Browse Articles
Discover research articles across all indexed journals
Lymph nodes molecular subtypes unravel lymph nodes heterogeneity and clinical implications in colorectal cancer
Constructing a predictive model for acute mastitis in lactating women based on machine learning
Correction: Ventilation conditions during COVID-19 outbreaks in six California state carceral institutions
Targeting spermine metabolism to overcome immunotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer
Neuroform EZ stenting for basilar artery atherosclerotic stenosis
Generalised linear regression GARMA model adopted in Denmark’s tourism industry
This paper investigates the characteristics of seasonality in the tourism industry. The Gegenbauer long memory and seasonal features are clearly clarified in Denmark’s tourism data. By plotting ACF and periodogram graphs, the pattern of long memory is investigated. A generalised linear regression GARMA (GLRGARMA) model and a generalised linear regression SARMA (GLRSARMA) model with an innovative function of explanatory variables is proposed to capture data features. Furthermore, the generalised Poisson (GP) distribution with over- equal- and under-dispersion is adopted to improve model flexibility. Eight sub-models are implemented with the number of rented hotel rooms data set to explore the best-performed model structure. The Bayesian approach is adopted to implement in-sample fitting and out-of-sample forecast studies. Several model selection criteria are adopted to evaluate model performances. Overall, GLRGARMA model is the best model to handle the time series with Gegenbauer long memory feature, especially in the tourism area. The explanatory variable with the periodic sponge effect will dramatically enhance model performances.
Engineering kidney developmental trajectory using culture boundary conditions
Predictive analysis of solubility data with pressure and temperature in assessing nanomedicine preparation via supercritical carbon dioxide
Exploring the impact of display types of information about autonomous driving in semi-autonomous vehicles on drivers’ situation awareness and take-over performance under different driving scenarios
With the advent of the era of autonomous driving, designing an effective and appropriate autonomous driving information display is crucial for ensuring driving safety. Head-up Display (HUD) is regarded as a promising way for presenting in-vehicle information in the future. This study conducted a simulation experiment to explore the impacts of three types of autonomous driving information displays on HUD on Situation Awareness (SA) and take-over performance, while considering the complexity of different driving scenarios. The experiment used in this study adopted a Latin square experimental design and employed an integrated eye-tracking technology with self-reporting and the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT). The results show that although young drivers perform better with the Augmented Reality (AR) display in various complex scenarios, particularly in high-complexity scenarios (the fixation duration with AR display was significantly shorter than that with Pseudo-3D (P3D) display; P = 0.012). However, the advantages of the AR display will weaken as the complexity of the scenarios decreases. Additionally, the Surround Recognition (SR) display is more likely to reduce drivers’ SA (the fixation counts on the SR display was significantly higher than that on the P3D and AR displays; P < 0.001) and take-over efficiency (the take-over reaction time for the SR display was significantly longer than that for the AR display; P = 0.09), especially in medium-complexity scenarios. Meanwhile, male participants pay more attention to the autonomous driving information on HUD. Nevertheless, there is no obvious difference between males and females in terms of specific preferences for the types of displays. The results of this study are expected to provide some inspiration for the design of autonomous driving information on HUD.
Episodic transport of protein aggregates achieves a positive size selectivity in aggresome formation
Mixed effect gradient boosting for high-dimensional longitudinal data
Novel method for combining microbial bioremediation with static magnetic fields to remediate mercury-contaminated soils
Heavy metal contamination poses a significant risk to both the environment and public health, particularly through metallic mercury, a neurotoxic contaminant capable of bioaccumulating in food chains. This article presents a novel approach to remediating mercury-polluted soils by combining microbial bioremediation with the effects of a static magnetic field, applied at an induction of 260 mT for 12 hours at the start of the experiment. The decontamination technique was applied to mercury-contaminated soil bioaugmented with the bacterial strain Pseudomonas stutzeri LBR. Mercury remediation was enhanced by the static magnetic field in conjunction with bioaugmentation over a 30-day period. Notably, in non-sterile soils, the combination of an SMF, total soil flora, and Pseudomonas stutzeri LBR increased mercury remediation efficiency by 49.36%, compared to only 23.85% in the absence of an static magnetic field and soil bioaugmentation. Similarly, in sterile soils, the combination of an static magnetic field and Pseudomonas stutzeri LBR increased mercury remediation efficiency by 72.49%, compared to 38.1% without an static magnetic field and soil bioaugmentation. This study highlights the potential of combining an static magnetic field with microbial bioremediation to accelerate the remediation of mercury-contaminated soils, suggesting that this approach may become increasingly important in the future.
