bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The impact of consuming different types of high-caloric fat diet on the metabolic status, liver, and aortic integrity in rats
Authors: Saleh Nardien Ekram Haliem , Ibrahim Mariam Yahia , Saad Adel Hussein , Abdel-Hakeem Elshymaa A. , Saleh Rabeh Khairy , Habeeb Wagdy N.
Published: August 2024

Consumption of high-caloric diets contributes to the alarming number of overweight and obese individuals worldwide, which in turn leads to several diseases and multiple organ dysfunction. Not only has the number of calories taken per day but also the type of fat in the diet has an important impact on health. Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of different types of high-caloric fat diets on the metabolic status and the integrity of the liver and aorta in albino rats. Adult male albino rats were divided into 6 groups: Control group, long chain-saturated fat group (SFD), long chain-monounsaturated fat (MUFAs) group, long chain-polyunsaturated fat (PUFAs) group, medium-chain fat (MCFAs) group, and short-chain fat (SCFAs) group. Body mass index (BMI), Lee index, and visceral fat amount were reported. Serum levels of insulin, liver transaminases, lipid profile, and different oxidative stress and inflammatory markers were evaluated. Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), and adiponectin/leptin ratio were also calculated. Histopathological examinations of liver and aorta with Masson’s trichrome stain, and immune-staining for Nuclear Factor Erythroid-2-Related Factor-2 (Nrf2) were also done. SFD group showed significantly elevated liver transaminases, inflammatory markers, HOMA-IR, dyslipidemia, reduced adiponectin, and deficient anti-oxidative response compared to other groups together with disturbed hepatic and aortic architecture. Other treated groups showed an improvement. PUFAs group showed the highest level of improvement. Not all high-fat diets are hazardous. Diets rich in PUFAs, MUFAs, MCFAs, or SCFAs may protect against the hazards of high caloric diet.
Assessments of arterial and venous phase radiodensity does not improve carotid near-occlusion diagnostics
Authors: Brunnander Karolina , Henze Alexander , Fox Allan J. , Johansson Elias
Published: August 2024

The hypothesis of this study was that evaluation of radiodensity assessment beyond a carotid stenosis in arterial and/or venous phase can be used to separate near-occlusion and conventional ≥ 50% stenosis. We prospectively included participants with ≥ 50% carotid stenosis with inclusion preference for cases with extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) asymmetry. All participants were examined with a research biphasic computed tomography angiography (CTA) protocol (arterial and venous phase). Reference diagnosis was set by interpretation on CTA and radiodensity difference between ipsilateral and contralateral ICA (c-corrected) or vertebral (v-corrected) was compared. We included 93 participants, 62 with near-occlusion and 31 with conventional ≥ 50% stenosis. Just beyond the stenosis, median c-corrected radiodensity was − 20 Hounsfield units (HU) among near-occlusions and − 1 HU among conventional ≥ 50% stenoses (p < 0.001) in the arterial phase. For the venous phase, these findings were + 17 HU and + 3 HU (p = 0.007). Similar group differences were seen for v-correction. No parameter had good diagnostic performance, area under the curve ≤ 0.82. With specificity set at ≥ 95%, detected near-occlusions were foremost those with large side-to-side differences in distal ICA-diameter. Carotid near-occlusions can have reduced radiodensity beyond the stenosis in arterial phases and increased radiodensity in venous phases compared to a reference artery—which was not clearly seen for conventional stenoses. However, these radiodensity findings are best seen in near-occlusion cases that are not diagnostically challenging, while they work poorly as additional diagnostic aids.
Rare heterozygous variants in paediatric steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome – a population-based analysis of their significance
Authors: Platt C. J. , Bierzynska A. , Ding W. , Saleem S. A. , Koziell A. , Saleem M. A.
Published: August 2024

Genetic testing in nephrotic syndrome may identify heterozygous predicted-pathogenic variants (HPPVs) in autosomal recessive (AR) genes that are known to cause disease in the homozygous or compound heterozygous state. In such cases, it can be difficult to define the variant’s true significance and questions remain about whether a second pathogenic variant has been missed during analysis or whether the variant is an incidental finding. There are now known to be over 70 genes associated with nephrotic syndrome, the majority inherited as an AR trait. Knowledge of whether such HPPVs occur with equal frequency in patients compared to the general population would assist interpretation of their significance. Exome sequencing was performed on 187 Steroid-Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome (SRNS) paediatric patients recruited to a UK rare disease registry plus originating from clinics at Evelina, London. 59 AR podocytopathy linked genes were analysed in each patient and a list of HPPVs created. We compared the frequency of detected HPPVs with a ‘control’ population from the gnomAD database containing exome data from approximately 50,000 individuals. A bespoke filtering process was used for both patients and controls to predict ‘likely pathogenicity’ of variants. In total 130 Caucasian SRNS patients were screened across 59 AR genes and 201 rare heterozygous variants were identified. 17/201 (8.5%) were assigned as ‘likely pathogenic’ (HPPV) using our bespoke filtering method. Comparing each gene in turn, for SRNS patients with a confirmed genetic diagnosis, in 57 of the 59 genes we found no statistically significant difference in the frequency of these HPPVs between patients and controls (In genes ARHGDIA and TP53RK, we identified a significantly higher number of HPPVs in the control population compared with the patients when filtering was performed with ‘high stringency’ settings only). In the SRNS patients without a genetics diagnosis confirmed, there was no statistically significant difference identified in any gene between patient and control. In children with SRNS, we propose that identification of HPPV in AR podocytopathy linked genes is not necessarily representative of pathogenicity, given that the frequency is similar to that seen in controls for the majority. Whilst this may not exclude the presence of genetic kidney disease, this type of heterozygous variant is unlikely to be causal and each result must be interpreted in its clinical context.
Eccentric exercise-induced delayed onset trunk muscle soreness alters high-density surface EMG-torque relationships and lumbar kinematics
Authors: Arvanitidis Michail , Jiménez-Grande David , Haouidji-Javaux Nadège , Falla Deborah , Martinez-Valdes Eduardo
Published: August 2024

