22 days. On days 1 and 22, a 30 min fixed-intensity heat tolerance test (9 km.h-1, 2% gradient, 40°C, 40% relative humidity) was performed, and physiological and perceptual responses were measured. A mixed-methods HA approach was used, including environmental chamber isothermic training, post-temperate training saunas and hot water immersion.

Results

Compared with the pre-test, peak core temperature reduced by 0.40°C (38.4 vs 38.0°C; minimal detectable change (MDC) = 0.34°C), peak skin temperature reduced by 0.5°C (36.7 vs 36.2°C; MDC=0.28°C) and peak heart rate reduced by 5 b·min-1(167 vs. 162 b·min-1; MDC=4 b·min-1) in the post-test. In the post-test, the sweat rate increased by 17% (1.94 vs 2.27 L.h-1; MDC=0.42 L.h-1). Peak thermal sensation (7 = ‘hot’) and the rating of perceived exertion (3 = ‘moderate’) were unchanged between the tests. However, peak thermal comfort (3 = ‘slightly uncomfortable’ vs 2 = ‘uncomfortable’) was rated lower in the post-test.

Conclusion

The HA programme elicited positive physiological but indifferent perceptual responses, highlighting that mixed-methods HA can be implemented when a referee still has officiating, travel and training responsibilities during the HA window.
Development and validation of Parents’ Health Literacy Scale on Preventing Road Traffic Injuries for children aged 0–6 years in China
Authors: Li Xiaohong , Chen Miaomiao , Feng Yuheng , Ma Xueqi , Zheng Jicui , Shen Hanlin , Xia Jingwei , Chen Kaiyue , Guo Ying , Xia Qianghua , Jiang Yu , Lu Jun , Chang Fengshui
Published: October 2024

Background

Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death in children. Parents’ health literacy (HL) is closely related to child safety, especially for the young children. This study aimed to develop an intervention-oriented parent HL scale: Parents’ Health Literacy Scale on Preventing Road Traffic Injuries (PHLS-PRTIs).

Methods

We developed the scale including four parts: (1) definition and conceptualisation of PHLS-PRTIs; (2) domain and item development; (3) instrument construction; and (4) psychometric property validation. 685 parents participated in process of development (n=333) and validation (n=352). Cronbach’s α and test–retest correlation were used to assess reliability. Content validity and construct validity were used to assess validity.

Results

The scale consisted of five domains (access, understand, belief, communication and use) and 16 subdomains. The Cronbach’s α for each domain and the whole scale was 0.85, 0.70, 0.87, 0.80, 0.79 and 0.85, respectively. The test–retest reliability was acceptable (intraclass correlations >0.70). Content validity was good (item-level content validity index >0.79, average of the scale-level content validity index >0.80, kappa >0.74). For construct validity for domain understand, χ2/df=1.723, p=0.009, standardised root mean square residual (SRMR)=0.0404, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.045, Comparative Fit Index (CFI)=0.942, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI)=0.910; and for the other four domains, χ2/df=1.840, p<0.001, SRMR=0.043, RMSEA=0.049, CFI=0.958, TLI=0.952.

Conclusions

PHLS-PRTIs was developed and validated by a rigorous process, providing a tool for community doctors to measure parents’ HL on child road traffic safety and develop targeted health education interventions.
Is there an association between psychological distress during early adulthood and later trajectories of physical activity during adulthood? Longitudinal data from two cohort studies
Authors: Werneck André Oliveira , Araujo Raphael Henrique de Oliveira , Silva Danilo Rodrigues , Stubbs Brendon
Published: October 2024

Background

Our aim was to analyse the prospective association between psychological distress during early adulthood and physical activity trajectories between early and middle adulthood.

Methods

We used data from the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS) (n=8994, 4388 women) and the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS) (n=7014, 4388 women). Psychological distress was assessed using the Malaise inventory at 23 years in the 1958 NCDS and at 26 years at the 1970 BCS. Self-report leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) was assessed at 33 years, 42 years, 46 years, 50 years and 55 years in the 1958 NCDS as well as at 30 years, 34 years, 42 years and 46 years in the 1970 BCS. We created physical activity trajectories, using latent class growth analysis. Poisson regression analysis was used for association.

