bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Artificial intelligence and pain medicine education: Benefits and pitfalls for the medical trainee
Authors: Glicksman Michael , Wang Sheri , Yellapragada Samir , Robinson Christopher , Orhurhu Vwaire , Emerick Trent
Published: November 2024

Objectives

Artificial intelligence (AI) represents an exciting and evolving technology that is increasingly being utilized across pain medicine. Large language models (LLMs) are one type of AI that has become particularly popular. Currently, there is a paucity of literature analyzing the impact that AI may have on trainee education. As such, we sought to assess the benefits and pitfalls that AI may have on pain medicine trainee education. Given the rapidly increasing popularity of LLMs, we particularly assessed how these LLMs may promote and hinder trainee education through a pilot quality improvement project.

Materials and Methods

A comprehensive search of the existing literature regarding AI within medicine was performed to identify its potential benefits and pitfalls within pain medicine. The pilot project was approved by UPMC Quality Improvement Review Committee (#4547). Three of the most commonly utilized LLMs at the initiation of this pilot study – ChatGPT Plus, Google Bard, and Bing AI – were asked a series of multiple choice questions to evaluate their ability to assist in learner education within pain medicine.

Results

Potential benefits of AI within pain medicine trainee education include ease of use, imaging interpretation, procedural/surgical skills training, learner assessment, personalized learning experiences, ability to summarize vast amounts of knowledge, and preparation for the future of pain medicine. Potential pitfalls include discrepancies between AI devices and associated cost‐differences, correlating radiographic findings to clinical significance, interpersonal/communication skills, educational disparities, bias/plagiarism/cheating concerns, lack of incorporation of private domain literature, and absence of training specifically for pain medicine education. Regarding the quality improvement project, ChatGPT Plus answered the highest percentage of all questions correctly (16/17). Lowest correctness scores by LLMs were in answering first‐order questions, with Google Bard and Bing AI answering 4/9 and 3/9 first‐order questions correctly, respectively. Qualitative evaluation of these LLM‐provided explanations in answering second‐ and third‐order questions revealed some reasoning inconsistencies (e.g., providing flawed information in selecting the correct answer).

Conclusions

AI represents a continually evolving and promising modality to assist trainees pursuing a career in pain medicine. Still, limitations currently exist that may hinder their independent use in this setting. Future research exploring how AI may overcome these challenges is thus required. Until then, AI should be utilized as supplementary tool within pain medicine trainee education and with caution.
KRN5b regulates maize kernel row number through mediating phosphoinositol signalling
Authors: Shen Xiaomeng , Liu Lei , Tran Thu , Ning Qiang , Li Manfei , Huang Liangliang , Zhao Ran , Li Yunfu , Qing Xiangyu , Jackson David , Bai Yan , Song Weibin , Lai Jinsheng , Zhang Zuxin , Zhao Haiming
Published: November 2024

Kernel row number (KRN) is a major yield related trait for maize (Zea mays L.) and is also a major goal of breeders, as it can increase the number of kernels per plant. Thus, identifying new genetic factors involving in KRN formation may accelerate improving yield‐related traits genetically. We herein describe a new kernel number‐related gene (KRN5b) identified from KRN QTL qKRN5b and encoding an inositol polyphosphate 5‐phosphatase (5PTase). KRN5b has phosphatase activity towards PI(4,5)P2, PI(3,4,5)P3, and Ins(1,4,5)P3 in vitro. Knocking out KRN5b caused accumulation of PI(4,5)P2 and Ins(1,4,5)P3, resulting in disordered kernel rows and a decrease in the number of kernels and tassel branches. The introgression of the allele with higher expression abundance into different inbred lines could increase the ear weight of the inbred lines and the corresponding hybrids by 10.1%–12.2% via increasing KRN, with no adverse effects on other agronomic traits. Further analyses showed that KRN5b regulates inflorescence development through affecting the synthesis and distribution of hormones. Together, KRN5b contributes to spikelet pair meristem development through inositol phosphate and phosphatidylinositols, making it a selecting target for yield improvement.
Moisturizer Use in Children With Atopic Dermatitis: Real‐Life Practice, Beliefs, and Challenges Among a Cohort of Jordanian Patients
Authors: Muhaidat Jihan , Fawwaz Alsharif Mohammad , Al‐Qarqaz Firas , Alshiyab Diala , Ashaar‐Akhras  , Ababneh Mohammad Mustafa , Ghazou Alina , Tashtoush Shaden , Abdelnabi Touga
Published: November 2024

Background

Moisturizers are a crucial baseline therapy for atopic dermatitis (AD).

Objective

To evaluate the real‐life experience of using moisturizers in AD patients and to assess parents' opinions and challenges regarding moisturizer use.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study used a questionnaire completed by the parents of pediatric AD patients. The assessment questionnaire evaluated demographic factors as well as practices, opinions, and challenges regarding the use of moisturizers in AD treatment. Applying moisturizers twice daily, considered sufficient use, was evaluated across demographic levels using bivariate analysis.

