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Anterior segment optical coherence tomography angiography assessment of limbal vasculature changes after sclerocorneal vs. corneal cataract incisions
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Hydrogen-induced microstructural evolution in a nickel-based alloy under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions
Quality comparison of Gastrodia elata grown using artificial mushroom cultivation kits and traditional wood-based cultivation
A universal flu vaccine has proved challenging — could it finally be possible?
Neural representation of the musical beat is facilitated but not contingent on the repetition of rhythmic patterns
Abstract Music often entails perception of periodic beats which serve as internal temporal references to coordinate movements to music. Crucially, beat perception arises even in syncopated musical rhythms, which only weakly cue the beat periodicity. However, syncopated rhythms are often looped in music, suggesting that repetition of rhythmic patterns may facilitate beat perception by providing a periodic structure at a supra-second timescale. Here, we tested this hypothesis by recording separately electroencephalographic (EEG) and behavioral responses (finger tapping) while participants listened to different syncopated rhythmic sequences. These sequences either consisted of a repeated pattern (repetition of 4.8 and 9.6-s-long patterns) or were generated without repetition. Despite the degradation of pattern repetition, neural activity showed a periodized representation of the rhythmic input across conditions, at periodicities corresponding to those expressed in behavioral responses. However, this neural activity was further enhanced in the condition with shorter repeated patterns. Thus, pattern repetition was not necessary but strengthened the neural representation of the beat, demonstrating that supra-second periodicities in the rhythmic input further enhance sub-second periodicities in neural activity. These findings highlight the multiscale temporal processing of musical rhythm, and, more generally, complex rhythmic inputs involved in interpersonal interaction and communication.
Muscle synergy-driven ensemble learning framework for individualized stroke gait rehabilitation
Flu’s link to cardiovascular disease shows why vaccination is essential
Soil and river water salinity dynamics in coastal Bangladesh
Abstract Changes in soil and water salinity pose critical challenges to agriculture, water management, and livelihoods in deltaic environments globally, and particularly in the densely populated Asian mega-deltas. Using observations from 24 stations over nearly two decades (2004–2022) in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta of Bangladesh, our scientific study examined the influences of seasonal weather and climate conditions, tropical cyclones, and hydrology on the seasonal variability in soil and river water salinity. We applied statistical analyses including cross-correlation, seasonal-trend decomposition, and wavelet analysis to explore the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil and river water salinity. We developed statistical models to assess how hydrological, meteorological, and climatic factors explain the variability of salinity. Pronounced seasonal fluctuations in soil and river water salinity are observed, with levels rising during the dry season and declining sharply during the monsoon season (June‒October). We also observed how tropical cyclones contribute to short-term spikes in both soil and river water salinity, with stronger impacts observed for those making a landfall during early monsoon period (April‒May). Storm-surge-driven polder breaches further exacerbate salinisation, compounded by land subsidence and rising sea levels. Statistical models reveal a significant positive association between soil and river water salinity and sea-surface salinity during the pre-to-early monsoon season. In contrast, the seasonal rise in sea levels during the monsoon coincides with reduced soil and river water salinity due to monsoon rainfall and freshwater discharges to the sea.
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Conserved accessory genes link a phylogenetically distinct Bacillus subtilis strain from Indian bekang to the Japanese natto clade
Chemical structural variations of asphaltene during solvent swelling characterized by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray diffraction
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Women’s perspectives on integrating artificial intelligence in breast cancer screening services in Abu Dhabi, united Arab Emirates
Assessment of hepatic steatosis during rat liver regeneration after 70% partial hepatectomy using stereology and MRI-PDFF
Data-driven vehicle stability control via co-simulation of digital twin and constrained MPC
Metformin mitigates aortic valve degeneration in an ex vivo three-dimensional tissue model
Abstract Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a prevalent valvular disorder that lacks effective pharmacological treatments. Metformin, an oral anti-diabetic drug, has been suggested to protect valvular interstitial cells (VICs) from calcification, but its role in preventing organic phosphate-induced degeneration in VICs and aortic valve (AV) leaflets remains unclear. Using an ex vivo three-dimensional tissue model, we induced degeneration with organic phosphate-rich conditions in ovine VICs and AV leaflets. Metformin treatment reduced calcium deposition, as assessed by alizarin red staining (VICs: p < 0.0001; AV leaflets: p < 0.05), and preserved reduced opacity of AV leaflet ( p < 0.01). It inhibited early osteogenic differentiation, evidenced by reduced alkaline phosphatase activity (VICs: p < 0.0001; AV leaflets: p < 0.05), and mitigated gene expression of myofibroblastic markers. Furthermore, metformin improved proliferation (VICs: p < 0.0001; AV leaflets: p < 0.05), lowered lactate dehydrogenase levels (VICs: p < 0.01; AV leaflets: p < 0.001), preserved extracellular matrix architecture, and ameliorated extracellular matrix remodeling at gene expression level. AMPK phosphorylation was increased in both VICs (28%, p < 0.001) and AV leaflets (21%, p < 0.05) under pro-degenerative conditions and metformin treatment. In conclusion, metformin protects against organic phosphate-induced degeneration in both VICs and AV leaflets, highlighting its therapeutic potential in CAVD.