Browse Articles
Discover research articles across all indexed journals
Correction: Effectiveness and satisfaction of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children on anxiety, depression, and internet addiction in adolescents: Study protocol for a randomized control trial
The US–Israel Blavatnik Scientific Forum on alleviating global water scarcity by desalination and water reuse
Dual-actuator-type active noise control in vibro-acoustic systems with openings
Abstract Openings in plate structures are essential in various engineering applications, particularly in vibro-acoustic systems where airflow is required. This paper investigates noise control in vibro-acoustic systems with noise barriers incorporating structural openings, focusing on active noise control and Active Structural Acoustic Control (ASAC). It also introduces a novel approach, Dual-Actuator-Type Active Noise Control (DATANC), which combines loudspeakers and inertial actuators into the same barrier to address the challenges of noise reduction. A sound power estimation method is proposed to account for sound transmission through the opening and is integrated into an analytical model for optimizing actuator placement; predictions show strong agreement with observed behavior. Among the ASAC configurations, experimental analysis shows that actuators placed near the edge of the opening achieve the greatest noise reduction in the 100–200 Hz range, where acoustic leakage is dominant. DATANC consistently outperformed all single-actuator configurations, delivering superior attenuation of dominant vibro-acoustic resonances while maintaining reasonable computational complexity. The analysis is extended to a plate with a transparent lid over the opening to evaluate the contribution of acoustic leakage to the system performance. The findings of this study demonstrate that optimized actuator placement, combined with DATANC, provides a practical solution for noise control in systems where structural openings are required.
Impact of genotypes, environmental stresses, and genotype by environment interactions on growth and yield of quinoa at flowering stage
Flowering is a critical growth stage of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), with a strong influence on growth and grain yield. To understand factors affecting such flowering stage effects, we measure the differential effects of genotype (G), environmental stress (E), and genotype by environment interaction (G × E) on quinoa growth and yield-related traits during the flowering stage. A semi-controlled pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five replications. Five quinoa genotypes (Q1, Cahuil, G18, Isluga, and Q3) were evaluated under four climate-related stress vs non-stress treatment conditions: control (E1), waterlogging (E2), salinity (E3), and drought (E4). Morphological and yield traits, including plant height, number of tillers and leaves, leaf area, soil plant analysis development (SPAD) values, fresh and dry biomass, panicle length, 1000-grain weight, and individual grain yield were measured. There were significant effects of G, E, and G × E interaction on all measured traits, indicating considerable variation in genotype adaptability to abiotic stresses. The order of stress severity was E2 > E4 > E3 > E1, with waterlogging causing the most substantial reductions across growth and yield traits. The AMMI analysis highlighted strong genotype-specific responses across environments. Our findings provide insights into how quinoa responds to environmental stresses, supporting the development of research strategies and and irrigation management for quinoa under climate change related stresses.
Communication increases cooperation among students in a coordination game
Cooperation often requires individuals to balance personal risk with mutual gain. The Stag Hunt game provides a well-established paradigm for studying such decision-making. Prior research suggested that verbal communication about the game correlated with participants finding the optimal coordinated solution, but these studies either did not manipulate communication directly or informed participants of the payoff structure in advance. This study examined whether communication improves cooperative decision-making among college students under conditions in which the payoff structure had to be inferred through repeated play. A total of 127 same-sex dyads ( M age = 22.8 y, 51.2% female) played 40 rounds of an online Stag Hunt game, with dyads randomly assigned to either a no communication or communication condition. Participants were not informed about the game’s payoff structure in advance and had to infer it during play. Results showed that coordination on the payoff-dominant outcome (Stag–Stag) increased across trials, but only when communication was possible. No significant sex differences were observed. These findings highlight the central role of communication in fostering cooperation, particularly in environments in which information must be jointly discovered. This is an important consideration for developing and interpreting future research. Moreover, subsequent research should explore how the content, timing, and relevance of communication shape cooperative outcomes over time.