We aimed to assess high-density surface electromyography (HDsEMG)-torque relationships in the presence of delayed onset trunk muscle soreness (DOMS) and the effect of these relationships on torque steadiness (TS) and lumbar movement during concentric/eccentric submaximal trunk extension contractions. Twenty healthy individuals attended three laboratory sessions (24 h apart). HDsEMG signals were recorded unilaterally from the thoracolumbar erector spinae with two 64-electrode grids. HDsEMG-torque signal relationships were explored via coherence (0–5 Hz) and cross-correlation analyses. Principal component analysis was used for HDsEMG-data dimensionality reduction and improvement of HDsEMG-torque-based estimations. DOMS did not reduce either concentric or eccentric trunk extensor muscle strength. However, in the presence of DOMS, improved TS, alongside an altered HDsEMG-torque relationship and kinematic changes were observed, in a contraction-dependent manner. For eccentric trunk extension, improved TS was observed, with greater lumbar flexion movement and a reduction in δ-band HDsEMG-torque coherence and cross-correlation. For concentric trunk extensions, TS improvements were observed alongside reduced thoracolumbar sagittal movement. DOMS does not seem to impair the ability to control trunk muscle force, however, perceived soreness induced changes in lumbar movement and muscle recruitment strategies, which could alter motor performance if the exposure to pain is maintained in the long term.
Non-invasive detection of hazardous materials with a thermal-to-epithermal neutron station: a feasibility study towards practical application
Authors: Silarski Michał , Dziedzic-Kocurek Katarzyna , Drużbicki Kacper , Reterski Radosław , Grabowski Patryk , Krzystyniak Matthew
Published: August 2024

The growing scale of the devastation that even a single terrorist attack can cause requires more effective methods for the detection of hazardous materials. In particular, there are no solutions for effectively monitoring threats at sea, both for the off-shore infrastructure and ports. Currently, state-of-the-art detection methods determine the density distribution and the shapes of tested subjects but only allow for a limited degree of substance identification. This work aims to present a feasibility study of the possible usage of several methods available on the thermal-to-epithermal neutron station, VESUVIO, at the ISIS neutron and muon spallation source, UK, for the detection of hazardous materials. To this end, we present the results of a series of experiments performed concurrently employing neutron transmission and Compton scattering using melamine, a commonly used explosive surrogate, in order to determine its signal characteristics and limits of detection and quantitation. The experiments are supported by first-principles modelling, providing detailed scrutiny of the material structure and the nuclear dynamics behind the neutron scattering observables.
Comprehensive study on structural, electronic, optical, elastic, and transport properties of natural mercury sulphohalides via DFT computation
Authors: Hariharan M. , Eithiraj R. D.
Published: August 2024

The Mercury Sulphohalides have attracted significant attention in the fields of solar cells and thermoelectric applications. This study delves into the fundamental characteristics, including structural, elasticity, electronic behavior, phonon stability, optical properties, and transport features of AgHgSZ (Z = Br, I) through computational simulations based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) using WIEN2k software. Meticulous calculations of the phonon band structure ensure dynamic stability. The semiconductor nature with indirect band gaps (1.833 eV and 1.832 eV) for Mercury Sulphohalides (Br, I), as revealed by their band structures, suggests diverse photovoltaic and transport applications. Mechanical assessments show stable ductility for AgHgSBr and brittleness for AgHgSI, along with anisotropy and resistance to scratching. Optical properties exhibit anisotropy and significant UV absorption. Analysis of effective masses, exciton binding energy, and exciton Bohr radius suggests low exciton binding energy and classification under Mott-Wannier excitons. Positive thermopower results indicate holes as the predominant charge carriers in AgHgSBr and AgHgSI materials. Moreover, essential thermoelectric factors are examined, revealing the compounds’ potential for thermoelectric applications. Notably, the figure of merit (ZT) at 300 K for AgHgSBr and AgHgSI are calculated to be 0.41 and 0.13, respectively. While these values are low at 300 K, they indicate promising potential for thermoelectric applications at higher temperatures. In summary, this investigation provides valuable understanding into the photovoltaic and thermoelectric properties of AgHgSZ (Z = Br, I) materials, potentially paving the way for further exploration in this domain.
ASD-similar social behaviour scores affect stimulus generalization in family dogs
Authors: Ujfalussy Dorottya J. , Gergely Anna , Petró Eszter , Topál József
Published: August 2024

Generalization, the tendency to respond in the same way to different but similar stimuli, is one of the main cognitive abilities that make category formation possible and thus is a prerequisite for efficiency in learning. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience pervasive difficulty with producing generalized responses across materials, people, places, and contexts. Increasing evidence suggests that “ASD-like” social impairments appear endogenously and spontaneously in family dogs providing a high-validity model for understanding the phenotypic expression of human ASD. The present study aims to further investigate the dog model of ASD by the approach of searching for analogues in dogs showing “ASD-like” social impairments of cognitive phenomena in humans specific to ASD, specifically impairments of generalization abilities. We have tested 18 family dogs with formerly established “ASD-like” behaviour scores (F1, F2, F3) in a generalization task involving three conditions (size, colour and texture). We found a significant association between F1 scores and test performance as well as improvement during testing sessions. Our study provides further support for the notion that dogs with lower social competence—similarly to humans with ASD—exhibit attentional and perceptual abnormalities, such as being sensitive to minor changes to a non-adaptive extent.
Lab-on-a-chip: Summary of 3D/4D Printed Biochips
Authors: Agrawal Arpana , Hussain C. M.
Published: August 2024

Looking to the future, 3D/4D printed biochips hold immense potential for transformative advancements in healthcare and biomedical research. Advances in bioink formulation, integration with emerging technologies, and bioprinting of complex tissues and organs will further expand the capabilities and applications of biochips. Accordingly, this chapter provides a comprehensive exploration of 3D/4D printed biochips, their design, fabrication, advantages and challenges and highlights the significant impact of 3D/4D printing in the field of biochips, enabling the creation of complex structures, customization, and integration of functional components. The advantages of 3D/4D printed biochips include improved performance, enhanced customization, and the potential for novel applications such as organ-on-a-chip models and point-of-care diagnostics. However, challenges remain, including material selection, printing resolution, and integration of functional components, which require ongoing research and optimization efforts.
Lab-on-a-chip: Efficient Preparation of Bioactive Compounds Using On-chip Flow Synthesis
Authors: Chipoline Ingrid Cavalcanti , Borges Pedro Henrique Oliveira , Ferreira Sabrina Baptista , Paes Silva Junior Floriano
Published: August 2024

Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology enables the efficient preparation of bioactive compounds through on-chip flow synthesis in microdevices. In this chapter, we provide an overview of device miniaturization, its benefits and challenges. We highlight the potential of LOC technology in both chemical synthesis and biological analysis, explore the principles of flow synthesis, present examples of LOC devices, and highlight the importance of the efficient preparation of such compounds. Additionally, we examine potential applications and prospects. This chapter underscores the promising role of LOC technology in advancing chemical synthesis and biological research.
A single-molecule fluorescent probe for visualizing viscosity and hypoxia in lysosomes and zebrafish embryos
Authors: Wang Jingchao , Zhou Lina , Jiang Zekun , Wu Haiyan , Kong Xiuqi
Published: August 2024

A single-molecule fluorescent probe for visualizing viscosity and hypoxia in lysosomes and zebrafish embryos was developed.
Solvent- and tatrz-induced single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformations within cobalt(ii)-triazole MOFs: a luminescent probe for frankincense
Authors: Feng Jialin , Mu Jianshuai , Liu Zhengyu , Cheng Lin , Li Siyu , Cheng Xin , Zhang Shaowei , Meng Xin , Wang Ying
Published: August 2024

MOF 1 with tatrz and ipa was isolated. Solvent-exchange experiment indicated that water molecules can be replaced by DMF during the SC-SC transformation process. When immersed MOF 1 in tatrz solution, MOF 3 can be obtained.
Modulation of charge migration and ink flow dynamics exceeding 19% efficiency for blade-coating pseudo-planar heterojunction organic solar cells
Authors: Mao Houdong , Zhang Jiahua , Cen Xin , Zhang Jiayou , Wen Lin , Xue Jingwei , Luo Dou , Zhang Lifu , Qin Zhao , Ma Wei , Tan Licheng , Chen Yiwang
Published: August 2024

This work presents a novel charge migration strategy to efficiently engineer active layer morphology for PPHJ OSCs by firstly integrating SBC with NIL technique, which can improve charge transport/collection and phase separation behavior.
Degradation of organic pollutants using a ternary heterojunction catalyst (CoS2/CoCo2O4–MnFe2O4) for activating peroxymonosulfate with magnetic separation, anti-ion interference, and low ion leaching
Authors: Shen Ying , Qiu Fan , Fan Yang , Wang Yaming , Kang Jiawei , Yang Mengdie , Chen Junjie , Song Haiou , Zhang Shupeng
Published: August 2024

Activating persulfate to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) for the effective degradation of toxic organic compounds is an important research topic in environmental management.
Scalable nanoarchitectonics with microporous polymer composite for methanol-tolerant ORR electrocatalysts
Authors: Sebastian Abin , Panda Atanu , Nandan Ravi , Henzie Joel , Cretu Ovidiu , Xu Jian , Velychkivska Nadiia , Ma Renzhi , Gakhad Pooja , Singh Abhishek Kumar , Richards Gary J. , Kimoto Koji , Shrestha Lok Kumar , Ariga Katsuhiko , Yamauchi Yusuke , Hill Jonathan P.
Published: August 2024