Results

A total of 425 patients with AD participated in the study. The median age was 4 years, 51% of patients were female, 61% had moderate to severe AD, 34% had a family history of AD, and 41% of cases reported sufficient moisturizer use. Factors associated with increased frequency of application of moisturizers included younger age at diagnosis, higher parents' educational level, and increased family income. The twice‐daily application versus less frequent application was associated with fewer monthly flare‐ups (33% vs. 17%, p < 0.001). Overall, 54% of patient guardians believed that moisturizers were necessary for treating AD, 69% considered fragrance‐free formulas to be better, and 86% thought there to be a need for counseling from their physician on using moisturizers in AD treatment. Factors undermining the application of moisturizers included the time needed for application, cost, and lack of patient cooperation.

Conclusion

In real‐world practice, parents tend to underutilize moisturizers. To address this issue, treating physicians must provide additional education, and health insurance companies should consider covering moisturizers to ensure their accessibility.
Phosphorus addition severely exacerbates the inhibitory effect of the increased diurnal temperature range on the invasive plant Solidago canadensis
Authors: Cui Miaomiao , Yang Bin , Dong Jie , Fan Xue , Yu Haochen , Ren Guangqian , Zhu Zhaoqi , Du Daolin
Published: November 2024

This study investigates how variations in diurnal temperature and phosphorus concentration affect the growth of native Artemisia argyi and invasive Solidago canadensis under intraspecific and interspecific competition. We conducted factorial experiments to assess the impacts of warming, including an increased diurnal temperature range (DTRinc), a symmetric increase in diurnal temperature range (DTRsys), a decreased diurnal temperature range (DTRdec) and phosphorus application (5 g and 10 g P m2 yr−1) on both intra‐ and inter‐specific competition among plants. The results indicated that (1) the DTRsys for A. argyi was −48.95% and for S. canadensis, it was −31.49% and overall had a more pronounced inhibitory effect on the biomass of both plant species than other warming treatments after comprehensive analysis. (2) Under intraspecific competition, phosphorus promoted the growth of A. argyi and S. canadensis on plant height, root length, and biomass. The biomass of A. argyi (22.75% and 53.61%) and S. canadensis (11.49% and 27.76%) increased under low and high phosphorus, respectively. Under interspecific competition, the plant height and biomass of the two plant species showed different response trends to phosphorus. Still, the competitiveness of S. canadensis increased compared with the untreated group. (3) Plant adaptability in biomass was more sensitive to warming than phosphorus treatments, and warming reduced the promoting effect of phosphorus, indicating that warming and phosphorus have interactive effects on plants. Phosphorus exacerbated the inhibitory effect of DTRinc on the biomass of S. canadensis, which was more pronounced than other warming methods. The different responses of the two plants mention the species to warming and phosphorus treatments under different competition scenarios reflect the differences in their ecological strategies for adapting to the environment.
Integrative highway rights‐of‐way management to reduce stormwater run‐off and enhance habitat
Authors: Showers Madeline M. , Rotman Robin M.
Published: November 2024

Nature‐based management along highway rights‐of‐way (ROW) has been a focus in several states to benefit pollinators through supporting diverse and native vegetative communities. There is the potential to enhance the ecological benefits of this practice by integrating stormwater management into restoration plans and incorporating other complex, multidisciplinary factors. Historically, lack of technical assistance and limited resources has led managers to use unsustainable roadside practices that reduce the potential ecological services of the ROW; however, integrative management can aid in the prioritization of management efforts and link objectives of various resource agencies. In this literature review, we address the ecological impacts of highways and roadside management and propose a conceptual model to support managers in the development of sustainable roadside restoration plans.
Distributional Semantics: Meaning Through Culture and Interaction
Authors: Contreras Kallens Pablo , Christiansen Morten H.
Published: November 2024

Mastering how to convey meanings using language is perhaps the main challenge facing any language learner. However, satisfactory accounts of how this is achieved, and even of what it is for a linguistic item to have meaning, are hard to come by. Nick Chater was one of the pioneers involved in the early development of one of the most successful methodologies within the cognitive science of language for discovering meaning: distributional semantics. In this article, we review this approach and discuss its successes and shortcomings in capturing semantic phenomena. In particular, we discuss what we dub the “distributional paradox:” how can models that do not implement essential dimensions of human semantic processing, such as sensorimotor grounding, capture so many meaning‐related phenomena? We conclude by providing a preliminary answer, arguing that distributional models capture the statistical scaffolding of human language acquisition that allows for communication, which, in line with Nick Chater's more recent ideas, has been shaped by the features of human cognition on the timescale of cultural evolution.
Utilizing the mutant library to investigate the functional characterization of GhGLR3.4 regulating jasmonic acid to defense pest infestation
Authors: Wang Qiongqiong , Yang Guangqin , Jia Ruoyu , Wang Fuqiu , Wang Guanying , Xu Zhongping , Li Jianying , Li Bo , Yu Lu , Zhang Yan , Alariqi Muna , Cao Jinglin , Liang Sijia , Zhang Xianlong , Nie Xinhui , Jin Shuangxia
Published: November 2024