Results

We identified three trajectories of physical activity during adulthood in both cohorts. Participants with psychological distress at 23 years were less likely to be in the persistently high trajectory (RRadjusted: 0.79; 95% CI 0.64 to 0.98) in the 1958 NCDS. In addition, participants with psychological distress at 26 years were less likely to be in the increased LTPA (0.73; 0.59 to 0.89) and persistently high (0.59; 0.50 to 0.69) trajectories, comparing with participants without psychological distress.

Conclusion

Elevated psychological distress during early adulthood is associated with a lower probability of adopting positive trajectories of LTPA during adulthood.
Predictors of death without prior appropriate therapy in ICD recipients: the comorbidities, frailty and functional status (COMFFORT study)
Authors: Wilson David G , Sharma-Oates Archana , Sheldon James , Power Daniel F , Lord Janet M , Roberts Paul R , Morgan John M
Published: October 2024

Objective

Most patients who have an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implant do not receive life-prolonging therapy from it. Little research has been undertaken to determine which patients benefit the least from ICD therapy. As patients age and accumulate comorbidities, the risk of death increases and the benefit of ICDs diminishes. We sought to evaluate the impact of comorbidity, frailty, functional status on death with no prior appropriate ICD therapy.

Methods

A prospective, multicentre, observational study involving 12 English hospitals was undertaken. Patients were eligible for inclusion for the study if they were scheduled to have a de novo, upgrade to or replacement of a transvenous or subcutaneous ICD or cardiac resynchronisation therapy device and defibrillator (CRT-D). Baseline characteristics were collected. Participants were asked to complete a frailty assessment (Fried score) and a functional status questionnaire (EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L)). The Charlson Comorbidity Index was calculated. Patients were prospectively followed up for 2.5 years. The primary outcome was death with no prior appropriate therapy.

Results

In total, 675 patients were enrolled, mean age 65.7 (IQR 65–75) years. A total of 63 patients (9.5%) died during follow-up, 58 without receiving appropriate ICD therapy. Frailty was present in 86/675 (12.7%) and severe comorbidity in 69/675 (10.2%). Multivariate predictors of death with no appropriate therapy were identified and a risk score comprising frailty, comorbidity, increasing age, estimated glomerular filtration rate and EQ-5D-5L was developed.

Conclusion

Comorbidities, frailty and the EQ-5D-5L score are powerful, independent predictors of death with no prior appropriate therapy in ICD/CRT-D recipients.
‘‘Slim pickings?’’: Extreme large recruitment events may induce density-dependent reductions in growth for Alaska sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) with implications for stock assessment
Authors: Cheng Matthew LH. , Goethel Daniel R. , Hulson Peter-John F. , Echave Katy B. , Cunningham Curry J.
Published: October 2024

Growth processes mediate survival and fecundity within fish populations, which are fundamental in regulating population dynamics. Therefore, accurate estimates of population scale and sustainable exploitation levels in contemporary fishery stock assessment models rely heavily on understanding and accurately characterizing growth processes. However, empirical studies that relate population-level changes in growth patterns to observable ecosystem and population conditions remain scarce. In particular, few studies directly consider the influence of intra-specific competition (i.e., cohort effects) on growth variability, and its associated implications for stock assessment estimates. Focusing on Alaska sablefish as a case study, we illustrate how multiple unprecedented large recruitment events since 2014 resulted in density-dependent declines in growth on the population-level scale, using a state–space growth model. Furthermore, we demonstrate how incorporating cohort-specific growth variability within the Alaska sablefish stock assessment model resulted in substantial differences in estimates of spawning biomass and recommended harvest levels. Overall, findings from this study underscore the significance of cohort effects on growth processes and their implications for stock assessment models and associated harvest recommendations.
The deceleration parameter in perturbed Bianchi universes with a peculiar-velocity “tilt”
Authors: Tzartinoglou Amalia , Tsagas Christos G.
Published: October 2024