We report an efficient ORR electrocatalyst containing cobalt single atom and cobalt nanoparticle active sites embedded in a porous nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon network.
Null‐depth coordinated synthesis design approach to azimuthal null frequency scanning antennas
Authors: Mao Xiao‐Hui , Lu Wen‐Jun , Ji Fei‐Yan , Zhu Lei
Published: August 2024

A novel synthesis design approach to multimode resonant, azimuthal null frequency scanning antennas (ANFSAs) coordinated by null‐depth is presented. The antenna is composed of a principal radiator and an auxiliary one fed by different ports. A synthesis chart gauged by different null‐depths is developed to determine the respective exciting amplitude and phase conditions for the principal and auxiliary radiators. As is theoretically demonstrated and numerically verified, the ANFSA can exhibit an adjustable null‐depth varying from −12∼−30 dB. A three‐port unequal‐split power divider with the simplest configuration is properly designed, utilised and integrated to meet the oriented power and phase conditions. A prototype with in‐band null‐depth of −30 dB is designed, fabricated and validated in such a way that its available bandwidth can reach up to 32.7%, and the null can continuously scan from φ = 160°–275° in azimuth plane.
Les obligations de biosécurité et de surveillance inscrites
dans le nouveau réglement européen de santé animale
Authors: Bonbon Etienne
Published: August 2024

Les maladies animales transmissibles et les mesures nécessaires à la lutte contre celles-ci peuvent avoir des incidences désastreuses pour les animaux pris individuellement, les populations animales, les détenteurs d'animaux et l'économie. Les maladies animales transmissibles peuvent aussi avoir des répercussions significatives sur la santé publique et la sécurité sanitaire des denrées alimentaires.
Afin de garantir un niveau élevé de santé publique et animale dans l'Union et de permettre le développement rationnel des secteurs agricole et aquacole et d'accroître la productivité, des règles zoosanitaires ont été fixées au niveau de l'Union.

La nouvelle stratégie de santé animale pour l'Union européenne (2007-2013) a été placée sous la devise « Mieux vaut prévenir que guérir» afin de promouvoir la santé animale en donnant une plus grande importance aux mesures préventives.

Les opérateurs qui travaillent avec les animaux sont les mieux placés pour observer et garantir la santé des animaux et pour contrôler les produits dont ils ont la responsabilité et s'en porter garants. C'est à eux qu'il devrait incomber au premier chef d'appliquer les mesures de prévention et de lutte contre la propagation des maladies parmi les animaux et de contrôler les produits dont ils ont la responsabilité.

La biosécurité constitue l'un des principaux outils de prévention à la disposition des opérateurs et des autres acteurs travaillant avec les animaux en vue d'empêcher l'introduction, le développement et la propagation des maladies animales transmissibles à destination, au départ et au sein d'une population animale.

Les mesures de biosécurité adoptées devraient être suffisamment souples, adaptées au type de production et aux espèces ou catégories d'animaux concernées et tenir compte de la situation locale et des évolutions techniques.

Le nouveau Règlement (UE) 2016/429 du 9 mars 2016 prend ces éléments en compte et introduit de nouvelles règles et responsabilités pour les différents acteurs de la production et de la santé animale.
Ration à base de foins pour chèvres laitières
Authors: Enjalbert Francis
Published: August 2024

Des rations sèches à base de foin sont fréquemment utilisées en production caprine, en particulier lorsque les objectifs de production ne sont pas trop élevés.

Une attention particulière doit être apportée à la gestion de l’hétérogénéité des lots, et des corrections peuvent être nécessaires si le comportement de tri est important.
L’urolithiase du taurillon JB : une affection sous-estimée ?
Authors: Peterschmitt Marc
Published: August 2024

L’étiologie de l’urolithiase obstructive est connue pour être de nature phosphato-ammoniaco-magnésienne chez le ruminant mâle. Cette affection est devenue rare depuis le suivi plus professionnel de l’équilibre minéral des rations de taurillons. L’auteur rapporte dans cet article l’expérience d’un syndrome pseudo-épidémique d’urolithiases obstructives, sur plusieurs ateliers alsaciens de jeunes bovins à l’engraissement.

L’étude de ces cas permet de rappeler les fondamentaux cliniques et lésionnels de cette affection. Les perspectives thérapeutiques de survie des animaux ont été, dans ces cas, systématiquement nulles, dans la mesure où l’appel du propriétaire est intervenu trop tardivement par rapport à l’évolution de la maladie.

Dans ce cadre, l’observation des vessies à l’abattoir pour les taurillons issus des mêmes élevages a été particulièrement informative, notamment sur le caractère subclinique de cette maladie pour les animaux abattus n’ayant pas présenté de symptomatologie occlusive de leur vivant.

C’est surtout la nature biochimique des calculs qui a permis de recentrer l’attention sur l’origine de cette maladie. Si des struvites étaient effectivement présents dans certains échantillons, ce sont surtout des "faux-calculs" qui ont été diagnostiqués, constitués de calcite, vatélite, silice, quartz ou microcline. Si les calculs de nature siliceuse ont déjà été décrits sur des ruminants en pâture, cette nature d’urolithiase en engraissement n’a jamais été la première cause suspectée, bien qu’elle soit la plus concluante dans l’explication du syndrome alsacien de 2014.