The glutamate receptor (GLR) serves as a ligand‐gated ion channel that plays a vital role in plant growth, development, and stress response. Nevertheless, research on GLRs in cotton is still very limited. The present study conducted a comprehensive analysis of GLRs gene family in cotton. In total, 41 members of the GLR family were identified in cotton unveiling distinct subgroups in comparison to Arabidopsis. Among these members, the third subgroup highlights its pivotal role in cotton's defense against insect infestation. Furthermore, the CRISPR/Cas9 system was utilized to create a mutant library of GLR members, which consisted of a total of 135 independent mutant lines, resulting in the production of novel cotton materials with valuable breeding potential for pest control. Further, this study elucidates the influence of GhGLR3.4 on jasmonic acid (JA) pathway signal transduction and demonstrated its participation in the influx of intracellular Ca2+, which regulates “calcium transients” following stimulation, thereby influencing multiple intracellular reactions. The study also found that GhGLR3.4 influences the synthesis of the JA pathway and actively partakes in long‐distance signal transmission among plants, facilitating the transfer of defense signals to neighbor leaves and thereby triggering systemic defense. Consequently, this research advances our knowledge of plants' comprehensive defense mechanism against insect pest infestation.
Putative paraneoplastic alopecia in a cat with apocrine adenocarcinoma
Authors: Lupion Camila Gottlieb , Bazotti Maiara Scapini , dos Santos Igor Ribeiro , Pavarini Saulo Petinatti , Trindade‐Gerardi Anelise Bonilla , Gerardi Daniel Guimarães
Published: November 2024

Feline paraneoplastic alopecia is associated with intraabdominal neoplasms. A 13‐year‐old female cat was presented with a history of a cutaneous mass on the head, followed by ventrally distributed alopecia with shiny skin. Necropsy revealed an apocrine adenocarcinoma and telogenisation/miniaturisation of the hair follicles, respectively. These findings are consistent with paraneoplastic alopecia.
O Plano de Ação Climática 2050 como Norteador de Políticas Públicas no Estado de São Paulo
Authors: Campos Ferreira Victor , Costa Freiria Rafael , Siviero Guilherme Pires Marta , De Oliveira Quintana Gabriel
Published: November 2024

Considerando a característica emergencial das mudanças climáticas e os desafios relacionados à governança climática nacional, a necessidade de estratégias eficazes para lidar com os efeitos das mudanças climáticas se torna crucial para o enfrentamento do problema. O presente artigo pretende avaliar a aplicabilidade do Plano de Ação Climática 2050 (PAC2050) como norteador de políticas públicas no estado de São Paulo, por meio do levantamento das políticas estaduais existentes, avaliando ações recomendadas pelo plano e identificando seus desafios de governança. A metodologia utilizada incluiu pesquisa bibliográfica em teses e trabalhos acadêmicos, levantamento documental de legislações e relatórios governamentais disponibilizados de forma eletrônica. O PAC2050 visa orientar a descarbonização do estado por meio de ações nos setores de Transportes, Energia, Resíduos, Agropecuária, Florestas e uso do solo, Indústria e produtos, e Finanças verdes e inovação com foco na mitigação das emissões de gases de efeito estufa. Os setores de Transporte e Agropecuária, Florestas e uso do solo apresentam cenários favoráveis às ações do plano, enquanto Energia, Resíduos e Indústria demandam maior eficiência energética em seus processos. Em Finanças Verdes e Governança, cruciais para a implementação das ações propostas, foram identificados desafios como a integração das diretrizes do PAC2050 no orçamento público e políticas de crédito mais inclusivas. Como um todo, o plano apresenta um potencial promissor para mitigar as emissões de gases de efeito estufa em São Paulo, porém, é importante que o governo estadual se comprometa em promover sua integração nas políticas públicas estaduais para enfrentar os desafios impostos pelas mudanças climáticas.
PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Governança climática; Mudanças climáticas; São Paulo; Análise crítica; Plano de Ação Climática 2050 (PAC2050).
DESIGNING A PCR TEST SYSTEM FOR THE GENETIC DIAGNOSIS OF RICKETTSIOSES
Authors: Yessimseit D.T. , Abdeliyev B.Z. , Kassenova A.K. , Abdirassilova A.A. , Turebekov N.A. , Zhumadilova Z.B. , Kovaleva G.G. , Tokmurziyeva G.Zh. , Ryabushko E.A. , Umarova S.K. , Rysbekova A.K.
Published: November 2024

To ensure the biological safety of the country, it is necessary to develop priority areas of biotechnology, create advanced means of detecting pathogenic biological agents. Rickettsia bacteria, one of the most widespread zoonotic pathogens worldwide, continues to be a serious problem for public health. One of the solutions to the problems related to the situation of the effectiveness of rickettsiosis monitoring is the widespread introduction into clinical practice of modern diagnostic methods based on nucleic acid amplification (MANC) methods, in particular PCR. The paper presents the test results of experimental series of rickettsia detection kits.
Purpose. Development and construction of experimental series of PCR test systems for the detection of rickettsioses, conducting control tests to work out optimal conditions in order to achieve maximum sensitivity and specificity of the drug.
Multi-objective non-intrusive hearing-aid speech assessment model
Authors: Chiang Hsin-Tien , Fu Szu-Wei , Wang Hsin-Min , Tsao Yu , Hansen John H. L.
Published: November 2024

Because a reference signal is often unavailable in real-world scenarios, reference-free speech quality and intelligibility assessment models are important for many speech processing applications. Despite a great number of deep-learning models that have been applied to build non-intrusive speech assessment approaches and achieve promising performance, studies focusing on the hearing impaired (HI) subjects are limited. This paper presents HASA-Net+, a multi-objective non-intrusive hearing-aid speech assessment model, building upon our previous work, HASA-Net. HASA-Net+ improves HASA-Net in several ways: (1) inclusivity for both normal-hearing and HI listeners, (2) integration with pre-trained speech foundation models and fine-tuning techniques, (3) expansion of predictive capabilities to cover speech quality and intelligibility in diverse conditions, including noisy, denoised, reverberant, dereverberated, and vocoded speech, thereby evaluating its robustness, and (4) validation of the generalization capability using an out-of-domain dataset.
Sodium Hyperhydration Improves Performance With No Change in Thermal and Cardiovascular Strain in Female Cyclists Exercising in the Heat Across the Menstrual Cycle
Authors: Convit Lilia , Orellana Liliana , Périard Julien D. , Carr Amelia J. , Warmington Stuart , Beaugeois Mégane , Abraham Anju , Snipe Rhiannon M.J.
Published: November 2024

This study investigated the effect of sodium hyperhydration on thermal and cardiovascular strain and exercise performance in unacclimatized endurance-trained females exercising in the heat and whether effects differ between menstrual cycle (MC) Phase 1 (low estrogen and progesterone) and MC Phase 4 (moderate estrogen and high progesterone). Twelve female cyclists/triathletes completed four trials in a randomized, double-blinded, crossover design. Participants consumed 30 ml·kg−1 fat-free mass fluid with either sodium chloride (7.5 g·L−1) or placebo (sucrose) 2 hr prior to 75 min of steady-state cycling (60% ) followed by a 200-kJ time trial (TT) in 34 °C and 60% relative humidity, with both interventions completed during MC Phase 1 and Phase 4. Rectal temperature and heart rate were measured at baseline, every 5 min during steady state, every 50 kJ of TT, and TT completion. Body mass was measured every 30 min preexercise and pre and post steady state and TT to assess hydration status. Linear mixed models were fitted to estimate intervention and MC phase effect. There were no significant sodium hyperhydration or MC phase effects on rectal temperature or heart rate (p > .05). Body mass increased with sodium versus placebo (0.38 [0.02, 0.74] kg; p = .04), with a greater increase in MC Phase 4 (0.69 [0.17, 1.2] kg; p < .001). TT performance improved with sodium versus placebo (−1.55 [−2.46, −0.64] min; p = .001), with a greater improvement in MC Phase 4 (−1.85 [−3.16, −0.55] min; p = .005). Sodium hyperhydration is a promising heat mitigation strategy for females undertaking prolonged exercise in the heat, especially during MC Phase 4 and when fluid access is limited.
Eccentric Force and Regional Biceps Femoris Muscle Excitation During Conventional and 80° Hip-Flexed Nordic Curl
Authors: Esquírio Arthur Ferreira , da Rocha Maressa , Macedo Maria de Cássia , Ferreira Kariny Realino , dos Santos Mayra Evelise , Barbosa Michelle Almeida , Barbosa Alexandre Carvalho
Published: November 2024

Context: Hamstring injuries are prevalent in high-intensity sports. The lesion often occurs with concomitant knee extension and hip flexion. The Nordic curl has been suggested to prevent such injury, mainly due to its eccentric hamstring activation. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the eccentric force output and the regional biceps femoris excitation (proximal, mid, and distal) during conventional and 80° of hip flexion of Nordic curl. Methods: Thirty-nine participants (17 men: 22.6 [2.03] y, 1.71 [0.09] m, 73.6 [13.3] kg; and 22 women: 24.4 [6.02] y; 1.64 [0.08] m; 62.2 [10.5] kg) were included in the study. Hamstring strength was analyzed through a load cell and muscle activation assessed with an electromyographer in 3 muscle portions (proximal, mid, and distal). Mixed factorial analysis of variance was used to rate the differences. Results: The conventional Nordic curl showed higher muscle activation compared with the hip-flexed Nordic curl (P = .001). No differences were observed in other factorial analysis. Conclusions: The findings suggest that conventional Nordic curl induces higher biceps femoris muscle excitation across compared with 80° hip-flexed Nordic curl. No differences were noted in muscle strength. The same force output with distinct levels of muscle activation may provide a progression system to implement hamstring training for injury prevention or even for exercise routine.
Papain expression in the
Escherichia coli
cytoplasm by T7-promoter engineering and co-expression with human protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and thiol peroxidase (GPx7) genes
Authors: Hoque Md Anarul , Gross Richard A. , Koffas Mattheos A. G.
Published: November 2024

Difficulties exist in obtaining full-length, correctly folded, and soluble papain or papain-like proteases that necessitate the exploration of alternative strategies. This study describes the development of an
Escherichia coli
strain capable of producing soluble papain without the need for complex and time-consuming
in vitro
refolding steps. To enhance the production of soluble papain, engineered T7 promoters and a recombinant papain translationally fused with varying tags were constructed. The tags investigated include the maltose-binding protein, small ubiquitin modifier protein, and glutathione transferase. An
E. coli
SHuffle strain was engineered to accumulate hydrogen peroxide (H
2
O
2
) by disruption of the redox pathway. This was accomplished by co-expression of the fusion constructs with two human endoplasmic reticulum-resident proteins, thiol peroxidase glutathione peroxidase-7 (GPx7), and protein disulfide isomerase (PDI). The oxidizing capacity of H
2
O
2
was used to improve disulfide bond formation in papain. The GPx7-PDI fusion dyad played a significant role in consuming harmful H
2
O
2
generated by the SHuffle cells. This consumption of H
2
O
2
helped provide the necessary oxidizing conditions for the efficient production of soluble papain. In shake-flask experiments, the recombinant strain produced ~110 mg/L of papain. Moreover, in batch fermentation, the volumetric yield reached ~349 mg/L. This work provides insights into recombinant papain microbial production that can lead to an industrial viable production strain.

IMPORTANCE

Papain, a cysteine-like protease, has extensive applications across various industries including food, chemical, pharmaceutical, drug, and polymer. However, the traditional isolation of papain from
Carica papaya
plants results in a complex mixture of proteases. Such protease mixtures result in an inability to understand which component enzyme contributed to substrate conversions. Concentrations of constituent enzymes likely differ based on the ripeness of the papaya fruit. Also, constituent enzymes from papaya differ in optimal activity as a function of temperature and pH. Thus, by using papain-like enzymes from papaya fruit, valuable information on component enzyme activity and specificity is lost. Numerous methods have been reported to purify papain and papain-like enzymes from the crude mixture. Often, methods involve at least three steps including column chromatography to separate five cysteine proteases. Such procedures represent tedious processes to manufacture the pure enzymes in
Carica papaya
extracts. The numerous uses of papain for industrial processes, as well as the probability that certain components of papain crude mixtures will be preferred for specific applications, necessitate alternative methods such as recombinant expression from microbial production systems to meet the high world demand for papain.
Diversity and transmissibility of RNA viruses in the small brown planthopper,
Laodelphax striatellus
Authors: Mao Qianzhuo , Ye Zhuang-Xin , Yuan Jing-Na , Ning Chao , Chen Meng-Nan , Xu Zhong-Tian , Qi Yu-Hua , Zhang Yan , Li Ting , He Yu-Juan , Lu Gang , Huang Hai-Jian , Lu Jia-Bao , Zhuo Ji-Chong , Hu Qing-Ling , Zhang Chuan-Xi , Chen Jian-Ping , Li Jun-Min
Published: November 2024

While a considerable number of viruses have been recently discovered in hematophagous insects, there remains insufficient research on virus diversity and their association with phytophagous insect hosts. In this study, we conducted a systematic investigation of the RNA virome in the small brown planthopper (SBPH),
Laodelphax striatellus
, an important vector of plant viruses. We successfully identified a total of 22 RNA viruses, including 17 novel viruses, from various families. These viruses were prevalent and abundant in SBPH populations, originating from the lab or field, with +ssRNA viruses composing the core SBPH viruses. Subsequent analysis revealed that the overall abundance of RNA viruses in SBPH remained relatively consistent across different developmental stages of the insects, although the titers of individual viruses varied among different insect tissues. This indicates a delicate balance between the viruses and their insect hosts. Interestingly, cross-species experiments confidently indicated that certain SBPH viruses could successfully infect and replicate in two other rice planthopper species (the brown planthopper and the white-backed planthopper) through microinjection. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the RNA virome and its adaptability in a phytophagous insect, contributing to a better understanding of the intimate relationship between viruses and host insects.

IMPORTANCE

In the last decade, advances in the next-generation sequencing technology have unveiled a vast diversity of viruses in insects, particularly RNA viruses in hematophagous insects. However, research on virus diversity and their association with phytophagous insect hosts remains insufficient. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the RNA virome in the small brown planthopper (SBPH),
Laodelphax striatellus
, a critical vector of plant viruses. The results indicated that the +ssRNA viruses, especially picorna-like viruses, comprised the core RNA viruses of SBPH that were prevalent in both laboratory and field populations. Moreover, a delicate balance was observed between the viruses and insect hosts. Significantly, some RNA viruses of SBPH could successfully infect and replicate in two other rice planthopper species belonging to different genera. This study provides valuable insights into the RNA virome and its adaptability in a phytophagous insect.
Influenza virus infection and aerosol shedding kinetics in a controlled human infection model
Authors: Shetty Nishit , Shephard Meredith J. , Rockey Nicole C. , Macenczak Hollie , Traenkner Jessica , Danzy Shamika , Vargas-Maldonado Nahara , Arts Peter J. , Le Sage Valerie , Anderson Evan J. , Lyon G. Marshall , Fitts Eric Charles , Gulick Dalia A. , Mehta Aneesh K. , El-Chami Mikhael F. , Kraft Colleen S. , Wigginton Krista R. , Lowen Anice C. , Marr Linsey C. , Rouphael Nadine G. , Lakdawala Seema S.
Published: November 2024

Establishing effective mitigation strategies to reduce the spread of influenza virus requires an improved understanding of the mechanisms of transmission. We evaluated the use of a controlled human infection model using an H3N2 seasonal influenza virus to study critical aspects of transmission, including symptom progression and the dynamics of virus shedding. Eight volunteers were challenged with influenza A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2) virus between July and September 2022 at Emory University Hospital. Viral shedding in the nasopharynx, saliva, stool, urine, and respiratory aerosols was monitored over the quarantine period, and symptoms were tracked until day 15. In addition, environmental swabs were collected from participant rooms to examine fomite contamination, and participant sera were collected to assess seroconversion by hemagglutination inhibition or microneutralization assays. Among the eight participants, influenza virus infection was confirmed in six (75%). Infectious virus or viral RNA was found in multiple physiological compartments, fecal samples, aerosol particles, and on surfaces in the immediate environment. Illness was moderate, with upper respiratory symptoms dominating. In participants with the highest viral loads, antibody titers rose by day 15 post-inoculation, while in participants with low or undetectable viral loads, there was little or no increase in functional antibody titers. These data demonstrate the safety and utility of the human infection model to study features critical to influenza virus transmission dynamics in a controlled manner and will inform the design of future challenge studies focused on modeling and limiting transmission.

CLINICAL TRIALS

This study is registered with
ClinicalTrials.gov
as
NCT05332899
.

IMPORTANCE

We use a controlled human infection model to assess respiratory and aerosol shedding kinetics to expand our knowledge of influenza infection dynamics and help inform future studies aimed at understanding human-to-human transmission.
Changes in the diversity and functionality of viruses that can bleach healthy coral
Authors: Zhang Zhengyi , Tong Mengmeng , Ding Wei , Liu Shuikai , Jong Mui-Choo , Radwan Ahmed A. , Cai Zhonghua , Zhou Jin
Published: November 2024

Coral microbiomes play a crucial role in maintaining the health and functionality of holobionts. Disruption in the equilibrium of holobionts, including bacteria, fungi, and archaea, can result in the bleaching of coral. However, little is known about the viruses that can infect holobionts in coral, especially bacteriophages. Here, we employed a combination of amplicon and metagenomic analyses on
Acropora muricata
and
Galaxea astreata
to investigate the diversity and functionality of viruses in healthy and bleached corals. Analysis showed that the alpha diversity of holobionts (bacteria, eukaryotes, zooxanthellae, and lysogenic and lytic viruses) was higher in bleached corals than that in healthy corals. Meanwhile, bleached corals exhibited a relatively higher abundance of specific viral classes, including Revtraviricetes, Arfiviricetes, Faserviricetes, Caudoviricetes, Herviviricetes, and Tectiliviricetes; moreover, we found that the expression levels of functional genes involved in carbon and sulfur metabolism were enriched. An increase in
Vibrio
abundance has been reported as a notable factor in coral bleaching; our analysis also revealed an increased abundance of
Vibrio
in bleached coral. Finally, bleached corals contained a higher abundance of
Vibrio
phages and encoded more virulence factor genes to increase the competitiveness of
Vibrio
after coral bleaching. In conclusion, we attempted to understand the causes of coral bleaching from the perspective of phage–bacteria–coral tripartite interaction.

IMPORTANCE

Viruses, especially bacteriophages, outnumber other microorganisms by approximately 10-fold and represent the most abundant members of coral holobionts. Corals represent a model system for the study of symbiosis, the influence of viruses on organisms inhabiting healthy coral reef, the role of rapid horizontal gene transfer, and the expression of auxiliary metabolic genes. However, the least studied component of coral holobiont are viruses. Therefore, there is a critical need to investigate the viral community of viruses, and their functionality, in healthy and bleached coral. Here, we compared the composition and functionality of viruses in healthy and bleached corals and found that viruses may participate in the induction of coral bleaching by enhancing the expression of virulence genes and other auxiliary metabolic functions.
Genetic modification of the shikimate pathway to reduce lignin content in switchgrass (
Panicum virgatum
L.) significantly impacts plant microbiomes
Authors: Liu Shuang , Chou Ming-Yi , Benucci Gian Maria Niccolò , Eudes Aymerick , Bonito Gregory
Published: November 2024

Switchgrass (
Panicum virgatum
L.) is considered a sustainable biofuel feedstock, given its fast-impact growth, low input requirements, and high biomass yields. Improvements in bioenergy conversion efficiency of switchgrass could be made by reducing its lignin content. Engineered switchgrass that expresses a bacterial 3-dehydroshikimate dehydratase (QsuB) has reduced lignin content and improved biomass saccharification due to the rerouting of the shikimate pathway towards the simple aromatic protocatechuate at the expense of lignin biosynthesis. However, the impacts of this QsuB trait on switchgrass microbiome structure and function remain unclear. To address this, wild-type and QsuB-engineered switchgrass were grown in switchgrass field soils, and samples were collected from inflorescences, leaves, roots, rhizospheres, and bulk soils for microbiome analysis. We investigated how QsuB expression influenced switchgrass-associated fungal and bacterial communities using high-throughput Illumina MiSeq amplicon sequencing of ITS and 16S rDNA. Compared to wild-type, QsuB-engineered switchgrass hosted different microbial communities in roots, rhizosphere, and leaves. Specifically, QsuB-engineered plants had a lower relative abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Additionally, QsuB-engineered plants had fewer
Actinobacteriota
in root and rhizosphere samples. These findings may indicate that changes in the plant metabolism impact both AMF and
Actinobacteriota
similarly or potential interactions between AMF and the bacterial community. This study enhances understanding of plant-microbiome interactions by providing baseline microbial data for developing beneficial bioengineering strategies and by assessing nontarget impacts of engineered plant traits on the plant microbiome.

IMPORTANCE

Bioenergy crops provide an important strategy for mitigating climate change. Reducing the lignin in bioenergy crops could improve fermentable sugar yields for more efficient conversion into bioenergy and bioproducts. In this study, we assessed how switchgrass engineered for low lignin impacted aboveground and belowground switchgrass microbiome. Our results show unexpected reductions in mycorrhizas and actinobacteria in belowground tissues, raising questions on the resilience and function of genetically engineered plants in agricultural systems.
Scrotal hematoma and subsequent abscess following urethral catheterisation
Authors: Ono Ryosuke , Horibata Ken
Published: November 2024

A man in his early 70s with advanced Lewy body dementia was admitted to the hospital for treatment of aspiration pneumonia and a severe sacral pressure ulcer. An indwelling urinary catheter was placedto manage urinary retention and to prevent urine contamination of the sacral ulcer.

On the 25th day of hospitalisation, swelling and tenderness developed in the patient’s left scrotum. CT and ultrasonography suggested a scrotal hematoma without testicular abnormalities. Clinical monitoring was initially chosen. However, on the 37th day, the scrotum became red and swollen again. Ultrasound and needle aspiration revealed a scrotal abscess, cultures identifiedKlebsiella pneumoniae. The abscess was successfully treated with drainage and ceftriaxone (2 g every 24 hours for 2 weeks). Despite recovery from the abscess, the patient later died from recurrent aspiration pneumonia on the 120th day of hospitalisation.
Recent advances in incretin-based therapy for MASLD: from single to dual or triple incretin receptor agonists
Authors: Targher Giovanni , Mantovani Alessandro , Byrne Christopher D , Tilg Herbert
Published: November 2024

Clinically effective pharmacological treatment(s) for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its progressive form metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) represent a largely unmet need in medicine. Since glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have been licensed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity, they were one of the first drug classes to be examined in individuals with MASLD/MASH. Successful phase 2 randomised clinical trials with these agents have resulted in progression to phase 3 clinical trials (principally testing the long-term efficacy of subcutaneous semaglutide). Over the last few years, in addition to GLP-1RAs, newer agents with glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide and/or glucagon receptor agonist functions have been tested, with increasing evidence from phase 2 randomised clinical trials of histological improvements in MASLD/MASH, as well as benefits on MASLD-related extrahepatic complications. Based on this background of evidence, single, dual or triple incretin receptor agonists are becoming an attractive and promising treatment option for MASLD or MASH, particularly in individuals with coexisting obesity or type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this narrative review, we examine the rapidly expanding body of clinical evidence supporting a role of incretin-based pharmacotherapies in delaying or reversing MASH progression. We also discuss the biology of incretins and the putative hepatoprotective mechanisms of incretin-based pharmacotherapies for managing MASLD or MASH.
Late Cenozoic sedimentary records of the uplift of the Karlik Mountains and aridification of the Hami Basin, Central Asia
Authors: Zhang Dehai , Wang Guocan , Cheng Feng , Shen Tianyi , Ji Junliang , Zhang Meng
Published: November 2024

The Karlik Mountains, at the extreme easternmost end of the Tianshan mountain range, mark the terminus of the modern Central Asian Orogenic Belt and serve as a natural laboratory for exploring how strain spreads from the margins of the Eurasian plate to its interior. We investigated Cenozoic strata, including the Oligocene–Miocene Taoshuyuanzi Formation and the Pliocene Putaogou Formation, in the Hami Basin through detailed facies analysis, detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology and magnetic susceptibility to reconstruct the Cenozoic mountain-building history and variations in climate of the easternmost Tianshan range. Provenance analysis indicates that the Cenozoic sediments were derived from the north and can thus be used to reflect the mountain-building processes of the Karlik Mountains. Facies analysis shows that the Taoshuyuanzi Formation began with fan delta deposits at the lake margin, followed by lacustrine deposits, whereas the Putaogou Formation is dominated by alluvial fan deposits. The synchronization with intense aridification, as revealed by sedimentary features, allows us to propose that the coarse-grained alluvial deposition in the Putaogou Formation of the Hami Basin marks the Pliocene uplift of the Karlik Mountains. The magnetic susceptibility increased dramatically in the Pliocene, with the trend correlating well with that of the coarsening lithology. The tectonic uplift of the easternmost Tianshan Mountains, along with the subsequent extreme aridity associated with global cooling and the orogenic barrier, facilitated the preservation of magnetite, leading to the accumulation of alluvial deposits with increased magnetic susceptibility during the Pliocene.
IATT: Interpretation Analysis based Transferable Test Generation for Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Xie Ruilin , Chen Xiang , He Qifan , Li Bixin , Cui Zhanqi
Published: November 2024

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been widely used in various fields. However, it is essential to perform sufficient testing to detect internal defects before deploying CNNs, especially in security-sensitive scenarios. Generating error-inducing inputs to trigger erroneous behavior is the primary way to detect CNN model defects. However, in practice, when the model under test is a black-box CNN model without accessible internal information, in some scenarios it is still necessary to generate high-quality test inputs within a limited testing budget. In such a new scenario, a potential approach is to generate transferable test inputs by analyzing the internal knowledge of other white-box CNN models similar to the model under test, and then use transferable test inputs to test the black-box CNN model. The main challenge in generating transferable test inputs is how to improve their error-inducing capability for different CNN models without changing the test oracle. We found that different CNN models make predictions based on features of similar important regions in images. Adding targeted perturbations to important regions will generate transferable test inputs with high realism. Therefore, we propose the Interpretable Analysis based Transferable Test Generation method for CNNs (IATT), which employs interpretation methods of CNN models to explain and localize important regions in test inputs, using backpropagation optimizer and perturbation mask process to add targeted perturbations to these important regions, thereby generating transferable test inputs. This process is repeated to iteratively optimize the transferability and realism of the test inputs. To verify the effectiveness of IATT, we perform experimental studies on nine deep learning models, including ResNet-50 and Vit-B/16, and commercial computer vision system
Google Cloud Vision
, and compared our method with four state-of-the-art baseline methods. Experimental results show that transferable test inputs generated by IATT can effectively cause black-box target models to output incorrect results. Compared to existing testing and adversarial attack methods, the average error-inducing success rate (ESR) in different testing scenarios is 18.1%

\(\sim\)

52.7% greater than the baseline methods. Additionally, the test inputs generated by IATT achieve high ESR while maintaining high realism.
SENNA: Unified Hardware/Software Space Exploration for Parametrizable Neural Network Accelerators
Authors: ­Kwon Jungyoon , Min Hyemi , Egger Bernhard
Published: November 2024

Parametrizable neural network accelerators enable the deployment of targeted hardware for specialized environments. Finding the best architecture configuration for a given specification, however, is challenging. A large number of hardware configurations have to be considered, and for each hardware instance, an efficient software execution plan needs to be found, leading to a vast search space. Prior work has tackled this problem by dividing the search into subproblems for individual layers of a network. There is no guarantee, however, that the overall best hardware configuration that delivers the desired end-to-end performance across the entire network is among the best individual layer configurations.

This work presents SENNA, a unified hardware/software space exploration framework for parametrizable neural network accelerators. To guide the exploration toward the overall best configuration, SENNA employs a multi-objective genetic algorithm with a novel design space representation that encodes the configuration of hardware and software parameters in a single chromosome. Using the Parallel Island Model (PIM), each layer is represented by one or more individual islands each containing a separate population to simultaneously search for the best configuration across the entire network. A tailored gene migration technique enables the exchange of genes between the populations of different islands.

SENNA is evaluated with three parametrizable architectures and four neural networks. The evaluation result demonstrates that SENNA achieves upto 1.92x EDP improvement compared to the State-of-the-Art. With equivalent evaluation budgets, SENNA shows 2.5x–9.3x speedup compared to an Oracle scheme and the State-of-the-Art.
Case 331: Cardiac Sarcoidosis
Authors: Umer Muhammad , Sagheer Usman , Furtado Wilfred , Shotwell Matthew , Joshi Jonathan , Shetty Mrinali , Kalra Dinesh K.
Published: November 2024

History

A 43-year-old male patient with no known past medical history presented to the emergency department with new-onset bitemporal headache, dizziness, and bilateral lower extremity weakness for 1 day. The patient denied chest pain, shortness of breath, cough, or recent exposure to sick individuals. He was not on any medications and denied alcohol or illicit drug use. Vital signs were unremarkable. Physical examination was notable for a left-sided pronator drift and bilateral dysmetria that was more pronounced on the left. Results of routine laboratory workup, including complete blood count, metabolic panel, and high-sensitivity troponin level, were normal. An electrocardiogram revealed sinus tachycardia with a heart rate of 102 beats per minute, T-wave inversions in the inferior leads, left axis deviation, incomplete right bundle branch block, and frequent premature ventricular contractions. A radiograph of the chest was unremarkable. CT of the head without contrast enhancement demonstrated no acute intracranial abnormalities. MRI of the brain without contrast enhancement revealed multiple acute infarcts involving left posterior inferior cerebellar artery distribution, right cerebellar hemisphere, right mesial temporal lobe, and right posterior limb of the internal capsule. CT angiography of the head and neck showed an occlusion of the right posterior cerebral artery near its origin, with a trace of distal flow. Given that these findings were concerning for a cardioembolic etiology of acute ischemic stroke, transesophageal echocardiography was performed. This showed mild left ventricular systolic dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 40%, mild global hypokinesis, and an additional finding also seen at subsequent cardiac CT and MRI, disclosed herein. The patient was started on systemic anticoagulation and guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. CT of the chest showed no evidence of lymphadenopathy or abnormalities in the lung parenchyma or interstitium. Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) was performed, followed by cardiac MRI.
Wind‐Induced Vibration Control in Incremental Launching Construction Based on Field‐Measured Modal Parameters
Authors: Zhu Zhiwen , Tang Qin , Hu Bowei , Jiang Jin
Published: November 2024

Launching nose is prone to wind‐induced vibration due to low frequencies and damping during incremental launching construction (ILC). Finite element method (FEM) and field measurements were carried out to obtain modal parameters at different stages, and tuned mass damper (TMD) systems were investigated to mitigate its vibration. It is found that system identification using frequency‐modulated complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition (FM‐CEEMD) and random decrement technique (RDT) can effectively obtain modal parameters of launching structures, and its frequencies decrease with cantilever length, with damping ratios lower than the code recommended value. A TMD with a determined optimal mass and damping ratio is suggested to suppress wind‐induced vibration of the launching nose at the maximum cantilever stage, which helps facilitate continuous bridge construction without interruption.