Development and validation of a risk prediction model for pulmonary tuberculosis in presumptive tuberculosis patients in Tigray, northern Ethiopia
Analysis and intelligent prediction of domino effect accidents in chemical storage tanks with a focus on accident chain length
The compact arrangement of chemical storage tanks significantly increases the occurrence probability of domino effect accidents. The accident chain length, a critical parameter for assessing accident severity, enables rapid comprehension of potential accident impacts and serves as a foundation for constructing accident scenarios in domino effect risk assessment. This study centers on domino effect accidents within chemical storage tanks and conducting a detailed analysis of factors influencing the accident chain length. Given the limitations in historical statistical data and quantitative risk evaluations, an intelligent prediction method is developed to forecast the accident chain length. A fully connected feedforward neural network (FC-FNN) is utilized to analyze 255 pertinent accident cases spanning from 1970 to 2024, with key features such as the type of substances implicated and the operating conditions during accidents being judiciously screened. To compensate for the insufficiency of data regarding the volume of storage tanks, a small-scale augmentation is implemented within the tolerable error range. Additionally, Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) is applied to optimize the feature set, reducing the number of features from 15 to 10 based on their contribution to the model’s predictions. The results show that the combined application of feature selection, data augmentation, and SHAP-based optimization significantly improves the model’s prediction performance. The test set prediction accuracy exceeds 0.978, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Precise antibody delivery to the brain via nanobubble-actuated focused ultrasound alleviates depression
Precise, noninvasive drug delivery to small but important brain regions is challenging and highly desired given the brain’s inherent complexity and heterogeneous nature. Here, we report an approach utilizing focused ultrasound (FUS) combined with nanobubbles to successfully navigate this challenge. Compared to traditional microbubbles, nanobubbles exhibit superior acoustic properties. The nanobubbles, when exposed to FUS, induce a highly localized and reversible opening of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) with significantly enhanced precision (up to fourfolds compared to microbubbles, as measured by the precision loss metric). Repeated multitarget FUS-NB precisely delivers macromolecular human-derived anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors monoclonal antibodies (HuMAbs) into the small brain region within a 2-h half-life window per opening. Fluorescence images confirm HuMAb retention in the brain parenchyma for at least 10 d postadministration. With this approach, we targeted the lateral habenula, a small but effective brain target for antidepressant treatments, and significantly alleviated depression-like symptoms at least 2 wk in a mouse model (tail suspension test/forced swim test: P < 0.01/0.05). Moreover, minimal red blood cell extravasation (0.9‱ affected area) was observed in the treated region after multiple FUS treatments, indicating the safety and tolerability of FUS-nanobubble-mediated BBB opening. The enhanced delivery precision, coupled with a favorable safety profile, positions our approach as a promising strategy for antibody therapy with significant clinical translation potential.
MAFNet: A novel adaptive multi-scale model for fine-grained grading of diabetic retinopathy
Assessing the effectiveness of no-take zones on fish populations in the Marine Natural Park of Cap Corse and Agriate, Northwestern Mediterranean Sea
No-take zones (NTZs) are expected to rebuild exploited fish populations, yet their performance is rarely assessed with species-level indicators. We quantified the reserve effect of the Nonza–San Fiurenzu NTZ (24.2 km2) inside the Marine Natural Park of Cap Corse and Agriate (north-western Mediterranean) and simultaneously compared the effectiveness of two underwater visual census (UVC). Using 488 underwater visual-census transects (2018–2022) we monitored densities, size structure and biomass of three emblematic predators—the common dentex Dentex dentex, dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus and brown meagre Sciaena umbra—and compared trends with neighbouring fished sectors. Gaussian GLMs related log-transformed density and biomass to protection status, season, year, sea-surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a. Protection was the dominant predictor for E. marginatus and S. umbra: mean densities inside the NTZ were 3–4 times higher than outside, and biomass was enriched by factors of six and four, respectively. For the mobile D. dentex densities did not differ, but biomass was greater in the NTZ, indicating size-selective benefits. SST showed a negative effect on D. dentex and S. umbra; chlorophyll-a had no detectable influence. Cross-transect surveys (two divers) yielded density estimates comparable to—or higher than—the logistically intensive comb protocol (four to eight divers), suggesting that simpler designs can suffice for long-term monitoring. Our results demonstrate that a well-enforced NTZ embedded in a moderately protected park can rapidly enhance biomass and restore size structure of vulnerable Mediterranean predators.
CRISPR with Transcriptional Readout reveals influenza transcription is modulated by NELF and can precipitate an interferon response
Transcription of interferons upon viral infection is critical for cell-intrinsic innate immunity. This process is influenced by many host and viral factors. To identify host factors that modulate interferon induction within cells infected by influenza A virus, we developed CRISPR with Transcriptional Readout using sequencing (CRITR-seq). CRITR-seq is a method linking CRISPR guide sequence to activity at a promoter of interest. Employing this method, we find that depletion of the Negative Elongation Factor (NELF) complex increases both flu transcription and interferon expression. We find that the process of flu transcription, both in the presence and absence of viral replication, is a key contributor to interferon induction. Taken together, our findings highlight innate immune ligand concentration as a limiting factor in triggering an interferon response, identify NELF as an important interface with the flu life cycle, and validate CRITR-seq as a tool for genome-wide screens for phenotypes of gene expression.