La réflexion a donc été recentrée sur les origines possibles de terre dans les rations distribuées aux taurillons. Si la propreté des betteraves, consécutive à une météorologie pluvieuse lors de la récolte, constituait un dénominateur commun pour plusieurs élevages, d’autres sources de terre ont pu être identifiées, notamment l’ensablement des forages, la coupe des fourrages trop basse, l’usure des silos et la propreté des silos, des cours de ferme et du matériel agricole lors des chantiers d’ensilage.

Cette expérience est également une opportunité pour rappeler les fondamentaux sur la maîtrise de l’abreuvement en qualité, et en quantité, qui dépend directement des abreuvoirs utilisés et de leur entretien. Le non respect des critères nutritionnels n’a pas été discriminant pour ce cas clinique.
Propagation d’impulsions laser intenses dans l’air
Authors: Mysyrowicz André , Wolf Jean-Pierre
Published: August 2024

La propagation d’impulsions laser intenses et très courtes dans l’air donne lieu à des effets spectaculaires. Nous décrivons dans cet article plusieurs expériences réalisées avec le laser teramobile et ses successeurs.
Cultural roots of the myopia boom in Confucian Asia and their implications
Authors: Yii Fabian
Published: August 2024

Current evidence implicates educational pressures and reduced outdoor time as major causes of myopia. This paper examines the ongoing battle against the myopia epidemic in East Asia, including its cultural offshoots such as Singapore, where over 80% of young adults are myopic. East Asian societies share deeply rooted Confucian values that attach great importance to education and familial obligations, with heavy parental investment in education and the perception that academic excellence reflects filial piety. Coupled with a strong emphasis on standardised test results, East Asian children face intense educational pressures from a young age. Existing education-based myopia prevention strategies focus either on top-down school reforms to promote more outdoor time for students during school hours or on bottom-up awareness initiatives encouraging lifestyle changes. However, the entrenched Confucian worldview suggests that more extensive top-down reforms aimed at reducing competition in education, combined with widespread bottom-up awareness initiatives targeting the public—particularly parents, given their active involvement in children’s education outside of school—may be required to truly turn the tide on myopia.
Updates to i-PI package improve performance in widely used atomistic simulation software
Authors: Liebendorfer Adam
Published: August 2024

Better integration with machine-learning models reduces computational overhead in systems by up to a factor of 10.
Pressure-enhanced sensing of tissue oxygenation via endogenous porphyrin: Implications for dynamic visualization of cancer in surgery
Authors: Petusseau Arthur F. , Ochoa Marien , Reed Matthew , Doyley Marvin M. , Hasan Tayyaba , Bruza Petr , Pogue Brian W.
Published: August 2024

Fluorescence guidance is routinely used in surgery to enhance perfusion contrast in multiple types of diseases. Pressure-enhanced sensing of tissue oxygenation (PRESTO) via fluorescence is a technique extensively analyzed here, that uses an FDA-approved human precursor molecule, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), to stimulate a unique delayed fluorescence signal that is representative of tissue hypoxia. The ALA precontrast agent is metabolized in most tissues into a red fluorescent molecule, protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), which has both prompt fluorescence, indicative of the concentration, and a delayed fluorescence, that is amplified in low tissue oxygen situations. Applied pressure from palpation induces transient capillary stasis and a resulting transient PRESTO contrast, dominant when there is near hypoxia. This study examined the kinetics and behavior of this effect in both normal and tumor tissues, with a prolonged high PRESTO contrast (contrast to background of 7.3) across 5 tumor models, due to sluggish capillaries and inhibited vasodynamics. This tissue function imaging approach is a fundamentally unique tool for real-time palpation-induced tissue response in vivo, relevant for chronic hypoxia, such as vascular diseases or oncologic surgery.
Neuromorphic learning and recognition in WO3−x thin film-based forming-free flexible electronic synapses
Authors: Mohapatra R Archana B , Mhaskar Chinmayee Mandar , Sahu Mousam Charan , Sahoo Satyaprakash , Roy Chaudhuri Ayan
Published: August 2024

In pursuing advanced neuromorphic applications, this study introduces the successful engineering of a flexible electronic synapse based on WO3−x
, structured as W/WO3−x
/Pt/Muscovite-Mica. This artificial synapse is designed to emulate crucial learning behaviors fundamental to in-memory computing. We systematically explore synaptic plasticity dynamics by implementing pulse measurements capturing potentiation and depression traits akin to biological synapses under flat and different bending conditions, thereby highlighting its potential suitability for flexible electronic applications. The findings demonstrate that the memristor accurately replicates essential properties of biological synapses, including short-term plasticity (STP), long-term plasticity (LTP), and the intriguing transition from STP to LTP. Furthermore, other variables are investigated, such as paired-pulse facilitation, spike rate-dependent plasticity, spike time-dependent plasticity, pulse duration-dependent plasticity, and pulse amplitude-dependent plasticity. Utilizing data from flat and differently bent synapses, neural network simulations for pattern recognition tasks using the Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology dataset reveal a high recognition accuracy of ∼95% with a fast learning speed that requires only 15 epochs to reach saturation.
Alan Author strikes again: more on confirming conjunctions of disconfirmed hypotheses
Authors: Koscholke Jakob
Published: August 2024