Bianchi cosmologies are “natural” anisotropic extensions of the Friedmann universes and they have long been used to investigate the cosmological implications of anisotropy. The latter introduces new ingredients to the standard scenarios, although there are physical processes and effects that maintain their basic Friedmann features when extended to Bianchi universes. Here, we assume a perturbed Bianchi model and look into the implications of the observers’ peculiar flow for their measurement and their interpretation of the deceleration parameter. Our motivation is twofold. To begin with, relative motions have long been known to deceive the observers by “contaminating” the observations, which also still suffer from sample limitations that cloud the statistical significance of the findings. Further motivation comes from claims that observers in bulk flows that expand slightly slower than their surroundings can have the illusion of cosmic acceleration in a universe that is actually decelerating. The claim was originally based on studies of a perturbed tilted Einstein–de Sitter model, but persisted when the background cosmology was replaced by any of the three Friedmann universes. This raised the possibility that the peculiar-motion effect on the deceleration parameter may be generic and largely independent of the host spacetime. Here, we investigate this possibility by extending the earlier studies to perturbed Bianchi models. We find that the Friedmann picture remains unchanged, unless the Bianchi background has unrealistically high anisotropy. The bulk-flow observers can still be misled to the illusion of accelerated expansion by their own peculiar motion.
A new class of traversable wormhole metrics
Authors: Nath Partha Pratim , Sarma Debojit
Published: October 2024

In this work, we have formulated a new class of traversable wormhole metrics. Initially, we have considered a wormhole metric in which the temporal component is an exponential function of r but the spatial components of the metrics are fixed. Following that, we have again constructed a generalized wormhole metric in which the spatial component is an exponential function of r, but the temporal component is fixed. Finally, we have considered the generalized wormhole metric in which both the temporal and spatial components are generalized exponential functions of r. We have also studied some of their properties including throat radius, stability, and energy conditions, examined singularity, the metric in curvature coordinates, effective refractive index, innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) and photon sphere, Regge–Wheeler potential and their quasinormal modes, gravitational entropy, and determined the curvature tensor. The radius of the throat is found to be consistent with the properties of wormholes and does not contain any types of singularities. Most interestingly, we find that their throat radius is the same for the same spatial component and the same range of values of m. In addition to these, they also violate the Null Energy Condition (NEC) near the throat. These newly constructed metrics form a new class of traversable wormholes.
From Motivating to Manipulative: The Use of Deceptive Design in a Game's Free-to-Play Transition
Authors: Hadan Hilda , Sgandurra Sabrina Alicia , Zhang-Kennedy Leah , Nacke Lennart E.
Published: October 2024

Over the last decade, the free-to-play (F2P) game business model has gained popularity in the games industry. We examine the role of deceptive design during a game's transition to F2P and its impacts on players. Our analysis focuses on game mechanics and a Reddit analysis of the Overwatch (OW) series after it transitioned to an F2P model. Our study identifies nine game mechanics that use deceptive design patterns. We also identify factors contributing to a negative gameplay experience. Business model transitions in games present possibilities for problematic practices. Our findings identify the need for game developers and publishers to balance player investments and fairness of rewards. A game's successful transition depends on maintaining fundamental components of player motivation and ensuring transparent communication. Compared to existing taxonomies in other media, games need a comprehensive classification of deceptive design. We emphasize the importance of understanding player perceptions and the impact of deceptive practices in future research.
Gamification of walking in nature: A field experiment with Pokémon GO Routes
Authors: Laato Samuli , Rauti Sampsa , Kordyaka Bastian , Papangelis Konstantinos , Jung Sangwon , Nummenmaa Timo , Hamari Juho
Published: October 2024

There are numerous benefits from regularly walking in nature, and today's mobile technologies have the potential to encourage people to do so. Past research has showed that gamified map-based apps and location-based games (LBGs) have the capability to incentivize people to go to nature areas in cities and beyond. In this study, we explored LBGs' potential to bring people to nature by conducting a field experiment with a new mechanic called Routes in the popular LBG Pokémon GO. Prior to the Route feature's launch, we created altogether 13 Routes of various lengths in both city and nature landscapes. We collected numerical in-game data of how many times each Route was walked and deployed a survey (n=67) for Pokémon GO players in the area where the Routes were made. The findings suggest that proximity to population concentrations and in-game rewards are key drivers of Route popularity. Players' motivators to choose nature Routes over urban Routes were limited to outside-the-game factors such as scenery, and overall in our experiment the urban Routes turned out to be more popular.
Playing Through Tough Times: Exploring the Relationship between Game Aspects and Coping Strategies during Difficult Life Challenges
Authors: Mirhadi Sahar , Iacovides Ioanna , Denisova Alena
Published: October 2024