Klotho protein alleviates heart ischemia/reperfusion injury and oxidative stress through regulation of the NOS/MMP pathway
Rural active aging as a development strategy: Nexus of physical exercise participation and multidimensional poverty in China
Background This study aims to assess the intrinsic links between physical exercise and multidimensional poverty among rural older people, focusing on the mediating mechanisms of social and cultural capital, to inform responses to active ageing. Methods This study utilized the adult and household databases of the China Household Tracking Survey (CFPS) in 2018 and 2022. Stata17.0 was used to screen and process the data, and the A-F double critical value method was adopted to measure and structurally decompose the multi-dimensional poverty among the elderly of Chinese household farmers. The association between physical exercise participation and multi-dimensional poverty among rural elderly people was estimated using the ordinary Least squares (OLS) method. The mediating effects of social capital and cultural capital were explored by using the stepwise regression method. Finally, the heterogeneous manifestations of the impact of physical exercise participation on multi-dimensional poverty among rural elderly people were investigated by using the grouped regression method. Results This study found that physical exercise participation has a significant role in reducing multidimensional poverty in old age among family farmers (β = −0.0149, p < 0.001), and this finding remains valid after a series of robustness tests such as full model estimation (β = −0.009, p < 0.001), propensity score matching test (ATT value of −0.017, −0.015, and −0.017, respectively) and other series of robustness tests, the conclusion still holds. The results of the mediating effect showed that social capital and cultural capital mediated the effect of physical exercise on multidimensional poverty. Heterogeneity analyses showed that the effects of physical exercise participation on multidimensional poverty were more pronounced among females, unmarried, in the eastern region, and among the elderly with a high life expectancy. Conclusion Participation in physical exercise can effectively alleviate multidimensional poverty, which is reflected in the enhancement of health level, economic status, living standard, and subjective perception sub-dimensions. Engaging in physical exercise can alleviate poverty through two channels: accumulating social capital and enhancing cultural capital. The construction and maintenance of rural sports facilities should be strengthened, a ‘healthy labour model’ combining physical exercise and agricultural production should be constructed, special sports poverty-alleviation initiatives should be implemented for “vulnerable” elderly people, and a ‘Healthy Villages’ project should be launched to promote the participation of all people in poverty alleviation. The ‘Healthy Villages’ programme has been launched to promote the participation of the entire population in physical exercise.
Reply to Cummins et al.: GPT reveals cognitive dissonance that is both irrational and alarmingly humanlike
New insights into the docking mechanism of vanillin on three mammalian olfactory receptors via a new statistical physics model
Tissue and cellular tropism of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV)1A in hemorrhagic disease
Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs) cause EEHV hemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD), an acute, multisystemic, often fatal hemorrhagic syndrome with profound implications for elephant population growth and sustainability. A greater understanding of the pathogenesis of EEHV-HD is essential to elucidate susceptibility and develop tools for disease management and prevention. This study utilized RNAscope® in situ hybridization (ISH) to detect EEHV1A DNA polymerase and terminase genes in archival tissues (heart, lung, tongue, spleen, liver, kidney, lymph node, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, salivary gland, and brain or spinal cord) from Asian elephants (Elephas maximus; n = 12) that died of EEHV-HD to determine and describe tissue and cellular tropism of the virus. Tissue and cellular specific ISH signal were recorded and semi-quantitatively graded using light microscopy. Positive hybridization signal for EEHV1A terminase and DNA polymerase was detected in tissues from all twelve study cases. In all tissues, positive signal was limited to endothelial cell nuclei. No signal was detected in epithelial cells, leukocytes or mesenchymal cells other than endothelial cells. Signal detection frequency was as follows: heart (12/12), liver (11/12), tongue (10/12), lymph node (10/12), spleen (9/11), stomach (9/12), small intestine (9/10), large intestine (9/10), lung (7/10), salivary gland (1/8), kidney (1/12), brain/spinal cord (0/10). Tissue signal amount varied among cases but generally was most abundant in heart and liver. Results confirmed that in Asian elephant cases of EEHV1A-HD, the viral cellular target and site of replication is exclusively capillary endothelial cells. Differences in viral tissue tropism with EEHV1A-HD are likely a consequence of endothelial cell heterogeneity across tissues. Understanding tropism in cases of active EEHV-HD can serve as a foundation for investigation of EEHV tropism in other stages of the infection (e.g. initial infection, dissemination, latency, shedding) and contribute to defining pathogenesis.
Cognitive dissonance in large language models is neither cognitive nor dissonant
Implicit Runge-Kutta based sparse identification of governing equations in biologically motivated systems
Development and validation of a risk prediction tool for drug-related problems in pre-operative elective surgical patients (mediPORT): A case-control study
Background Drug-related problems (DRP) in pre-operative care can harm patient outcomes. This study aimed to develop and validate a pre-operative risk prediction tool (mediPORT) to calculate the probability of DRP in admitted patients. Methods Elective surgery patients aged ≥ 18 years admitted to the pre-anaesthesia clinic and participating in a medication review by pharmacists were included in this case-control study. Routinely reported patient variables were included in a backward stepwise logistic regression to determine the most relevant predictors (minimum Akaike Information Criterion) of DRP. Performances using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were assessed to test the model. Internal validation was performed using a 10-fold cross-validation procedure. Results The target population consisted of 11,176 participants, of whom 284 cases with ≥ 1 DRP and 980 controls without DRP were drawn. Most relevant predictors for DRP were age, number of drugs at admission, body mass index, sex and renal function. These factors were included in the final five variable model. A correlation between renal function and occurrence of DRP was found. Age and number of drugs frequently appeared in all models of the backwards elimination and represented an alternative two variable model. The AUC for predicting DRP were 0.823 (CI 95% 0.766–0.879) for the five-variable model and 0.872 (CI 95% 0.835–0.909) for the two-variable model. In the validation model, sensitivity was 77.6% and specificity was 76.5% for the five-variable model and 81.3%, 75% for the two-variable model, respectively. Conclusions Resulting equations can be used by hospital admission to identify patients at high risk, for whom a precise assessment of medication is critical.