bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of immune clusters and cell abundance in patients with different subtypes of nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation
Authors: Ying Hangying , Guo Wenpu , Yu Pengcheng , Qiu Hangyuan , Jiang Ruhong , Jiang Chenyang
Published: January 2023

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in clinical practice. Inflammation plays an important role in the initiation and perpetuation of AF. The present study was conducted to characterize immune clusters in nonparoxysmal AF and to distinguish immune subtypes of nonparoxysmal AF. Immune-related algorithms (CIBERSORT, ESTIMATE, and ssGSEA) were used to evaluate the immune cluster characterization and cell abundance, and multivariable logistics analysis was performed to determine the most relevant immune cells. We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and used consensus clustering analysis to identify nonparoxysmal AF subtypes. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was used for finding highly correlated gene sets and attach to external sample traits. And it was conducted twice to identify the immune- and subtype- related modules. Finally, Metascape was used to compare the biological functions of the two nonparoxysmal AF subtypes we obtained. CytoHubba was used to identify the hub genes of these two subtypes. Based on the results of bioinformatics analysis, regulatory T cells, resting NK cells, active mast cells and neutrophils were considered to be closely related to nonparoxysmal AF. The brown module was identified as the most relevant module to the above immune cells by WGCNA. We identified two major nonparoxysmal AF subtypes by consensus clustering analysis and their enriched biological functions by Metascape. The hub genes are TYROBP, PTPRC, ITGB2, SPI1, PLEK, and CSF1R in permanent AF and JAM3, S100P, ARPC5, TRIM34, and GREB1L in persistent AF. This study revealed two major nonparoxysmal AF subtypes and eleven hub genes, which provide potential therapeutic targets for anti-inflammatory treatments of nonparoxysmal AF.
In-silico study of asymmetric remodeling of tumors in response to external biochemical stimuli
Authors: Amereh Meitham , Akbari Mohsen , Nadler Ben
Published: January 2023

Among different hallmarks of cancer, understanding biomechanics of tumor growth and remodeling benefits the most from the theoretical framework of continuum mechanics. Tumor remodeling initiates when cancer cells seek new homeostasis in response to the microenvironmental stimuli. Cells within a growing tumor are capable to remodel their inter- and intra-connections and become more mobile to achieve a new homeostasis. This mobility enables the tumor to undergo large deformation. In this work, we studied the remodeling of homogeneous tumors, at their early stage of growth, in the context of continuum mechanics. We developed an evolution law for the remodeling-associated deformation which correlates the remodeling to a characteristic tensor of external stimuli. The asymmetric remodeling and the induced mechanical stresses were analyzed for different types of biochemical distributions. To experimentally investigate the model, we studied the remodeling of human glioblastoma (hGB) tumoroids in response to the gradient of nutrients. Using a tumoroid-on-a-chip platform, the degree of remodeling was estimated for the ellipsoidal tumoroids over time. It was observed that higher gradient of nutrients induces higher degree of ellipticity suggesting that the gradient of nutrient is a characteristic property of nutrient distribution that derives the remodeling. We also showed that remodeling gives rise to heterogeneity in cell distribution forming circumferentially aligned cells within the tumors. Compared to the existing studies on tumor growth, our work provides a biomechanical module that relates the remodeling to biochemical stimuli, and allows for large deformation. It also includes experimental component, a necessary but challenging step, that connects the theory and reality to evaluate the practicability of the model.
Longitudinal individual predictions from irregular repeated measurements data
Authors: Eekhout Iris , van Buuren Stef , Visser Bram , Bink Marco C. A. M. , Huisman Abe
Published: January 2023

Intensive longitudinal data can be used to explore important associations and patterns between various types of inputs and outcomes. Nonlinear relations and irregular measurement occasions can pose problems to develop an accurate model for these kinds of data. This paper focuses on the development, fitting and evaluation of a prediction model with irregular intensive longitudinal data. A three-step process for developing a prediction tool for (daily) monitoring and prediction is outlined and illustrated for intensive weight measurements in piglets. Step 1 addresses a nonlinear relation in the data by developing and applying a normalizing transformation. Step 2 addresses the intermittent nature of the time points by aligning the measurement times to a common time grid with a broken-stick model. Step 3 addresses the prediction problem by selecting and evaluating inputs and covariates in the model to obtain accurate predictions. The final model predicts future outcomes accurately, while allowing for nonlinearities between input and output and for different measurement histories of individuals. The methodology described can be used to develop a tool to deal with intensive irregular longitudinal data that uses the available information in an optimal way. The resulting tool demonstrated to perform well for piglet weight prediction and can be adapted to many different applications.
Wrapper-based deep feature optimization for activity recognition in the wearable sensor networks of healthcare systems
Authors: Sahoo Karam Kumar , Ghosh Raghunath , Mallik Saurav , Roy Arup , Singh Pawan Kumar , Zhao Zhongming
Published: January 2023