Defect-phase engineered NiTi-TiO2 enabling near-unity selective photocatalytic CO2-to-methanol conversion
Paternal microbiota manipulation influences offspring microbial colonization and development in a sex role-reversed pipefish
Abstract Microbes are acquired through vertical and environmental horizontal transmission. Vertical transmission is directly linked to reproductive success and entails early transmission, facilitating coexistence of host and microbes over generations. The multiple potentially interacting routes of vertical transmission are challenging to be disentangled in conventional sex-role species, as they are mostly intermingled on the maternal side, i.e., through egg production, pregnancy, birth and postnatal care. The evolution of male pregnancy in syngnathids (pipefishes and seahorses) offers an opportunity to separate vertical microbial provisioning through the egg (maternal) from provisioning through pregnancy (paternal). We experimentally evaluated the existence and role of paternal vertical microbiota provisioning through male pregnancy on offspring development and microbial colonization. Male pipefish were exposed to antibiotics, and subsequently recolonized with bacteria of paternal, maternal, and environmental origin (spike treatment). After pregnancy, the microbiota of developing offspring was characterized using 16 S rRNA sequencing of the V3-V4 region. Paternal antibiotic and spike treatments influenced the microbial composition of the brood pouch and offspring microbiome development. Paternal spike treatment shortened pregnancy duration and enhanced offspring survival, underlining its beneficial effect for early life stages. Expanding on how distinct vertical microbial transmission routes shape the offspring microbiome will foster our understanding of holobiont function in health and disease.
“Around the clock”: Exploring health care professionals’ experience of discharge of older people during out of hours from the emergency department: A qualitative study
Background Older adults constitute a considerable number of attendances at emergency departments (EDs). Whilst many require hospital admission, a greater focus now is on admission avoidance with older adults being subsequently discharged from EDs. Little is known, however, about the experiences out of hours (OOH) when specialist older person support services are unavailable. Aim To explore senior health care professionals’ experiences of discharging older people during out of hours from EDs. Method A qualitative study involving individual semi-structured interviews was used to explore the experiences of healthcare professionals. Fourteen participants in total responded from a wide geographical spread. Data analysis was undertaken using Braun and Clarke’s (2022) six-step framework for Thematic Analysis. Results One overarching theme was identified focusing on risks and safety for the older person whilst being discharged OOH from the ED. Three sub-themes included “Should they stay, or should they go?”, “Bright lights and noise”, and “New ways of working”, which included risks in discharging an older person OOH from the ED, risks in delaying discharge, and recommendations for future practice. Significant differences were reported between office hours and OOH discharge of older adults from the ED. Diversity in practice assessments, and resources available was also evident across EDs. Significant adverse consequences were identified for older adults having to stay for prolonged periods in the ED. Conclusions There have been many welcome developments in healthcare services for older people who attend and are subsequently discharged from the ED. However, further innovative practice and collaboration with senior decision makers is needed to meet the healthcare needs of a rapidly ageing population. Safe, equitable and effective discharge practice 24/7 should be a norm for all older people in every ED regardless of location. Gaps in care identified must be addressed taking cognisance of the relevant recommendations for future practice.
Centromere protection requires strict mitotic inactivation of the Bloom syndrome helicase complex
Abstract The BTRR ( B LM/ T OP3A/ R MI1/ R MI2) complex resolves DNA replication and recombination intermediates to maintain genome stability. Alongside PICH, they target mitotic DNA intertwinements, known as ultrafine DNA bridges, facilitating chromosome segregation. