bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biochar Amendment Alleviates the Combined Effects of Salinity and Drought Stress on Water Productivity, Yield and Quality Traits of Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris L.)
Authors: Abdou Nasr M. , EL-Samnoudi Ibrahim M. , Ibrahim Abd El-Aty M. , EL-Tawwab Ahmed R. Abd
Published: April 2024

Salinity and drought are two commonly occurring major threats to agricultural yields worldwide, including sugar beet production. Therefore, this work aimed to determine the effectiveness of biochar amendment in improving soil health and alleviating the combined effects induced by salinity and drought on morphological, physiological and biochemical responses of sugar beet plants. Two field studies were established at the experimental farm of Fayoum University, Egypt over two successive winter seasons (2019/2020 and 2020/2021). The experiments were carried out in a split-split plot design with triplicate including three factors: 1) soil salinity, with two levels of ECe (< 4 dS m−1 as control and 10 dS m−1) as main-plot factor; 2) deficit irrigation regimes (I100, I80, and I60) representing 100%, 80%, and 60% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), respectively as sub-plot factor; and 3) biochar amendment with three application levels (B0 as control, B10, and B20) corresponding to 0, 10, and 20 t ha−1, respectively as sub-sub plot factor. Drought and salinity stress induced significant reduction in growth attributes, relative water content, membrane stability, relative chlorophyll content (SPAD), yield and yield components of sugar beet plants. Meanwhile, the contents of sucrose, proline, Na, K, α amino-N were substantially increased with increasing stress severity. The application of biochar amendment improved the soil physical and chemical properties, resulting in better morphological, physiological and biochemical responses of saline-drought stressed sugar beet plants. Biochar at level (B20) produced the highest values of root yield (95.02 t ha−1) and sugar yield (20.24 t ha−1) for full irrigated sugar beet plants in non-saline soil. Moreover, the application of biochar enhanced water productivity for drought and saline stressed sugar beet plants. Biochar amendment could be effectively used as a helpful agro-management strategy in alleviating the detrimental impacts of salinity and water stress on sugar beet plants, improving soil quality and enhancing water productivity to ensure water sustainability and food security, especially in areas of limited water supply.
Getting to Fidelity: Consensus Development Process to Identify Core Activities of Implementation Facilitation
Authors: Smith Jeffrey L. , Ritchie Mona J. , Kim Bo , Miller Christopher J. , Chinman Matthew J. , Adam Kelly P. , Landes Sara J. , Kirchner JoAnn E.
Published: April 2024

Transferring successful implementation strategies from research to practice requires approaches for assessing fidelity to the strategy’s core components. Implementation facilitation (IF) is a strategy involving an interactive process of problem-solving, enabling, and supporting individuals in efforts to implement clinical innovations that occurs in the context of a recognized need for improvement and supportive interpersonal relationships. Because IF is a dynamic strategy involving numerous activities, our objective was to conduct a rigorous consensus development process to identify core activities for monitoring fidelity to IF when applied in clinical settings. We first conducted a scoping literature review to identify the range of activities used when IF has been applied in clinical settings, searching multiple citation databases for English-language articles including “facilitation” or other commonly-used terms for the strategy published from 1996–2015. Through multi-stage screening, 135 articles (from 94 studies) were identified for data extraction on IF activities, frequency with which IF activities were identified as ‘core’ by study authors, and study outcomes. From the literature review, we identified 32 distinct IF activities and developed definitions/examples for each. Next, we conducted a 3-stage, modified-Delphi expert panel consensus development process to identify core IF activities across three implementation phases (i.e., Pre-Implementation, Implementation, Sustainment). The expert panel identified 8 core activities for the Pre-Implementation Phase, 8 core activities for the Implementation Phase, and 4 core activities for the Sustainment Phase. This work provides an important foundation for developing measures/tools to assess use of core IF activities to ensure the strategy is delivered with fidelity.
An analysis of agglomeration structure for Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei based on spatial-temporal big data
Authors: Tian Ying , Kan Changcheng , Li Xiangyu , Dang Anrong
Published: April 2024

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration plan rose to the status of a national-level strategy in 2014. This paper provides a deep analysis of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area’s inter-city commuter big data. This research analyzed the overview of spatial structure, polycentric structure, hierarchical structure and clustering characteristics of the BTH based on network analysis methods. It reveals that the inter-city commuter network exhibits clear polycentric characteristics, with Beijing acting as the central hub. The degree of network correlation between cities in Tianjin and Hebei is notably low, indicating that the flow of people primarily revolves around Beijing, while interactions between other cities remain limited. Therefore, it is necessary to further decentralize Beijing's non-capital core functions. The level of connectedness among the areas surrounding the Bohai Rim is not very high, and it has not developed the coastal advantage. The cooperation could be strengthed among the cities within Bohai Rim. The polycentric structure has initially taken shape, but it exhibits obvious polarization characteristics. It is necessary to strengthen the interaction of talents between cities to form secondary central units in BTH.
The relationship between subjective difficulty in interoceptive processing and accuracy of heartbeat perception in autistic individuals
Authors: Itoi Chihiro , Ujiie Yuta , Ooishi Yuuki , Kashino Makio
Published: April 2024

Most autistic people experience difficulties in sensory processing, including interoceptive processing. For example, they often report subjective difficulties in the interoceptive processing of interoceptive input, such as difficulty in interpreting bodily signals, including hunger, thirst, and fatigue. However, whether these subjective interoceptive difficulties are from underlying problems in interoceptive accuracy remains unclear. This study investigated the relationship between subjective interoceptive difficulty and behavioral interoceptive accuracy in autistic adults and a control group. Subjective interoceptive accuracy was measured using an interoceptive sensitivity questionnaire, and behavioral interoceptive accuracy was measured using a heartbeat counting task. The results showed no significant relationship between subjective interoceptive difficulty and behavioral interoceptive accuracy in the autistic or control groups. This suggests that subjective interoceptive difficulty and behavioral interoceptive accuracy reflect different aspects of interoceptive processing. One possible interpretation is that autistic adults can identify individual local sensory inputs, such as heartbeats, however, they have difficulty integrating multiple inputs and recognizing internal body states such as hunger and fatigue.
Higher education enrollment as a risk factor for somnolence and hypersomnolence
Authors: Burrows Katrina , Millett Abbie
Published: April 2024

This study aimed to compare the prevalence of somnolence and hypersomnolence between a higher education student and non-student sample. Hershner and Chervin [Hershner in Nat sci sleep 10.2147/NSS.S62907, 2014] defined somnolence as lapses into drowsiness, consequently leading to the inability to maintain alertness. This definition aligns with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's (AASM) definition [Berry in Am Acad Sleep Med 176:2012, 2012]. Hypersomnolence differs from this, as suggested by Lammers et al. [Lammers in Sleep Med Rev 52, 101306, 2020], and refers to the experience of excessive daytime sleepiness. It is commonly observed that individuals enrolled in higher education courses often experience somnolence and hypersomnolence; however, it is currently unclear whether this is more prevalent in students compared to the general population. An online survey was administered to 202 participants measuring somnolence, hypersomnolence, sleep quality, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, sleep duration, circadian preference, and daytime dysfunction. 94 participants were non-students, and 108 were enrolled in higher education. Significant differences were found between student and non-student samples for somnolence but not for hypersomnolence. Furthermore, within the non-student sample a multiple linear regression demonstrated that hypersomnolence was predicted by daytime dysfunction. The results suggest that there are differences in the predictors of somnolence and hypersomnolence between a student and non-student sample. Consequently, this study highlights that students experience hypersomnolence and somnolence differently to their non-student counterparts. Thus, warranting the need for further investigating within this unique population.
Permacrisis: a psycho-socio-linguistic analysis
Authors: Zatti Alberto
Published: April 2024

This research analyses the “word of the year 2022”: Permacrisis. Through the Semantic Differential tool (Osgood in Am Anthropol 66: 171-200, 1964), 16 words were investigated among those most searched for in Google Search in the second half of 2022. Central questions are: What are the cultural differences in permacrisis connotation among five countries (Italy, France, United Kingdom, Germany and Poland)? What are the cultural differences in how permacrisis is connotated? How do different political orientations relate to the concepts of Politics and Democracy regarding permacrisis? The research showed how the Permacrisis is strongly linked to concepts such as Nuclear weapons, World War III and the COVID-19 virus. On a sample of 1273, the study showed evident cultural differences in permacrisis connotation, such as the emphasis on Weapons by the Italians or the Economic Crisis by the Germans. Statistical analysis reveals different anxieties: i.e. Italians fear losing their strength, the French anger about not being heard, while the British are anxious to remain socially isolated. A contrast between the concepts of Politics and Democracy was analysed on the sample's declarations of belonging to political orientations such as Conservatives, Christian democrats, Social democrats, Greens and the Left. Finally, the concept of Climate Crisis has been analysed, which results in the Semantic Differential, against any prevision, placed in a more peripheral orbit than the concepts associated with Permacrisis. Complete Tables and Figures can be consulted at the Open Science Framework URL https://osf.io/bwcp3/?view_only=be46b29bbf4d47ceba50138f82f2cd1d.
Modification of sericin using cyanuric chloride and its application on the textile substrate to impart multifunctional properties
Authors: Pattanaik Jasam , Chaudhary Babita , Siddiqui Zahir Ali , Tewari Srishti , Mehta Himanshu , Meshram Rohan C. , Kale Ravindra D.
Published: April 2024

Sericin is a highly hydrophilic macromolecular protein comprising 18 amino acids. It is considered biocompatible, nontoxic, and has antibacterial and antioxidant properties. It is applied on fabric, however, either the fabric needs to be pretreated with electrolytes or catalyst are used thereby increasing the number of processing steps. This study achieved sericin with multifunctional properties through chemical modification using cyanuric chloride. Modified sericin was applied in the dyeing stage along with the dyes on various textile substrates like wool, silk, and polyester. The functional properties were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and in modified sericin new chlorine peak at 779 cm−1 was obtained, X-ray diffractogram shows increase in crystallinity after modification of sericin, SEM showed particles of sericin on all fabrics even after 5 washes. Fabrics were analysed for antimicrobial activity and showed antimicrobial properties against gram negative and positive bacteria. Fastness properties and ultra violet protection factor of the samples were also determined.
Ulster's Lost Counties
Authors: Burke Edward
Published: April 2024

In 1920, the three Ulster counties of Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan were excluded from Northern Ireland. What happens to an abandoned people? And what is the impact on subsequent generations? At a time of uncertainty over the future of Northern Ireland, the history of Ulster loyalists who found themselves on the 'wrong side' of the Irish border is especially relevant. Memories of the violence and betrayal experienced by one generation of protestants in the three counties entrenched an intergenerational Ulster loyalist identity. Subsequently, three-county loyalists who moved across the border played an important role in militant politics. Examining armed resistance in these counties and the radicals who came from them, Edward Burke argues that violence or terrorism perpetrated by 'lost Ulster' loyalists enjoyed considerable success. Spanning the Anglo-Irish War to the Troubles and beyond, Ulster's Lost Counties demonstrates the grip of identity and betrayal since the partition of Ireland.
The organization of semantic associations between senses in language
Authors: Alvarado Jorge A. , Velasco Carlos , Salgado Alejandro
Published: April 2024

Distributional semantic representations were used to investigate crossmodal correspondences within language, offering a comprehensive analysis of how sensory experiences interconnect in linguistic constructs. By computing semantic proximity between words from different sensory modalities, a crossmodal semantic network was constructed, providing a general view of crossmodal correspondences in the English language. Community detection techniques were applied to unveil domains of experience where crossmodal correspondences were likely to manifest, while also considering the role of affective dimensions in shaping these domains. The study revealed the existence of an architecture of structured domains of experience in language, whereby crossmodal correspondences are deeply embedded. The present research highlights the roles of emotion and statistical associations in the organization of sensory concepts across modalities in language. The domains identified, including food, the body, the physical world and emotions/values, underscored the intricate interplay between the senses, emotion and semantic patterns. These findings align with the embodied lexicon hypothesis and the semantic coding hypothesis, emphasizing the capacity of language to capture and reflect crossmodal correspondences’ emotional and perceptual subtleties in the form of networks, while also revealing opportunities for further perceptual research on crossmodal correspondences and multisensory integration.
Taking stock of a discourse: An integrative content analysis of musical structures and cultural stereotypes in top-10 German Schlager songs from 2009 to 2019
Authors: Thiesen Felix Christian
Published: April 2024

German Schlager's simple and static musical form is considered by many authors as an immutable key factor in the genre's overall success. However, the introduction of break routines and pop drops to the genre seem to refute this point of view. Cultural references and musical clichés are also integral parts of Schlager's staging. This paper presents an integrative content analysis of 548 songs from 2009 to 2019 with the aim of observing trends in musical form and the use of both cultural references and musical clichés in contemporary Schlager. Overall, the corpus shows more variability than expected, featuring a growing number of structural parts. Contrary to strong claims, the genre is undergoing a change in musical structure. However, whether this also applies to the reproduction of certain stereotypes in song lyrics remains to be seen: about a quarter of the songs contain cultural references, outnumbering musical clichés by a factor of three.
Thermosphere UFKW Structures and Ionosphere Coupling as Observed by ICON
Authors: Forbes Jeffrey M. , Zhang Xiaoli , Englert Christoph R. , Heelis Roderick , Stevens Michael H. , Harding Brian J. , Harlander John M. , Marr Kenneth D. , Makela Jonathan J. , Immel Thomas J.
Published: April 2024

Two ∼2‐week Ultra‐Fast Kelvin Wave (UFKW) events centered on days 158(203) during 2021 are investigated using winds, temperatures, plasma drifts and electron densities (Ne) measured by the Ionospheric CONnections (ICON) mission. Eastward‐propagating longitudinal wave‐1 (s = −1) structures with periods 2.5–4.0d, thought to mainly reflect Ultra‐Fast Kelvin waves (UFKWs), reveal ±45 ms−1 zonal winds (U) at 100 km for both events. Height‐latitude structures of the 3.0(3.5)d‐period UFKWs are obtained for the first time for both temperature (T, 94–120 km) and U (94–280 km) between 12°S and 39°N latitude. Maximum values of 36(29) ms−1 for U and 12(15)K for T occur at 102(106) km altitude and within ±3° latitude. The U‐T peak height displacement remains unexplained. Vertical wavelengths are in the range 36–43 km for both U and T during both events. Concurrent with the E‐region dynamo winds, topside (580 km) F‐region field‐aligned (±20–40 ms−1), meridional (±5–10 ms−1) and vertical (±5–10 ms−1) drift and Ne (±20–40%) 2.5–4.0d s = −1 variations are also measured. These key elements of atmosphere‐ionosphere (A‐I) coupling, contemporaneously measured for the first time, are relevant to testing the internal consistency of A‐I models. The mean wind propagation environment of the UFKWs is also quantified, showing no appreciable effects on the UFKW structures, consistent with modeling and theory.
Brittle Deformation of Damaged Mafic and Ultramafic Rocks and Their Implications on Plate Bending
Authors: Jayawickrama Eranga , Akamatsu Yuya , Katayama Ikuo
Published: April 2024

The effect of damage on the brittle deformation of mafic and ultramafic rocks has been investigated by performing triaxial deformation experiments on thermally cracked and intact rock samples. The investigation was performed by recording the axial and lateral strains during deformation while simultaneously capturing the ultrasonic velocity, and electrical resistivity. While the peak strength is presumably controlled by the stiff intrinsic fractures, the crack opening mode also showed critical effects on the attained peak strength. The pore pressure distribution showed an apparent control over the dynamic Young's modulus as the ratio between the dynamic and static modulus of thermally cracked rocks is significantly higher than that of intact rocks. The compliant nature and the higher inelastic volumetric strain of the thermally cracked samples further indicated a possible explanation to the steep dipping plates and the taller topographic heights at the trench outer rise systems of old subduction zones.
Introduction to the Distributional Finite Difference Method for 3D Seismic Wave Propagation and Comparison With the Spectral Element Method
Authors: Lyu Chao , Masson Yder , Romanowicz Barbara , Zhao Liang
Published: April 2024

We have extended the distributional finite difference method (DFDM) to simulate the seismic‐wave propagation in 3D regional earth models. DFDM shares similarities to the discontinuous finite element method on a global scale and to the finite difference method locally. Instead of using linear staggered finite‐difference operators, we employ DFDM operators based on B‐splines and a definition of derivatives in the sense of distributions, to obtain accurate spatial derivatives. The weighted residuals method used in DFDM's locally weak formalism of spatial derivatives accurately and naturally accounts for the free surface, curvilinear meshing, and solid‐fluid coupling, for which it only requires setting the shear modulus and the continuity condition to zero. The computational efficiency of DFDM is comparable to the spectral element method (SEM) due to the more accurate mass matrix and a new band‐diagonal mass factorization. Numerical examples show that the superior accuracy of the band‐diagonal mass and stiffness matrices in DFDM enables fewer points per wavelength, approaching the spectral limit, and compensates for the increased computational burden due to four Lebedev staggered grids. Specifically, DFDM needs 2.5 points per wavelength, compared to the five points per wavelength required in SEM for 0.5% waveform error in a homogeneous model. Notably, while maintaining the same accuracy in the solid domain, DFDM demonstrates superior accuracy in the fluid domain compared to SEM. To validate its accuracy and flexibility, we present various 3D benchmarks involving homogeneous and heterogeneous regional elastic models and solid‐fluid coupling in both Cartesian and spherical settings.
Characterizing Precipitation Behaviors of H− in the Martian Atmosphere
Authors: Henderson Sarah , Halekas Jasper , Jolitz Rebecca , Mitchell David , Mazelle Christian , Eparvier Frank , Elrod Meredith
Published: April 2024

Solar wind protons can charge exchange with the extensive hydrogen corona of Mars, resulting in a significant flux of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). As these solar wind hydrogen ENAs precipitate into the upper atmosphere, they can experience electron attachment or detachment, resulting in populations of H− and H+, respectively, with upstream velocity. We seek to characterize the behavior of H− in the ionosphere of Mars through a combination of in situ data analysis and mathematical models. Observations indicate that measurable H− precipitation in the ionosphere of Mars is rare, occurring during only 1.8% of available observations. These events occur primarily during high energy solar wind conditions near perihelion. We also compare H− fluxes to those of H+ and find that H− fluxes are ∼4.5 times less than H+, indicating preferential conversion of hydrogen ENAs to H+. We develop a simple model describing the evolution of the charged and neutral fraction of ENAs and H− ions versus altitude. We find that 0.29%–0.78% of ENAs are converted to H− for solar wind energies 1–3 keV. We also predict that the effects of photodetachment on the H‐H− system are non‐negligible.
The activity and immune dynamics of PD-1 inhibition on high-risk pulmonary ground glass opacity lesions: insights from a single-arm, phase II trial
Authors: Cheng Bo , Li Caichen , Li Jianfu , Gong Longlong , Liang Peng , Chen Ying , Zhan Shuting , Xiong Shan , Zhong Ran , Liang Hengrui , Feng Yi , Wang Runchen , Wang Haixuan , Zheng Hongbo , Liu Jun , Zhou Chengzhi , Shao Wenlong , Qiu Yuan , Sun Jiancong , Xie Zhanhong , Liang Zhu , Yang Chenglin , Cai Xiuyu , Su Chunxia , Wang Wei , He Jianxing , Liang Wenhua
Published: April 2024

Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) protein significantly improve survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but its impact on early-stage ground-glass opacity (GGO) lesions remains unclear. This is a single-arm, phase II trial (NCT04026841) using Simon’s optimal two-stage design, of which 4 doses of sintilimab (200 mg per 3 weeks) were administrated in 36 enrolled multiple primary lung cancer (MPLC) patients with persistent high-risk (Lung-RADS category 4 or had progressed within 6 months) GGOs. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). T/B/NK-cell subpopulations, TCR-seq, cytokines, exosomal RNA, and multiplexed immunohistochemistry (mIHC) were monitored and compared between responders and non-responders. Finally, two intent-to-treat (ITT) lesions (pure-GGO or GGO-predominant) showed responses (ORR: 5.6%, 2/36), and no patients had progressive disease (PD). No grade 3–5 TRAEs occurred. The total response rate considering two ITT lesions and three non-intent-to-treat (NITT) lesions (pure-solid or solid-predominant) was 13.9% (5/36). The proportion of CD8+ T cells, the ratio of CD8+/CD4+, and the TCR clonality value were significantly higher in the peripheral blood of responders before treatment and decreased over time. Correspondingly, the mIHC analysis showed more CD8+ T cells infiltrated in responders. Besides, responders’ cytokine concentrations of EGF and CTLA-4 increased during treatment. The exosomal expression of fatty acid metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation gene signatures were down-regulated among responders. Collectively, PD-1 inhibitor showed certain activity on high-risk pulmonary GGO lesions without safety concerns. Such effects were associated with specific T-cell re-distribution, EGF/CTLA-4 cytokine compensation, and regulation of metabolism pathways.
Development and validation of a new algorithm for improved cardiovascular risk prediction
Authors: Hippisley-Cox Julia , Coupland Carol A. C. , Bafadhel Mona , Russell Richard E. K. , Sheikh Aziz , Brindle Peter , Channon Keith M.
Published: April 2024

QRISK algorithms use data from millions of people to help clinicians identify individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Here, we derive and externally validate a new algorithm, which we have named QR4, that incorporates novel risk factors to estimate 10-year CVD risk separately for men and women. Health data from 9.98 million and 6.79 million adults from the United Kingdom were used for derivation and validation of the algorithm, respectively. Cause-specific Cox models were used to develop models to predict CVD risk, and the performance of QR4 was compared with version 3 of QRISK, Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation 2 (SCORE2) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk scores. We identified seven novel risk factors in models for both men and women (brain cancer, lung cancer, Down syndrome, blood cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, oral cancer and learning disability) and two additional novel risk factors in women (pre-eclampsia and postnatal depression). On external validation, QR4 had a higher C statistic than QRISK3 in both women (0.835 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.833–0.837) and 0.831 (95% CI, 0.829–0.832) for QR4 and QRISK3, respectively) and men (0.814 (95% CI, 0.812–0.816) and 0.812 (95% CI, 0.810–0.814) for QR4 and QRISK3, respectively). QR4 was also more accurate than the ASCVD and SCORE2 risk scores in both men and women. The QR4 risk score identifies new risk groups and provides superior CVD risk prediction in the United Kingdom compared with other international scoring systems for CVD risk.
An Omicron-specific, self-amplifying mRNA booster vaccine for COVID-19: a phase 2/3 randomized trial
Authors: Saraf Amit , Gurjar Rohan , Kaviraj Swarnendu , Kulkarni Aishwarya , Kumar Durgesh , Kulkarni Ruta , Virkar Rashmi , Krishnan Jayashri , Yadav Anjali , Baranwal Ekta , Singh Ajay , Raghuwanshi Arjun , Agarwal Praveen , Savergave Laxman , Singh Sanjay ,   the GEMCOVAC-OM Study Investigators, Pophale Himanshu , Shende Prakash , Shinde Ravindra Baban , Vikhe Vikram , Karmalkar Abhishek , Deshmukh Bhaskar , Giri Krishna , Deshpande Shrikant , Bulle Ajay , Siddiqui Md. Sabah , Borthakur Swapnav , Tummuru V. Reddy , Rao A. Venkateshwar , Shukla Dhaiwat , Jain Manish Kumar , Bhardwaj Pankaj , Supe Pravin Dinkar , Das Manoja Kumar , Lahoti Manoj , Barge Vijaykumar
Published: April 2024

Here we conducted a multicenter open-label, randomized phase 2 and 3 study to assess the safety and immunogenicity of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron-specific (BA.1/B.1.1.529), monovalent, thermostable, self-amplifying mRNA vaccine, GEMCOVAC-OM, when administered intradermally as a booster in healthy adults who had received two doses of BBV152 or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. GEMCOVAC-OM was well tolerated with no related serious adverse events in both phase 2 and phase 3. In phase 2, the safety and immunogenicity of GEMCOVAC-OM was compared with our prototype mRNA vaccine GEMCOVAC-19 (D614G variant-specific) in 140 participants. At day 29 after vaccination, there was a significant rise in anti-spike (BA.1) IgG antibodies with GEMCOVAC-OM (P < 0.0001) and GEMCOVAC-19 (P < 0.0001). However, the IgG titers (primary endpoint) and seroconversion were higher with GEMCOVAC-OM (P < 0.0001). In phase 3, GEMCOVAC-OM was compared with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 in 3,140 participants (safety cohort), which included an immunogenicity cohort of 420 participants. At day 29, neutralizing antibody titers against the BA.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2 were significantly higher than baseline in the GEMCOVAC-OM arm (P < 0.0001), but not in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 arm (P = 0.1490). GEMCOVAC-OM was noninferior (primary endpoint) and superior to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 in terms of neutralizing antibody titers and seroconversion rate (lower bound 95% confidence interval of least square geometric mean ratio >1 and difference in seroconversion >0% for superiority). At day 29, anti-spike IgG antibodies and seroconversion (secondary endpoints) were significantly higher with GEMCOVAC-OM (P < 0.0001). These results demonstrate that GEMCOVAC-OM is safe and boosts immune responses against the B.1.1.529 variant. Clinical Trial Registry India identifier: CTRI/2022/10/046475.
The association between gray matter volume in the hippocampal subfield and antidepressant efficacy mediated by abnormal dynamic functional connectivity
Authors: Kuai Changxiao , Pu Jiayong , Wang Donglin , Tan Zhonglin , Wang Yan , Xue Shao-Wei
Published: April 2024

An abnormality of structures and functions in the hippocampus may have a key role in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, it is unclear whether structure factors of the hippocampus effectively impact antidepressant responses by hippocampal functional activity in MDD patients. We collected longitudinal data from 36 MDD patients before and after a 3-month course of antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Additionally, we obtained baseline data from 43 healthy controls matched for sex and age. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), we estimated the dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) of the hippocampal subregions using a sliding-window method. The gray matter volume was calculated using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). The results indicated that patients with MDD exhibited significantly lower dFC of the left rostral hippocampus (rHipp.L) with the right precentral gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus and left postcentral gyrus compared to healthy controls at baseline. In MDD patients, the dFC of the rHipp.L with right precentral gyrus at baseline was correlated with both the rHipp.L volume and HAMD remission rate, and also mediated the effects of the rHipp.L volume on antidepressant performance. Our findings suggested that the interaction between hippocampal structure and functional activity might affect antidepressant performance, which provided a novel insight into the hippocampus-related neurobiological mechanism of MDD.
The quasi-xgamma frailty model with survival analysis under heterogeneity problem, validation testing, and risk analysis for emergency care data
Authors: Loubna Hamami , Goual Hafida , Alghamdi Fatimah M. , Mustafa Manahil SidAhmed , Tekle Mekiso Getachew , Ali M. Masoom , Al-Nefaie Abdullah H. , Alsuhabi Hassan , Ibrahim Mohamed , Yousof Haitham M.
Published: April 2024

Frailty models are important for survival data because they allow for the possibility of unobserved heterogeneity problem. The problem of heterogeneity can be existed due to a variety of factors, such as genetic predisposition, environmental factors, or lifestyle choices. Frailty models can help to identify these factors and to better understand their impact on survival. In this study, we suggest a novel quasi xgamma frailty (QXg-F) model for the survival analysis. In this work, the test of Rao–Robson and Nikulin is employed to test the validity and suitability of the probabilistic model, we examine the distribution’s properties and evaluate its performance in comparison with many relevant cox-frailty models. To show how well the QXg-F model captures heterogeneity and enhances model fit, we use simulation studies and real data applications, including a fresh dataset gathered from an emergency hospital in Algeria. According to our research, the QXg-F model is a viable replacement for the current frailty modeling distributions and has the potential to improve the precision of survival analyses in a number of different sectors, including emergency care. Moreover, testing the ability and the importance of the new QXg-F model in insurance is investigated using simulations via different methods and application to insurance data.
Exogenous oxytocin increases gaze to humans in male cats
Authors: Hattori Madoka , Kinoshita Kodzue , Saito Atsuko , Yamamoto Shinya
Published: April 2024

Although oxytocin (OT) plays a role in bonding between heterospecifics and conspecifics, the effects of OT on the formation of such interspecific social behavior have only been investigated between humans and dogs (Canis familiaris). In this study, for comparative evaluation of the effects of OT between dog–human and cat–human social interaction, we investigated the effects of exogenous OT on the behavior of domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) toward humans. We intranasally administered OT or saline to 30 cats using a nebulizer and recorded their behavior (gaze, touch, vocalization, and proximity). The results showed an interaction between the administration condition and sex for gaze duration. Post hoc analyses revealed a significant increase in gaze in the OT condition in male cats but not in females. There were no significant differences in gaze toward owners and strangers in any condition or sex. The male-specific OT-mediated increase in gaze toward humans observed in this study differs from previous research on dogs wherein such effects were observed only in females. These findings suggest an overall effect of exogenous OT on cats’ social relationship with humans as well as the possibility of different mechanisms between cat–human and dog–human relationships.
The work to swing limbs in humans versus chimpanzees and its relation to the metabolic cost of walking
Authors: Luciano Francesco , Ruggiero Luca , Minetti Alberto E. , Pavei Gaspare
Published: April 2024

Compared to their closest ape relatives, humans walk bipedally with lower metabolic cost (C) and less mechanical work to move their body center of mass (external mechanical work, WEXT). However, differences in WEXT are not large enough to explain the observed lower C: humans may also do less work to move limbs relative to their body center of mass (internal kinetic mechanical work, WINT,k). From published data, we estimated differences in WINT,k, total mechanical work (WTOT), and efficiency between humans and chimpanzees walking bipedally. Estimated WINT,k is ~ 60% lower in humans due to changes in limb mass distribution, lower stride frequency and duty factor. When summing WINT,k to WEXT, between-species differences in efficiency are smaller than those in C; variations in WTOT correlate with between-species, but not within-species, differences in C. These results partially support the hypothesis that the low cost of human walking is due to the concerted low WINT,k and WEXT.
Comparative transcriptional analysis identifies genes associated with the attenuation of Theileria parva infected cells after long-term in vitro culture
Authors: van der Heijden Elisabeth M. D. L. , Lefevre Lucas , Gossner Anton , Tzelos Thomas , Connelley Timothy K. , Hassan Musa A.
Published: April 2024

Autologous administration of attenuated Theileria parva-infected cells induces immunity to T. parva in cattle. The mechanism of attenuation, however, is largely unknown. Here, we used RNA sequencing of pathogenic and attenuated T. parva-infected T-cells to elucidate the transcriptional changes underpinning attenuation. We observed differential expression of several host genes, including TRAIL, PD-1, TGF-β and granzymes that are known to regulate inflammation and proliferation of infected cells. Importantly, many genes linked with the attenuation of the related T. annulata-infected cells were not dysregulated in this study. Furthermore, known T. parva antigens were not dysregulated in attenuated relative to pathogenic cells, indicating that attenuation is not due to enhanced immunogenicity. Overall this study suggests that attenuation is driven by a decrease in proliferation and restoration of the inflammatory profile of T. parva-infected cells. Additionally, it provides a foundation for future mechanistic studies of the attenuation phenotype in Theileria-infected cells.
Electrophysiological cardiovascular MR: procedure-ready mesh model generation for interventional guidance based on non-selective excitation compressed sensing whole heart imaging
Authors: Jahnke Cosima , Darma Angeliki , Lindemann Frank , Oebel Sabrina , Hilbert Sebastian , Bode Kerstin , Stehning Christian , Smink Jouke , Paetsch Ingo
Published: April 2024

Fully CMR-guided electrophysiological interventions (EP-CMR) have recently been introduced but data on the optimal CMR imaging protocol are scarce. This study determined the clinical utility of 3D non-selective whole heart steady-state free precession imaging using compressed SENSE (nsWHcs) for automatic segmentation of cardiac cavities as the basis for targeted catheter navigation during EP-CMR cavo-tricuspid isthmus ablation. Fourty-two consecutive patients with isthmus-dependent right atrial flutter underwent EP-CMR radiofrequency ablations. nsWHcs succeeded in all patients (nominal scan duration, 98 ± 10 s); automatic segmentation/generation of surface meshes of right-sided cavities exhibited short computation times (16 ± 3 s) with correct delineation of right atrium, right ventricle, tricuspid annulus and coronary sinus ostium in 100%, 100%, 100% and 95%, respectively. Point-by-point ablation adhered to the predefined isthmus line in 62% of patients (26/42); activation mapping confirmed complete bidirectional isthmus block (conduction time difference, 136 ± 28 ms). nsWHcs ensured automatic and reliable 3D segmentation of targeted endoluminal cavities, multiplanar reformatting and image fusion (e.g. activation time measurements) and represented the basis for precise real-time active catheter navigation during EP-CMR ablations of isthmus-dependent right atrial flutter. Hence, nsWHcs can be considered a key component in order to advance EP-CMR towards the ultimate goal of targeted substrate-based ablation procedures.
Antibody-blocking of a tick transporter impairs Anaplasma phagocytophilum colonization in Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks
Authors: Namjoshi Prachi , Lubembe Donald M. , Sultana Hameeda , Neelakanta Girish
Published: April 2024

The invasive Asian longhorned tick Haemaphysalis longicornis that vectors and transmits several animal pathogens is significantly expanding in the United States. Recent studies report that these ticks also harbor human pathogens including Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Babesia microti, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Therefore, studies that address the interactions of these ticks with human pathogens are important. In this study, we report the characterization of H. longicornis organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs) in interactions of these ticks with A. phagocytophilum. Using OATP-signature sequence, we identified six OATPs in the H. longicornis genome. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that H. longicornis OATPs are closer to other tick orthologs rather than to mammalian counterparts. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that OATPs are highly expressed in immature stages when compared to mature stages of these ticks. In addition, we noted that the presence of A. phagocytophilum upregulates a specific OATP in these ticks. We also noted that exogenous treatment of H. longicornis with xanthurenic acid, a tryptophan metabolite, influenced OATP expression in these ticks. Immunoblotting analysis revealed that antibody generated against Ixodes scapularis OATP cross-reacted with H. longicornis OATP. Furthermore, treatment of H. longicornis with OATP antibody impaired colonization of A. phagocytophilum in these ticks. These results not only provide evidence that the OATP-tryptophan pathway is important for A. phagocytophilum survival in H. longicornis ticks but also indicate OATP as a promising candidate for the development of a universal anti-tick vaccine to target this bacterium and perhaps other rickettsial pathogens of medical importance.
Conspiracy beliefs and perceptual inference in times of political uncertainty
Authors: Leclercq Salomé , Szaffarczyk Sébastien , Leptourgos Pantelis , Yger Pierre , Fakhri Alexandra , Wathelet Marielle , Bouttier Vincent , Denève Sophie , Jardri Renaud
Published: April 2024

Sociopolitical crises causing uncertainty have accumulated in recent years, providing fertile ground for the emergence of conspiracy ideations. Computational models constitute valuable tools for understanding the mechanisms at play in the formation and rigidification of these unshakeable beliefs. Here, the Circular Inference model was used to capture associations between changes in perceptual inference and the dynamics of conspiracy ideations in times of uncertainty. A bistable perception task and conspiracy belief assessment focused on major sociopolitical events were administered to large populations from three polarized countries. We show that when uncertainty peaks, an overweighting of sensory information is associated with conspiracy ideations. Progressively, this exploration strategy gives way to an exploitation strategy in which increased adherence to conspiracy theories is associated with the amplification of prior information. Overall, the Circular Inference model sheds new light on the possible mechanisms underlying the progressive strengthening of conspiracy theories when individuals face highly uncertain situations.
Analogue magnitude representation of angles and its relation to geometric expertise
Authors: Hohol Mateusz , Szymanek Piotr , Cipora Krzysztof
Published: April 2024

The distance effect (comparing objects becomes easier with increasing differences in their magnitude) is observed in tasks ranging across domains, and its existence has been interpreted as evidence for analogue magnitude representation. Similarly, associations between response side and magnitude (faster left/right-sided responses to small/large objects, respectively) are observed across domains. We investigated the analogue processing of angles and the association between angle magnitude and response side in relation to geometric expertise. We compared the behavioural pattern of two groups—architects and controls—in a direct angle magnitude classification task (i.e., judge whether a presented angle was greater or less than 90°) and in an indirect task (i.e., judge whether an angle was drawn with a dashed or continuous line). We found a robust distance effect for reaction times and accuracy at the whole sample level and in each group separately. Architects revealed a smaller distance effect for accuracy than controls. This could be interpreted as an argument for a more precise analogue representation of angles in experts compared to non-experts. However, we did not find evidence for an association between angle magnitude and response side in any group.
Three-dimensional biphase fabric estimation from 2D images by deep learning
Authors: Chou Daniel , Etcheverry Matias , Arson Chloé
Published: April 2024

A pruned VGG19 model subjected to Axial Coronal Sagittal (ACS) convolutions and a custom VGG16 model are benchmarked to predict 3D fabric descriptors from a set of 2D images. The data used for training and testing are extracted from a set of 600 3D biphase microstructures created numerically. Fabric descriptors calculated from the 3D microstructures constitute the ground truth, while the input data are obtained by slicing the 3D microstructures in each direction of space at regular intervals. The computational cost to train the custom ACS-VGG19 model increases linearly with p (the number of images extracted in each direction of space), and increasing p does not improve the performance of the model - or only does so marginally. The best performing ACS-VGG19 model provides a MAPE of 2 to 5% for the means of aggregate size, aspect ratios and solidity, but cannot be used to estimate orientations. The custom VGG16 yields a MAPE of 2% or less for the means of aggregate size, distance to nearest neighbor, aspect ratios and solidity. The MAPE is less than 3% for the mean roundness, and in the range of 5-7% for the aggregate volume fraction and the mean diagonal components of the orientation matrix. Increasing p improves the performance of the custom VGG16 model, but becomes cost ineffective beyond 3 images per direction. For both models, the aggregate volume fraction is predicted with less accuracy than higher order descriptors, which is attributed to the bias given by the loss function towards highly-correlated descriptors. Both models perform better to predict means than standard deviations, which are noisy quantities. The custom VGG16 model performs better than the pruned version of the ACS-VGG19 model, likely because it contains 3 times (p = 1) to 28 times (p = 10) less parameters than the ACS-VGG19 model, allowing better and faster cnvergence, with less data. The custom VGG16 model predicts the second and third invariants of the orientation matrix with a MAPE of 2.8% and 8.9%, respectively, which suggests that the model can predict orientation descriptors regardless of the orientation of the input images.
Application of optimized Kalman filtering in target tracking based on improved Gray Wolf algorithm
Authors: Pang Zheming , Wang Yajun , Yang Fang
Published: April 2024

High precision is a very important index in target tracking. In order to improve the prediction accuracy of target tracking, an optimized Kalman filter approach based on improved Gray Wolf algorithm (IGWO-OKF) is proposed in this paper. Since the convergence speed of traditional Gray Wolf algorithm is slow, meanwhile, the number of gray wolves and the choice of the maximum number of iterations has a great influence on the algorithm, a nonlinear control parameter combination adjustment strategy is proposed. An improved Grey Wolf Optimization algorithm (IGWO) is formed by determining the best combination of adjustment parameters through the fastest iteration speed of the algorithm. The improved Grey Wolf Optimization algorithm (IGWO) is formed, and the process noise covariance matrix and observation noise covariance matrix in Kalman filter are optimized by IGWO. The proposed approach is applied into. The experiment results show that the proposed IGWO-OKF approach has low error, high accuracy and good prediction effect.