The Human Activity Recognition (HAR) problem leverages pattern recognition to classify physical human activities as they are captured by several sensor modalities. Remote monitoring of an individual’s activities has gained importance due to the reduction in travel and physical activities during the pandemic. Research on HAR enables one person to either remotely monitor or recognize another person’s activity via the ubiquitous mobile device or by using sensor-based Internet of Things (IoT). Our proposed work focuses on the accurate classification of daily human activities from both accelerometer and gyroscope sensor data after converting into spectrogram images. The feature extraction process follows by leveraging the pre-trained weights of two popular and efficient transfer learning convolutional neural network models. Finally, a wrapper-based feature selection method has been employed for selecting the optimal feature subset that both reduces the training time and improves the final classification performance. The proposed HAR model has been tested on the three benchmark datasets namely, HARTH, KU-HAR and HuGaDB and has achieved 88.89%, 97.97% and 93.82% respectively on these datasets. It is to be noted that the proposed HAR model achieves an improvement of about 21%, 20% and 6% in the overall classification accuracies while utilizing only 52%, 45% and 60% of the original feature set for HuGaDB, KU-HAR and HARTH datasets respectively. This proves the effectiveness of our proposed wrapper-based feature selection HAR methodology.
Distinct components of cardiovascular health are linked with age-related differences in cognitive abilities
Authors: King Deborah L. O. , Henson Richard N. , Kievit Rogier , Wolpe Noham , Brayne Carol , Tyler Lorraine K. , Rowe James B. ,   Cam-CAN, Bullmore Edward T. , Calder Andrew C. , Cusack Rhodri , Dalgleish Tim , Duncan John , Matthews Fiona E. , Marslen-Wilson William D. , Shafto Meredith A. , Campbell Karen , Cheung Teresa , Davis Simon , Geerligs Linda , McCarrey Anna , Mustafa Abdur , Price Darren , Samu David , Taylor Jason R. , Treder Matthias , van Belle Janna , Williams Nitin , Mitchell Daniel , Fisher Simon , Eising Else , Knights Ethan , Bates Lauren , Emery Tina , Erzinçlioglu Sharon , Gadie Andrew , Gerbase Sofia , Georgieva Stanimira , Hanley Claire , Parkin Beth , Troy David , Auer Tibor , Correia Marta , Gao Lu , Green Emma , Henriques Rafael , Allen Jodie , Amery Gillian , Amuntse Liana , Barcroft Anne , Castle Amanda , Dias Cheryl , Dowrick Jonathan , Fair Melissa , Fisher Hayley , Goulding Anna , Grewale Adarsh , Hale Geoff , Hilton Andrew , Johnson Frances , Johnston Patricia , Kavanagh-Williamson Thea , Kwasniewska Magdalena , McMinn Alison , Norman Kim , Penrose Jessica , Roby Fiona , Rowland Diane , Sargeant John , Squire Maggie , Stevens Beth , Stoddart Aldabra , Stone Cheryl , Thompson Tracy , Yazlik Ozlem , Barnes Dan , Dixon Marie , Hillman Jaya , Mitchell Joanne , Villis Laura , Tsvetanov Kamen A.
Published: January 2023

Cardiovascular ageing contributes to cognitive impairment. However, the unique and synergistic contributions of multiple cardiovascular factors to cognitive function remain unclear because they are often condensed into a single composite score or examined in isolation. We hypothesized that vascular risk factors, electrocardiographic features and blood pressure indices reveal multiple latent vascular factors, with independent contributions to cognition. In a population-based deep-phenotyping study (n = 708, age 18–88), path analysis revealed three latent vascular factors dissociating the autonomic nervous system response from two components of blood pressure. These three factors made unique and additive contributions to the variability in crystallized and fluid intelligence. The discrepancy in fluid relative to crystallized intelligence, indicative of cognitive decline, was associated with a latent vascular factor predominantly expressing pulse pressure. This suggests that higher pulse pressure is associated with cognitive decline from expected performance. The effect was stronger in older adults. Controlling pulse pressure may help to preserve cognition, particularly in older adults. Our findings highlight the need to better understand the multifactorial nature of vascular aging.
The performance of protected-area expansions in representing tropical Andean species: past trends and climate change prospects
Authors: Fajardo Javier , Lessmann Janeth , Devenish Christian , Bonaccorso Elisa , Felicísimo Ángel M. , Rojas-Runjaic Fernando J. M. , Rojas Haidy , Lentino Miguel , Muñoz Jesús , Mateo Rubén G.
Published: January 2023

Protected area (PA) extent has increased significantly over the last 150 years globally, but it is yet unclear whether progress in expanding coverage has been accompanied by improved performance in ecological representation. Here, we explore temporal trends in the performance of PA networks in representing > 16,000 vertebrate and plant species in tropical Andean countries based on species bioclimatic niche modelling. We use a randomization analysis to assess whether representation gains over time (1937–2015) are the expected consequence of increasing the overall area of the network or the result of better designed networks. We also explore the impact of climate change on protected-area representation based on projected species distributions in 2070. We found that PAs added in the last three to four decades were better at representing species diversity than random additions overall. Threatened species, amphibians and reptiles are the exception. Species representation is projected to decrease across PAs under climate change, although PA expansions over the last decade (2006–2015) better represented species' future bioclimatic niches than did sites selected at random for most evaluated groups. These findings indicate an unbalanced representation across taxa, and raises concern over under-represented groups, including threatened species, and species’ representation under climate change scenarios. However, they also suggest that decisions related to locating protected areas have become more strategic in recent decades and illustrate that indicators tracking representativeness of networks are crucial in PA monitoring frameworks.
Aberrant promoter hypermethylation of miR-335 and miR-145 is involved in breast cancer PD-L1 overexpression
Authors: Hajibabaei Sara , Sotoodehnejadnematalahi Fattah , Nafissi Nahid , Zeinali Sirous , Azizi Masoumeh
Published: January 2023

PD-L1 is one of the most important immune checkpoint molecules in breast cancer that plays an important role in suppressing the immune system when confronted with tumor cells and is regulated by various microRNAs. Among them, microRNA-335-3p and microRNA-145-5p, regulated by DNA methylation, have tumor suppressor activities. We studied the role of miR-335 and -145 on PD-L1 suppression in breast cancer. The expression of miR-355 and miR-145 was significantly downregulated in BC tissues and cell lines compared to their controls, and their downregulation was negatively correlated with PD‐L1 overexpression. In-silico and luciferase reporter systems confirmed that miR-335 and -145 target PD-L1. In BC tissues and cell lines, cancer-specific methylation was found in CpG-rich areas upstream of miR-335 and-145, and up-regulation of PD-L1 expression was connected with hypermethylation (r = 0.4089, P = 0.0147, and r = 0.3373, P = 0.0475, respectively). The higher levels of miR-355 and -145 in BC cells induced apoptosis, arrested the cell cycle, and reduced proliferation significantly. In summary, we found that miR-335 and -145 are novel tumor suppressors inactivated in BC, and these miRs may serve as potential therapeutic targets for breast cancer treatment.
Theoretical and electrochemical evaluation of tetra-cationic surfactant as corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in 1 M HCl
Authors: Elaraby A. , El-samad Shrouk. Abd , khamis Eman. A. , Zaki E. G.
Published: January 2023

Recently, scientist study the role of surfactants for carbon steel corrosion protection. In the present study, newly tetra-cationic surfactant (CS4: 1,N1'-(ethane–1,2-diyl) bis (N1, N2—didodecyl–N2–(2- (((E)-3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzylidene)amino)ethyl)ethane-1,2-diaminium) chloride) based on Schiff-base compound(5,5'-((1E,17E)-2,5,8,11,14,17-hexaazaoctadeca-1,17-diene-1,18-diyl)bis(2-methoxyphenol) was synthesised, purified and characterized using FTIR and 1HNMR spectroscopy. The synthesized Tetra-cationic surfactant (CS4) was evaluated as anti-corrosion for carbon steel (CS-metal) in aggressive 1 M HCl using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization techniques (PDP). CS4 compound had a good surface-active property by reducing the surface tension as a result to the hydrophobic chains role. The prepared CS4 behaved as hybrid inhibitor (mixed-type) by blocking the anodic and cathodic sites. CS4 exhibited good inhibition efficiency reached 95.69%. The surface morphology of CS-metal was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)confirming the anti-corrosive effect of CS4 compound returned into the adsorption process of CS4 molecules over CS-metal which obeyed Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The inhibitive effect of CS4 was supported by theoretical quantum chemical studies using the density functional theory (DFT), Monte Carlo (MC) and Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulation.
Heating-mediated purification of active FGF21 and structure-based design of its variant with enhanced potency
Authors: Jung Ye-Eun , Lee Kyeong Won , Cho Jae Hyun , Bae Da-Woon , Jeong Bo-Gyeong , Jung Yeon-Ju , Park Soo-Bong , An Young Jun , Kim Kyungchan , Lee Ga Seul , Kang Lin-Woo , Moon Jeong Hee , Lee Jung-Hyun , Kim Eun-Kyoung , Yim Hyung-Soon , Cha Sun-Shin
Published: January 2023

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) has pharmaceutical potential against obesity-related metabolic disorders, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Since thermal stability is a desirable factor for therapeutic proteins, we investigated the thermal behavior of human FGF21. FGF21 remained soluble after heating; thus, we examined its temperature-induced structural changes using circular dichroism (CD). FGF21 showed inter-convertible temperature-specific CD spectra. The CD spectrum at 100 °C returned to that at 20 °C when the heated FGF21 solution was cooled. Through loop swapping, the connecting loop between β10 and β12 in FGF21 was revealed to be associated with the unique thermal behavior of FGF21. According to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments, in vitro cell-based assays, and model high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity studies, heated FGF21 maintained biological activities that were comparable to those of non-heated and commercial FGF21s. Based on sequence comparison and structural analysis, five point-mutations were introduced into FGF21. Compared with the wild type, the heated FGF21 variant displayed improved therapeutic potential in terms of body weight loss, the levels of hepatic triglycerides and lipids, and the degree of vacuolization of liver in HFD-fed mice.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Blockchain-enabled K-harmonic framework for industrial IoT-based systems
Authors: Baalamurugan K. M. , P. Prabu , Bacanin Nebojsa , Venkatachalam K. , Askar S. S. , Abouhawwash Mohamed
Published: January 2023

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-based systems have become an important part of industry consortium systems because of their rapid growth and wide-ranging application. Various physical objects that are interconnected in the IIoT network communicate with each other and simplify the process of decision-making by observing and analyzing the surrounding environment. While making such intelligent decisions, devices need to transfer and communicate data with each other. However, as devices involved in IIoT networks grow and the methods of connections diversify, the traditional security frameworks face many shortcomings, including vulnerabilities to attack, lags in data, sharing data, and lack of proper authentication. Blockchain technology has the potential to empower safe data distribution of big data generated by the IIoT. Prevailing data-sharing methods in blockchain only concentrate on the data interchanging among parties, not on the efficiency in sharing, and storing. Hence an element-based K-harmonic means clustering algorithm (CA) is proposed for the effective sharing of data among the entities along with an algorithm named underweight data block (UDB) for overcoming the obstacle of storage space. The performance metrics considered for the evaluation of the proposed framework are the sum of squared error (SSE), time complexity with respect to different m values, and storage complexity with CPU utilization. The results have experimented with MATLAB 2018a simulation environment. The proposed model has better sharing, and storing based on blockchain technology, which is appropriate IIoT.
Testing the thermal properties of modern ventilated facade fastening systems
Authors: Grabowski Mirosław , Poniewski Mieczysław E. , Wernik Jacek
Published: January 2023

The study reported in this paper investigated a set of building fasteners used in ventilated facades. For the building fasteners actually present in the industrial market the values of the effective thermal conductivity were measured experimentally. These values were used next in numerical simulations run with COMSOL Multiphysics software application. The validation of the simulation model was done in specific additional experimental test. The paper presents a method of determining the effective thermal conductivity coefficient for fasteners with a novel design. Temperature distributions and heat fluxes were determined for different variants of multilayer walls with the fasteners. The calculation of the effective thermal conductivity coefficient for a structural profile is based on the heat balance of the measuring stand. The performed tests show not only an expected reduction in the coefficient value for structures in which stainless steel is used. The results also demonstrate that the fasteners with holes cut out in their structures have significantly lower effective thermal conductivity coefficients than those with solid walls. This effect can be justified by the formation of labyrinth-like narrowings extending the conductive heat flow path in the fastener. As a final result of the experimental tests and the COMSOL simulations the application of the effective thermal conductivity as the new indicator of a thermal effectiveness of building fasteners is proposed in industrial practice. Consequently the design of the building fasteners with various shapes of holes is recommended for improving their insulation features.
A novel NONO variant that causes developmental delay and cardiac phenotypes
Authors: Itai Toshiyuki , Sugie Atsushi , Nitta Yohei , Maki Ryuto , Suzuki Takashi , Shinkai Yoichi , Watanabe Yoshihiro , Nakano Yusuke , Ichikawa Kazushi , Okamoto Nobuhiko , Utsuno Yasuhiro , Koshimizu Eriko , Fujita Atsushi , Hamanaka Kohei , Uchiyama Yuri , Tsuchida Naomi , Miyake Noriko , Misawa Kazuharu , Mizuguchi Takeshi , Miyatake Satoko , Matsumoto Naomichi
Published: January 2023

The Drosophila behavior/human splicing protein family is involved in numerous steps of gene regulation. In humans, this family consists of three proteins: SFPQ, PSPC1, and NONO. Hemizygous loss-of-function (LoF) variants in NONO cause a developmental delay with several complications (e.g., distinctive facial features, cardiac symptoms, and skeletal symptoms) in an X-linked recessive manner. Most of the reported variants have been LoF variants, and two missense variants have been reported as likely deleterious but with no functional validation. We report three individuals from two families harboring an identical missense variant that is located in the nuclear localization signal, NONO: NM_001145408.2:c.1375C > G p.(Pro459Ala). All of them were male and the variant was inherited from their asymptomatic mothers. Individual 1 was diagnosed with developmental delay and cardiac phenotypes (ventricular tachycardia and dilated cardiomyopathy), which overlapped with the features of reported individuals having NONO LoF variants. Individuals 2 and 3 were monozygotic twins. Unlike in Individual 1, developmental delay with autistic features was the only symptom found in them. A fly experiment and cell localization experiment showed that the NONO variant impaired its proper intranuclear localization, leading to mild LoF. Our findings suggest that deleterious NONO missense variants should be taken into consideration when whole-exome sequencing is performed on male individuals with developmental delay with or without cardiac symptoms.
FAT1 expression in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) modulates proliferation and WNT signaling
Authors: Liebig Sven , Neumann Martin , Silva Patricia , Ortiz-Tanchez Jutta , Schulze Veronika , Isaakidis Konstandina , Schlee Cornelia , Schroeder Michael P. , Beder Thomas , Morris Luc G. T. , Chan Timothy A. , Bastian Lorenz , Burmeister Thomas , Schwartz Stefan , Gökbuget Nicola , Mochmann Liliana H. , Baldus Claudia D.
Published: January 2023

FAT atypical cadherin 1 (FAT1), a transmembrane protein, is frequently mutated in various cancer types and has been described as context-dependent tumor suppressor or oncogene. The FAT1 gene is mutated in 12–16% of T-cell acute leukemia (T-ALL) and aberrantly expressed in about 54% of T-ALL cases contrasted with absent expression in normal T-cells. Here, we characterized FAT1 expression and profiled the methylation status from T-ALL patients. In our T-ALL cohort, 53% of patient samples were FAT1 positive (FAT1pos) compared to only 16% FAT1 positivity in early T-ALL patient samples. Aberrant expression of FAT1 was strongly associated with FAT1 promotor hypomethylation, yet a subset, mainly consisting of TLX1-driven T-ALL patient samples showed methylation-independent high FAT1 expression. Genes correlating with FAT1 expression revealed enrichment in WNT signaling genes representing the most enriched single pathway. FAT1 knockdown or knockout led to impaired proliferation and downregulation of WNT pathway target genes (CCND1, MYC, LEF1), while FAT1 overexpressing conveyed a proliferative advantage. To conclude, we characterized a subtype pattern of FAT1 gene expression in adult T-ALL patients correlating with promotor methylation status. FAT1 dependent proliferation and WNT signaling discloses an impact on deeper understanding of T-ALL leukemogenesis as a fundament for prospective therapeutic strategies.
White spot syndrome virus impact on the expression of immune genes and gut microbiome of black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon
Authors: Jatuyosporn Thapanan , Laohawutthichai Pasunee , Romo Juan Pablo Ochoa , Gallardo-Becerra Luigui , Lopez Filiberto Sánchez , Tassanakajon Anchalee , Ochoa-Leyva Adrian , Krusong Kuakarun
Published: January 2023

The gut microbiome plays an essential role in the immune system of invertebrates and vertebrates. Pre and pro-biotics could enhance the shrimp immune system by increasing the phenoloxidase (PO), prophenoloxidase (ProPO), and superoxide dismutase activities. During viral infection, the host immune system alteration could influence the gut microbiome composition and probably lead to other pathogenic infections. Since the JAK/STAT pathway is involved in white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection, we investigated the intestine immune genes of STAT-silenced shrimp. During WSSV infection, expression levels of PmVago1, PmDoral, and PmSpätzle in PmSTAT-silenced shrimp were higher than normal. In addition, the transcription levels of antimicrobial peptides, including crustinPm1, crustinPm7, and PmPEN3, were higher in WSSV-challenged PmSTAT-silenced shrimp than the WSSV-infected normal shrimp. Meanwhile, PmSTAT silencing suppressed PmProPO1, PmProPO2, and PmPPAE1 expressions during WSSV infection. The microbiota from four shrimp tested groups (control group, WSSV-infected, PmSTAT-silenced, and PmSTAT-silenced infected by WSSV) was significantly different, with decreasing richness and diversity due to WSSV infection. The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Planctomycetes was reduced in WSSV-challenged shrimp. However, at the species level, P. damselae, a pathogen to human and marine animals, significantly increased in WSSV-challenged shrimp. In constrast, Shewanella algae, a shrimp probiotic, was decreased in WSSV groups. In addition, the microbiota structure between control and PmSTAT-silenced shrimp was significantly different, suggesting the importance of STAT to maintain the homeostasis interaction with the microbiota.
Under-ice observations by trawls and multi-frequency acoustics in the Central Arctic Ocean reveals abundance and composition of pelagic fauna
Authors: Ingvaldsen Randi B. , Eriksen Elena , Gjøsæter Harald , Engås Arill , Schuppe Birte Katarina , Assmann Karen M. , Cannaby Heather , Dalpadado Padmini , Bluhm Bodil A.
Published: January 2023

The rapid ongoing changes in the Central Arctic Ocean call for baseline information on the pelagic fauna. However, sampling for motile organisms which easily escape vertically towed nets is challenging. Here, we report the species composition and catch weight of pelagic fishes and larger zooplankton from 12 trawl hauls conducted in ice covered waters in the Central Arctic Ocean beyond the continental slopes in late summer. Combined trawl catches with acoustics data revealed low amounts of fish and zooplankton from the advective influenced slope region in the Nansen Basin in the south to the ice-covered deep Amundsen Basin in the north. Both arctic and subarctic-boreal species, including the ones considered as Atlantic expatriate species were found all the way to 87.5o N. We found three fish species (Boreogadus saida, Benthosema glaciale and Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), but the catch was limited to only seven individuals. Euphausiids, amphipods and gelatinous zooplankton dominated the catch weight in the Nansen Basin in the mesopelagic communities. Euphausiids were almost absent in the Amundsen Basin with copepods, amphipods, chaetognaths and gelatinous zooplankton dominating. We postulate asymmetric conditions in the pelagic ecosystems of the western and eastern Eurasian Basin caused by ice and ocean circulation regimes.
Overlapping brain correlates of superior cognition among children at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease and/or major depressive disorder
Authors: Petrican Raluca , Paine Amy L. , Escott-Price Valentina , Shelton Katherine H.
Published: January 2023

Early life adversity (ELA) tends to accelerate neurobiological ageing, which, in turn, is thought to heighten vulnerability to both major depressive disorder (MDD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The two conditions are putatively related, with MDD representing either a risk factor or early symptom of AD. Given the substantial environmental susceptibility of both disorders, timely identification of their neurocognitive markers could facilitate interventions to prevent clinical onset. To this end, we analysed multimodal data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study (ages 9–10 years). To disentangle genetic from correlated genetic-environmental influences, while also probing gene-adversity interactions, we compared adoptees, a group generally exposed to substantial ELA, with children raised by their biological families via genetic risk scores (GRS) from genome-wide association studies. AD and MDD GRSs predicted overlapping and widespread neurodevelopmental alterations associated with superior fluid cognition. Specifically, among adoptees only, greater AD GRS were related to accelerated structural maturation (i.e., cortical thinning) and higher MDD GRS were linked to delayed functional neurodevelopment, as reflected in compensatory brain activation on an inhibitory control task. Our study identifies compensatory mechanisms linked to MDD risk and highlights the potential cognitive benefits of accelerated maturation linked to AD vulnerability in late childhood.
A magnetic resonance imaging based radiomics model to predict mitosis cycles in intracranial meningioma
Authors: Krähling Hermann , Musigmann Manfred , Akkurt Burak Han , Sartoretti Thomas , Sartoretti Elisabeth , Henssen Dylan J. H. A. , Stummer Walter , Heindel Walter , Brokinkel Benjamin , Mannil Manoj
Published: January 2023

The aim of this study was to develop a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based radiomics model to predict mitosis cycles in intracranial meningioma grading prior to surgery. Preoperative contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1CE) cerebral MRI data of 167 meningioma patients between 2015 and 2020 were obtained, preprocessed and segmented using the 3D Slicer software and the PyRadiomics plugin. In total 145 radiomics features of the T1CE MRI images were computed. The criterion on the basis of which the feature selection was made is whether the number of mitoses per 10 high power field (HPF) is greater than or equal to zero. Our analyses show that machine learning algorithms can be used to make accurate predictions about whether the number of mitoses per 10 HPF is greater than or equal to zero. We obtained our best model using Ridge regression for feature pre-selection, followed by stepwise logistic regression for final model construction. Using independent test data, this model resulted in an AUC (Area under the Curve) of 0.8523, an accuracy of 0.7941, a sensitivity of 0.8182, a specificity of 0.7500 and a Cohen’s Kappa of 0.5576. We analyzed the performance of this model as a function of the number of mitoses per 10 HPF. The model performs well for cases with zero mitoses as well as for cases with more than one mitosis per 10 HPF. The worst model performance (accuracy = 0.6250) is obtained for cases with one mitosis per 10 HPF. Our results show that MRI-based radiomics may be a promising approach to predict the mitosis cycles in intracranial meningioma prior to surgery. Specifically, our approach may offer a non-invasive means of detecting the early stages of a malignant process in meningiomas prior to the onset of clinical symptoms.
A missing dusk-side loss process in the terrestrial electron ring current
Authors: Haas Bernhard , Shprits Yuri Y. , Allison Hayley J. , Wutzig Michael , Wang Dedong
Published: January 2023

The Earth’s magnetic field traps charged particles which are transported longitudinally around Earth, generating a near-circular current, known as the ring current. While the ring current has been measured on the ground and space for many decades, the enhancement of the ring current during geomagnetic storms is still not well understood, due to many processes contributing to its dynamics on different time scales. Here, we show that existing ring current models systematically overestimate electron flux observations of 10–50 keV on the nightside during storm onset. By analyzing electron drift trajectories, we show that this systematic overestimation of flux can be explained through a missing loss process which operates in the pre-midnight sector. Quantifying this loss reveals that the theoretical upper limit of loss has to be reached over a broad region of space in order to reproduce the observations. This missing loss may be attributed to inaccuracies in the parameterization of the loss due to chorus wave interactions, combined with the scattering by electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic waves which is currently not included in ring current models.
Development and validation of the Alcohol Message Perceived Effectiveness Scale
Authors: Jongenelis Michelle I. , Drane Catherine , Hasking Penelope , Chikritzhs Tanya , Miller Peter , Hastings Gerard , Pettigrew Simone
Published: January 2023

To assist intervention developers assess the likely effectiveness of messages designed to encourage greater use of protective behavioral strategies, this study developed and tested the Alcohol Message Perceived Effectiveness Scale (AMPES). Recommendations from the message effectiveness literature were used to guide AMPES development. The resulting scale was administered in online surveys at two time points to Australian drinkers aged 18–70 years (3001 at Time 1 and 1749 at Time 2). An exploratory factor analysis identified the presence of two factors (‘effect perceptions’ and ‘message perceptions’) that accounted for 71% of the variance in scores. Internal consistency of scores was good for the overall scale (ω = 0.83) and ‘effect perceptions’ factor (ω = 0.85), but suboptimal for the ‘message perceptions’ factor (α = 0.60). Scores on both factors significantly predicted enactment of protective behavioral strategies. The AMPES appears to be an appropriate tool to assess perceived message effectiveness and assist in the development of public health messages designed to reduce alcohol consumption.
A laboratory platform for studying rotational dust flows in a plasma crystal irradiated by a 10 keV electron beam
Authors: Ticoş D. , Constantin E. , Mitu M. L. , Scurtu A. , Ticoş C. M.
Published: January 2023

A novel laboratory platform has been designed and built for the irradiation of a plasma crystal (PC) with an electron beam (e-beam) having an energy around 10 keV and a current of tens of milliamperes. The pulsed e-beam collimated to a few millimeter-size spot is aimed at a crystal made of dust particles levitated in a radio-frequency (RF) plasma. The platform consists of three vacuum chambers connected in-line, each with different utility: one for generating free electrons in a pulsed hollow-anode Penning discharge, another for the extraction and acceleration of electrons at $$\sim 10$$

∼
10

kV and for focusing the e-beam in the magnetic field of a pair of circular coils, and the last one for producing PCs above a RF-driven electrode. The main challenge is to obtain both a stable e-beam and PC by insuring appropriate gas pressures, given that the e-beam is formed in high vacuum ($$\lesssim 10^{-4}$$

≲

10

-
4

Torr), while the PC is produced at much higher pressures ($$\gtrsim 10^{-1}$$

≳

10

-
1

Torr). The main diagnostics include a high speed camera, a Faraday cup and a Langmuir probe. Two applications concerned with the creation of a pair of dust flow vortices and the rotation of a PC by the drag force of the e-beam acting on the strongly coupled dust particles are presented. The dust flow can become turbulent as demonstrated by the energy spectrum, featuring vortices at different space scales.
Evaluation of the host immune response assay SeptiCyte RAPID for potential triage of COVID-19 patients
Authors: Montero Maria Milagro , Hardy-Werbin Max , Gonzalez-Gallardo Soledad , Torres Erica , Rueda Rebeca , Hannet Irene , Kirk James T. , Yager Thomas D. , Navalkar Krupa , Arenas Maria del Mar , Arietta-Aldea Itziar , Castañeda Silvia , Gómez-Junyent Joan , Gómez-Zorrilla Silvia , Guerri-Fernandez Roberto , Sanchez-Martinez Francisca , López-Montesinos Immaculada , Pelegrín Ivan , Sendra Elena , Sorlí Luisa , Villar-García Judith , Bellosillo Beatriz , Horcajada Juan Pablo
Published: January 2023

Tools for the evaluation of COVID-19 severity would help clinicians with triage decisions, especially the decision whether to admit to ICU. The aim of this study was to evaluate SeptiCyte RAPID, a host immune response assay (Immunexpress, Seattle USA) as a triaging tool for COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization and potentially ICU care. SeptiCyte RAPID employs a host gene expression signature consisting of the ratio of expression levels of two immune related mRNAs, PLA2G7 and PLAC8, measured from whole blood samples. Blood samples from 146 adult SARS-CoV-2 (+) patients were collected within 48 h of hospital admission in PAXgene blood RNA tubes at Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain, between July 28th and December 1st, 2020. Data on demographics, vital signs, clinical chemistry parameters, radiology, interventions, and SeptiCyte RAPID were collected and analyzed with bioinformatics methods. The performance of SeptiCyte RAPID for COVID-19 severity assessment and ICU admission was evaluated, relative to the comparator of retrospective clinical assessment by the Hospital del Mar clinical care team. In conclusion, SeptiCyte RAPID was able to stratify COVID-19 cases according to clinical severity: critical vs. mild (AUC = 0.93,p < 0.0001), critical vs. moderate (AUC = 0.77,p = 0.002), severe vs. mild (AUC = 0.85,p = 0.0003), severe vs. moderate (AUC = 0.63,p = 0.05). This discrimination was significantly better (by AUC orp-value) than could be achieved by CRP, lactate, creatine, IL-6, or D-dimer. Some of the critical or severe cases had “early” blood draws (before ICU admission; n = 33). For these cases, when compared to moderate and mild cases not in ICU (n = 37), SeptiCyte RAPID had AUC = 0.78 (p = 0.00012). In conclusion, SeptiCyte RAPID was able to stratify COVID-19 cases according to clinical severity as defined by the WHO COVID-19 Clinical Management Living Guidance of January 25th, 2021. Measurements taken early (before a patient is considered for ICU admission) suggest that high SeptiScores could aid in predicting the need for later ICU admission.
The impact of postoperative inclination of the joint line on clinical outcomes in total knee arthroplasty using a prosthesis with anatomical geometry
Authors: Yamada Manabu , Nakajima Arata , Sonobe Masato , Akatsu Yorikazu , Yamamoto Keiichiro , Saito Junya , Norimoto Masaki , Koyama Keita , Taniguchi Shinji , Aoki Yasuchika , Suguro Toru , Nakagawa Koichi
Published: January 2023

The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of postoperative inclination of the joint line on clinical results after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using a prosthesis with anatomical geometry. This study included 145 primary cruciate-retaining type of knee prosthesis with anatomical geometry. Three years postoperatively, clinical outcomes including the patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were recorded. Limb alignment was evaluated by the hip-knee-ankle (HKA) axis and inclination of the joint line was assessed by the joint line orientation angle (JLOA). Knees were divided into two groups according to the HKA: in-range (− 3 to 3°) and outlier group (< − 3° or > 3°) or the JLOA: in-range (2–4°) and outlier group (< 2° or > 4°), and clinical outcomes were compared between the groups. Postoperative Knee Society Function Score (KS-FS) was significantly higher in the HKA in-range group than the outlier group (p = 0.01). The Knee Society Knee Score and all subscales of the Knee injury Osteoarthritis Outcome Score were comparable between the groups. A multivariate analysis revealed a significant association between age at operation and postoperative KS-FS > of 80 points. Neither HKA in-range nor JLOA in-range were associated with the higher knee function. In conclusion, TKA-postoperative inclination of the joint line was not relevant to the short-term PROs. Treatment strategies that attempt to make joint line inclination in order to improve postoperative PROs should be avoided, and alignment goals such as kinematic alignment should be considered carefully.
Genetic structure and relatedness of juvenile sicklefin lemon shark (Negaprion acutidens) at Dongsha Island
Authors: Liu Shang Yin Vanson , Chen Yu-Yun , Cheng Chi
Published: January 2023

Negaprion acutidens (sicklefin lemon shark) is distributed in the Indo-Pacific and in close association with coral reefs. Under the protection of the Dongsha Atoll National Park, a small but well-established juvenile population of N. acutidens inhabiting coastal areas of Dongsha Island was recently observed to display site fidelity by using acoustic telemetry. This study was designed to reveal the fine scale genetic structure and relatedness within and among 5 juvenile shark cohorts inhabiting 3 sampling sites at Dongsha Island. A total 188 juveniles were caught and sampled between 2016 and 2017, and genotyped with twelve loci. They were assigned to 5 year cohorts (2013–2017) based on the body length and date they were caught, also assigned to 3 sites based on where they were caught. Among five cohorts, the percentage of unrelated pairs within a cohort is more than 62% in average, suggesting a potential high mortality during their early life stage. The results of Fst and assignment testing showed that there was no significant genetic structure between sites and cohorts indicating that there was no fine scale genetic structure, even though the juveniles possessed strong site fidelity. A small effective population size (Ne) was detected (Ne = 86.7) which indicates the presence of a potentially isolated and vulnerable population at Dongsha. These results provide the genetic diversity as a baseline for future management and conservation of N. acutidens in the South China Sea.
Numerical and experimental study on monitoring coal cracks with PZT sensor
Authors: Zhu Chengyao , Li Runzhi , Gao Ke , Tang Zhiqiang , Liu Zeyi , Shi Lianzeng
Published: January 2023

The rupture of coal pillar can lead to spontaneous combustion or collapse of goaf, which endangers the safety of workers. To explore the relationship between the crack depth of the coal structure and the signal received by the piezoelectric ceramic sensor, the output data of coal samples were analyzed by using the piezoelectric effect, combined with the experiment and ABAQUS simulation. Based on the signal amplitude, the output signal characteristics of the coal model with different crack depths were analyzed, and the evaluation index of coal crack cracking degree (Dc) was defined. The results show that the piezoelectric fluctuation method can effectively identify the local cracks of coal. When the distance between the lead Piezoelectric Transducer (PZT) patch and crack position is constant, the amplitude of the PZT patch output signal will decay with the deepening of the crack depth, while the value of increases with the increase of crack depth. This study provides a theoretical basis for mine disaster prevention and control.
Effects of shortening velocity on the stiffness to force ratio during isometric force redevelopment suggest mechanisms of residual force depression
Authors: Jeong Siwoo , Nishikawa Kiisa
Published: January 2023

Although the phenomenon of residual force depression has been known for decades, the mechanisms remain elusive. In the present study, we investigated mechanisms of residual force depression by measuring the stiffness to force ratio during force redevelopment after shortening at different velocities. The results showed that the slope of the relationship between muscle stiffness and force decreased with decreasing shortening velocity, and the y-intercept increased with decreasing shortening velocity. The differing slopes and y-intercepts indicate that the stiffness to force ratio during isometric force redevelopment depends on the active shortening velocity at a given muscle length and activation level. The greater stiffness to force ratio after active shortening can potentially be explained by weakly-bound cross bridges in the new overlap zone. However, weakly-bound cross bridges are insufficient to explain the reduced slope at the slowest shortening velocity because the reduced velocity should increase the proportion of weakly- to strongly-bound cross bridges, thereby increasing the slope. In addition, if actin distortion caused by active shortening recovers during the force redevelopment period, then the resulting slope should be similar to the non-linear slope of force redevelopment over time. Alternatively, we suggest that a tunable elastic element, such as titin, could potentially explain the results.
Artificial intelligence for automated detection of large mammals creates path to upscale drone surveys
Authors: Lenzi Javier , Barnas Andrew F. , ElSaid Abdelrahman A. , Desell Travis , Rockwell Robert F. , Ellis-Felege Susan N.
Published: January 2023

Imagery from drones is becoming common in wildlife research and management, but processing data efficiently remains a challenge. We developed a methodology for training a convolutional neural network model on large-scale mosaic imagery to detect and count caribou (Rangifer tarandus), compare model performance with an experienced observer and a group of naïve observers, and discuss the use of aerial imagery and automated methods for large mammal surveys. Combining images taken at 75 m and 120 m above ground level, a faster region-based convolutional neural network (Faster-RCNN) model was trained in using annotated imagery with the labels: “adult caribou”, “calf caribou”, and “ghost caribou” (animals moving between images, producing blurring individuals during the photogrammetry processing). Accuracy, precision, and recall of the model were 80%, 90%, and 88%, respectively. Detections between the model and experienced observer were highly correlated (Pearson: 0.96–0.99, P value < 0.05). The model was generally more effective in detecting adults, calves, and ghosts than naïve observers at both altitudes. We also discuss the need to improve consistency of observers’ annotations if manual review will be used to train models accurately. Generalization of automated methods for large mammal detections will be necessary for large-scale studies with diverse platforms, airspace restrictions, and sensor capabilities.
Revisiting self-interference in Young’s double-slit experiments
Authors: Kim Sangbae , Ham Byoung S.
Published: January 2023

Quantum superposition is the heart of quantum mechanics as mentioned by Dirac and Feynman. In an interferometric system, single photon self-interference has been intensively studied over the last several decades in both quantum and classical regimes. In Born rule tests, the Sorkin parameter indicates the maximum number of possible quantum superposition allowed to the input photons entering an interferometer, where multi-photon interference fringe is equivalent to that of a classical version by a laser. Here, an attenuated laser light in a quantum regime is investigated for self-interference in a Mach–Zehnder interferometer, and the results are compared with its classical version. The equivalent result supports the Born rule tests, where the classical interference originates in the superposition of individual single-photon self-interferences. This understanding sheds light on the fundamental physics of quantum features between bipartite systems.