The so-called Alan Author Effect is a surprising phenomenon in Bayesian Confirmation Theory. It occurs when a piece of evidence e confirms the conjunction of two hypotheses h1∧h2 but at the same time disconfirms each hypothesis h1 and h2 individually. In this paper, I present a new and prima facie stronger version of this effect where additionally, the evidence e confirms the conjunction of the negated hypotheses ¬h1∧¬h2. I say ‘prima facie’ because it can be shown that this seemingly stronger effect and the original effect are actually coextensional. I use this insight to formulate a new sufficient (and also necessary) condition for the two equivalent effects. I also examine how likely the two effects are to occur with the help of Monte Carlo simulation methods.
Anatomical and physiological responses of roots and rhizomes in Oryza longistaminata to soil water gradients
Authors: Song Zhiwei , Lin Chen , Pedersen Ole , Jiménez Juan
Published: August 2024

Background and Aims

Roots and rhizomes are crucial for the adaptation of clonal plants to soil water gradients. Oryza longistaminata, a rhizomatous wild rice, is of particular interest for perennial rice breeding owing to its resilience in abiotic stress conditions. Although root responses to soil flooding are well studied, rhizome responses to water gradients remain underexplored. We hypothesize that physiological integration of Oryza longistaminata mitigates heterogeneous water-deficit stress through interconnected rhizomes, and both roots and rhizomes respond to contrasting water conditions.

Methods

We investigated the physiological integration between mother plants and ramets, measuring key photosynthetic parameters (photosynthetic and transpiration rates and stomatal conductance) using an infrared gas analyser. Moreover, root and rhizome responses to three water regimes (flooding, well watered and water deficit) were examined by measuring radial water loss and apparent permeance to O2, along with histochemical and anatomical characterization.

Key Results

Our experiment highlights the role of physiological integration via interconnected rhizomes in mitigating water-deficit stress. Severing rhizome connections from mother plants or ramets exposed to water-deficit conditions led to significant decreases in key photosynthetic parameters, underscoring the importance of rhizome connections in bidirectional stress mitigation. Additionally, O. longistaminata rhizomes exhibited constitutive suberized and lignified apoplastic barriers, and such barriers were induced in roots in water stress. Anatomically, both rhizomes and roots respond in a similar manner to water gradients, showing smaller diameters in water-deficit conditions and larger diameters in flooding conditions.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that physiological integration through interconnected rhizomes helps to alleviate water-deficit stress when either the mother plant or the ramet is experiencing water deficit, while the counterpart is in control conditions. Moreover, O. longistaminata can adapt to various soil water regimes by regulating anatomical and physiological traits of roots and rhizomes.
Improved allele-specific single-cell copy number estimation in low-coverage DNA-sequencing
Authors: Weiner Samson , Li Bingjun , Nabavi Sheida
Published: August 2024

Motivation

Advances in whole-genome single-cell DNA sequencing (scDNA-seq) have led to the development of numerous methods for detecting copy number aberrations (CNAs), a key driver of genetic heterogeneity in cancer. While most of these methods are limited to the inference of total copy number, some recent approaches now infer allele-specific CNAs using innovative techniques for estimating allele-frequencies in low coverage scDNA-seq data. However, these existing allele-specific methods are limited in their segmentation strategies, a crucial step in the CNA detection pipeline.

Results

We present SEACON (Single-cell Estimation of Allele-specific COpy Numbers), an allele-specific copy number profiler for scDNA-seq data. SEACON uses a Gaussian Mixture Model to identify latent copy number states and breakpoints between contiguous segments across cells, filters the segments for high-quality breakpoints using an ensemble technique, and adopts several strategies for tolerating noisy read-depth and allele frequency measurements. Using a wide array of both real and simulated datasets, we show that SEACON derives accurate copy numbers and surpasses existing approaches under numerous experimental conditions, and identify its strengths and weaknesses.

Availability and implementation

SEACON is implemented in Python and is freely available open-source from https://github.com/NabaviLab/SEACON and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12727008.
Variance-based sensitivity analysis for weighting estimators results in more informative bounds
Authors: Huang Melody , Pimentel Samuel D
Published: August 2024

Weighting methods are popular tools for estimating causal effects, and assessing their robustness under unobserved confounding is important in practice. Current approaches to sensitivity analyses rely on bounding a worst-case error from omitting a confounder. In this paper, we introduce a new sensitivity model called the variance-based sensitivity model, which instead bounds the distributional differences that arise in the weights from omitting a confounder. The variance-based sensitivity model can be parameterized by an R2 parameter that is both standardized and bounded. We demonstrate, both empirically and theoretically, that the variance-based sensitivity model provides improvements on the stability of the sensitivity analysis procedure over existing methods. We show that by moving away from worst-case bounds, we are able to obtain more interpretable and informative bounds. We illustrate our proposed approach on a study examining blood mercury levels using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Gene expression and brain imaging association study reveals gene signatures in major depressive disorder
Authors: Liu Wei , Su Jian-Po , Zeng Ling-Li , Shen Hui , Hu De-Wen
Published: August 2024

Major depressive disorder is often characterized by changes in the structure and function of the brain, which are influenced by modifications in gene expression profiles. How the depression-related genes work together within the scope of time and space to cause pathological changes remains unclear. By integrating the brain-wide gene expression data and imaging data in major depressive disorder, we identified gene signatures of major depressive disorder and explored their temporal–spatial expression specificity, network properties, function annotations and sex differences systematically. Based on correlation analysis with permutation testing, we found 345 depression-related genes significantly correlated with functional and structural alteration of brain images in major depressive disorder and separated them by directional effects. The genes with negative effect for grey matter density and positive effect for functional indices are enriched in downregulated genes in the post-mortem brain samples of patients with depression and risk genes identified by genome-wide association studies than genes with positive effect for grey matter density and negative effect for functional indices and control genes, confirming their potential association with major depressive disorder. By introducing a parameter of dispersion measure on the gene expression data of developing human brains, we revealed higher spatial specificity and lower temporal specificity of depression-related genes than control genes. Meanwhile, we found depression-related genes tend to be more highly expressed in females than males, which may contribute to the difference in incidence rate between male and female patients. In general, we found the genes with negative effect have lower network degree, more specialized function, higher spatial specificity, lower temporal specificity and more sex differences than genes with positive effect, indicating they may play different roles in the occurrence and development of major depressive disorder. These findings can enhance the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying major depressive disorder and help develop tailored diagnostic and treatment strategies for patients of depression of different sex.
Association between CKD-MBD and hip-bone microstructures in dialysis patients
Authors: Iseri Ken , Mizobuchi Masahide , Shishido Kanji , Hida Noriko
Published: August 2024

Background

The longitudinal changes in hip-bone microstructures and estimated bone strength in dialysis patients, and the impact of chronic kidney disease–mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) biomarkers on these changes, remain insufficiently explored.

Methods

This retrospective study examined changes in cortical and trabecular bone compartments and estimated bone-strength indices, obtained by using 3D-SHAPER software, in the hip regions of 276 dialysis patients over up to 2.5 years. We used multivariate mixed models to investigate the associations between time-dependent CKD-MBD biomarkers and bone health metrics.

Results

There was a significant decrease in areal bone mineral density (aBMD), integral volumetric BMD (vBMD), trabecular vBMD, cortical thickness and cortical surface BMD (sBMD). Similar deteriorations were found in estimated bone-strength indices [cross-sectional area (CSA), cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI), section modulus (SM) and buckling ratio]. Neither serum calcium nor phosphate levels were significantly associated with changes in three-dimensional parameters or estimated bone-strength indices. In contrast, serum alkaline phosphatase levels showed a significant inverse correlation with aBMD and CSA. The intact-parathyroid hormone (i-PTH) was significantly inversely correlated with aBMD, integral vBMD, trabecular vBMD, cortical thickness, cortical vBMD, CSA, CSMI and SM. When applying the KDIGO criteria as a sensitivity analysis, the higher PTH group had significant negative associations with aBMD, integral vBMD, cortical vBMD, cortical thickness and cortical sBMD. Notably, the lower PTH group showed a positive significant correlation with integral vBMD and trabecular vBMD.

Conclusions

Elevated PTH, not low PTH, was associated with deterioration of hip-bone microstructures. Better management of PTH levels may play a crucial role in the hip-bone microstructure in dialysis patients.
Driving restrictions following defibrillator implantation: a nationwide register-linked survey study on the impact on employment, daily living, and driving behaviour
Authors: Hansen Malene Hammer , Rasmussen Trine Bernholdt , Risom Signe Stelling , Rosenkranz Simone , Schou Morten , Larroudé Charlotte , Gislason Gunnar , Ruwald Anne-Christine , Bjerre Jenny
Published: August 2024

Aims

Following implantation of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), patients are temporarily restricted from private motor vehicle driving and permanently prohibited from professional driving. We aimed to investigate the impact of driving restrictions following ICD implantation and in the case of ICD shock on employment, daily living activities, driving concerns, and driving behaviour.

Methods and results

Data were retrieved from a nationwide survey on driving restrictions in Danish ICD patients, distributed in 2017 to all patients ≥18 years implanted with a first-time ICD from 2013 to 2016 (n = 3913). Responses were linked with data from nationwide registers. The response rate was 71% (final analysable population n = 2741, 83% male, median age 67 years, 316 had experienced an ICD shock, and 911 patients reported receipt of driving restrictions of minimum 1 month). Among active professional drivers (n = 175), 33% had lost their job as a direct consequence of the driving restrictions. Of those working prior to ICD implantation (n = 465), 47% reported being limited in maintaining employment due to private driving restrictions. Among those restricted from driving for a minimum of 1 month, 26% reported the restrictions overall had substantially impeded their daily living. Factors associated with substantial impediment were age <65 years [OR 1.84 (95% CI 1.35–2.52)], higher income [OR 1.47 (95% CI 1.05–2.05)], and driving ≥7 h/week pre-implantation [OR 1.66 (95% CI 1.23–2.24)]. Being nervous about driving or altering driving habits was reported by 3–7%.