The potential benefits of playing video games during times of difficulty have been increasingly recognised by researchers yet little is known about how particular aspects of games may relate to different forms of coping. An exploratory survey of 130 participants and content analysis identified 31 game aspects, across 6 categories, that were beneficial or detrimental to players. Our findings illustrate that games can support a range of coping strategies, including emotion-focused, avoidance, and meaning-focused coping. We also identify how specific aspects of games relate to different coping strategies during times of personal difficulty. For instance, emotion-focused coping was most commonly linked to challenge game aspects, where overcoming difficulties allowed players to experience positive emotions such as competence. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into how games may be able to facilitate a range of coping strategies during tough times.
Storytelling Games for General Anxiety: Clinician Perspectives on Walking Simulator Games as Intervention
Authors: Catalan Cristobal , Gega Lina , Hook Jonathan
Published: October 2024

General anxiety is a common mental health condition across the world, with many barriers preventing people from accessing treatments. A growing body of evidence suggests that serious games offer appealing and effective solutions for anxiety. Despite their potential, an understanding of game design qualities and contextual game mechanics in game-based interventions are significantly under-explored, especially for general anxiety. Alternative and emerging game genres may offer new intervention approaches previously overlooked in digital mental health research. We use story-led exploration games, particularly the environmental storytelling walking simulator game genre, as an analytical template to understand new game design strategies and features that can potentially enable engaging and efficacious serious games as interventions for general anxiety. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, we summarize input from expert clinical participants who identified and evaluated several game design qualities towards developing walking simulators as potential serious game interventions.
Towards a Design Framework for Data-Driven Game Streaming: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach
Authors: Hammad Noor , Harpstead Erik , Hammer Jessica
Published: October 2024

Research on live streaming systems that incorporate real-time data, such as game or viewer data, have been a topic of HCI research for some time. Despite the potential of data-driven game streaming interfaces, translating this research into practice faces two key challenges. First, the design space afforded by data-driven game streaming systems is not yet well understood, making it difficult to identify how designs might meet users' existing and potential needs. Second, adoption of these systems relies on engagement with the entire streaming ecosystem, which includes developers, streamers, moderators, and viewers, rather than with just one group. Through a two-phase design study, we investigate the expectations, desires, and experiences of streaming stakeholders, shedding light on how data-driven game streaming systems can meet their needs. Building upon these insights and drawing upon previous research, we propose a design framework aimed at analyzing and generating data-driven game streaming designs, thereby moving toward formalizing the design and development of such systems.
"Wichita 1-1, Fox Three"
- The Role of 3D Telemetry Analysis in Combat Flight Simulation
Authors: Mane Sourabh V. , Elmqvist Niklas
Published: October 2024

Analyzing 3D telemetry data collected from competitive video games on the Internet can support players in improving performance as well as spectators in viewing data-driven narratives of the gameplay. In this paper, we conduct an in-depth qualitative study on the use of telemetry analysis by embedding over several weeks in a virtual F-14A Tomcat squadron in the multiplayer combat flight simulator DCS World (DCS) (2008). Based on formative interviews with DCS pilots, we design a web-based game analytics framework for rendering 3D telemetry from the flight simulator in a live 3D player, incorporating many of the data displays and visualizations requested by the participants. We then evaluate the framework with real mission data from several air-to-air engagements involving the virtual squadron. Our findings highlight the key role of 3D telemetry playback in competitive multiplayer gaming.
Towards Understanding AI Delegation: The Role of Self-Efficacy and Visual Processing Ability
Authors: Westphal Monika , Hemmer Patrick , Vössing Michael , Schemmer Max , Vetter Sebastian , Satzger Gerhard
Published: October 2024