Conclusion

Both professional and private driving restrictions affect the ability to maintain employment and have a negative impact on ICD recipients’ daily living activities.
Healthcare Appointments as Commitment Devices
Authors: Derksen Laura , Kerwin Jason T , Ordaz Reynoso Natalia , Sterck Olivier
Published: August 2024

We show that ordinary appointments can act as effective substitutes for hard commitment devices and increase demand for a critical healthcare service, particularly among those with self-control problems. We show this using an experiment that randomly offered HIV testing appointments and hard commitment devices to high-risk men in Malawi. Appointments more than double testing rates, with effects concentrated among those who demand commitment. In contrast, most men who take up hard commitments lose their investments. Appointments overcome commitment problems without the potential drawback of commitment failure, and have the potential to increase demand for healthcare in the developing world.
Numerical method and error estimate for stochastic Landau–Lifshitz–Bloch equation
Authors: Goldys Beniamin , Jiao Chunxi , Le Kim-Ngan
Published: August 2024

In this paper we study numerical methods for solving a system of quasilinear stochastic partial differential equations known as the stochastic Landau–Lifshitz–Bloch (LLB) equation on a bounded domain in ${\mathbb{R}}^{d}$ for $d=1,2$. Our main results are estimates of the rate of convergence of the Finite Element Method to the solutions of stochastic LLB. To overcome the lack of regularity of the solution in the case $d=2$, we propose a Finite Element scheme for a regularized version of the equation. We then obtain error estimates of numerical solutions and for the solution of the regularized equation as well as the rate of convergence of this solution to the solution of the stochastic LLB equation. As a consequence, the convergence in probability of the approximate solutions to the solution of the stochastic LLB equation is derived. A stronger result is obtained in the case $d=1$ due to a new regularity result for the LLB equation which allows us to avoid regularization.
PheMIME: an interactive web app and knowledge base for phenome-wide, multi-institutional multimorbidity analysis
Authors: Zhang Siwei , Strayer Nick , Vessels Tess , Choi Karmel , Wang Geoffrey W , Li Yajing , Bejan Cosmin A , Hsi Ryan S , Bick Alexander G , Velez Edwards Digna R , Savona Michael R , Phillips Elizabeth J , Pulley Jill M , Self Wesley H , Hopkins Wilkins Consuelo , Roden Dan M , Smoller Jordan W , Ruderfer Douglas M , Xu Yaomin
Published: August 2024

Objectives

To address the need for interactive visualization tools and databases in characterizing multimorbidity patterns across different populations, we developed the Phenome-wide Multi-Institutional Multimorbidity Explorer (PheMIME). This tool leverages three large-scale EHR systems to facilitate efficient analysis and visualization of disease multimorbidity, aiming to reveal both robust and novel disease associations that are consistent across different systems and to provide insight for enhancing personalized healthcare strategies.

Materials and Methods

PheMIME integrates summary statistics from phenome-wide analyses of disease multimorbidities, utilizing data from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Mass General Brigham, and the UK Biobank. It offers interactive and multifaceted visualizations for exploring multimorbidity. Incorporating an enhanced version of associationSubgraphs, PheMIME also enables dynamic analysis and inference of disease clusters, promoting the discovery of complex multimorbidity patterns. A case study on schizophrenia demonstrates its capability for generating interactive visualizations of multimorbidity networks within and across multiple systems. Additionally, PheMIME supports diverse multimorbidity-based discoveries, detailed further in online case studies.

Results

The PheMIME is accessible at https://prod.tbilab.org/PheMIME/. A comprehensive tutorial and multiple case studies for demonstration are available at https://prod.tbilab.org/PheMIME_supplementary_materials/. The source code can be downloaded from https://github.com/tbilab/PheMIME.

Discussion

PheMIME represents a significant advancement in medical informatics, offering an efficient solution for accessing, analyzing, and interpreting the complex and noisy real-world patient data in electronic health records.

Conclusion

PheMIME provides an extensive multimorbidity knowledge base that consolidates data from three EHR systems, and it is a novel interactive tool designed to analyze and visualize multimorbidities across multiple EHR datasets. It stands out as the first of its kind to offer extensive multimorbidity knowledge integration with substantial support for efficient online analysis and interactive visualization.
Learning about climate change with algorithmic news? A two-wave panel study examining the role of “news-finds-me” perception
Authors: Su Yan , Luo Chen , Borah Porismita
Published: August 2024

In an ambient news environment, people often believe that they can be well-informed without actively seeking news, resulting in the “news-finds-me” (NFM) perception. Leveraging a two-wave panel survey in China (W1N = 1,465; W2N = 1,015), we examined the impact of the NFM perception on climate change knowledge. Findings showed that NFM did not influence climate change knowledge, while algorithmic news attitude (ANA) played a mediating role. Specifically, NFM was positively associated with ANA, which in turn facilitated knowledge. Furthermore, this relationship was moderated by discussion network heterogeneity. The positive effect of ANA and the positive indirect effect of NFM on climate change knowledge were stronger among those with a more heterogeneous discussion network. Implications are discussed.