Recent work has proposed AI models that can learn to decide whether to make a prediction for a task instance or to delegate it to a human by considering both parties’ capabilities. In simulations with synthetically generated or context-independent human predictions, delegation can help improve the performance of human-AI teams—compared to humans or the AI model completing the task alone. However, so far, it remains unclear how humans perform and how they perceive the task when individual instances of a task are delegated to them by an AI model. In an experimental study with 196 participants, we show that task performance and task satisfaction improve for the instances delegated by the AI model, regardless of whether humans are aware of the delegation. Additionally, we identify humans’ increased levels of self-efficacy as the underlying mechanism for these improvements in performance and satisfaction, and one dimension of cognitive ability as a moderator to this effect. In particular, AI delegation can buffer potential negative effects on task performance and task satisfaction for humans with low visual processing ability. Our findings provide initial evidence that allowing AI models to take over more management responsibilities can be an effective form of human-AI collaboration in workplaces.
Multi-modal Misinformation Detection: Approaches, Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Abdali Sara , Shaham Sina , Krishnamachari Bhaskar
Published: October 2024

As social media platforms evolve from text-based forums into multi-modal environments, the nature of misinformation in social media is also transforming accordingly. Taking advantage of the fact that visual modalities such as images and videos are more favorable and attractive to users, and textual content is sometimes skimmed carelessly, misinformation spreaders have recently targeted contextual connections between the modalities, e.g., text and image. Hence, many researchers have developed automatic techniques for detecting possible cross-modal discordance in web-based content. We analyze, categorize, and identify existing approaches in addition to the challenges and shortcomings they face to unearth new research opportunities in the field of multi-modal misinformation detection.
Green IN Artificial Intelligence from a Software Perspective: State-of-the-Art and Green Decalogue
Authors: Gutiérrez María , Moraga Mª Ángeles , García Félix , Calero Coral
Published: October 2024

This work presents a structured view of the state-of-the-art research on Artificial Intelligence (AI), from the point of view of efficiency and reduction of the energy consumption of AI software. We analysed the current research on energy consumption of AI algorithms and its improvements, which gave us a starting literature corpus of 2,688 papers that we identified as Green AI with a software perspective. We structure this corpus into Green IN AI and Green BY AI, which led us to discover that only 36 of them could be considered Green IN AI. After some quick insights about Green BY AI, we then introduce our main contribution: a systematic mapping of Green IN AI. We provide an in-depth analysis of the AI models that we observed during the mapping, and what solutions have been proposed for improving their energy efficiency. We also analyse the energy evaluation methodologies employed in Green IN AI, discovering that most papers opt for a software-based energy estimation approach and 27% of all papers do not document their methodology. We finish by synthetising our insights from the mapping into a Decalogue of Good Practices for Green AI.
Object Detection in Historical Images: Transfer Learning and Pseudo Labelling
Authors: Kim Yongho , Im Chanjong , Mandl Thomas
Published: October 2024

The automatic analysis of images in the historical sciences often requires the identification of objects. Object identification is a well-researched problem for modern photographs; however, for historical material, annotations are often necessary. We present a solution for finding objects without manual work. The method consists of a style transfer of images from the COCO dataset into the domain using CycleGAN and training with items obtained through pseudo-labelling on the original and the additional transferred COCO images. Different strategies to assemble the dataset are compared. The best method obtains an F1 score of 0.58 for 15 object types without any labelling.
Evaluation of US Elastography in Thyroid Nodule Diagnosis: The ElaTION Randomized Control Trial
Authors: Mehanna Hisham , Sidhu Paul S. , Madani Gitta , Woolley Rebecca , Boelaert Kristien , Nankivell Paul , Da Forno Phil , Moreman Kate , Palmer Andrew , Fulton-Lieuw Tessa , Sharma Neil , Taylor Judith , Rajaguru Kanchana , Bekker Jasper , Vaidhyanath Ram , Rehman Thaj , Deeks Jon
Published: October 2024

The ElaTION trial demonstrated that US elastography adds no diagnostic advantage over conventional US and fine-needle aspiration in evaluating thyroid nodules, showing similar rates of nondiagnostic outcomes and malignancy detection.
Characterization of Fabry disease-associated lyso-Gb3 on mouse colonic ion transport and motility
Authors: Delprete Cecilia , Uhlig Friederike , Caprini Marco , Hyland Niall P.
Published: October 2024

Fabry disease-associated lyso-Gb3 significantly influences mouse colonic ion transport in a Cl− ion-independent manner.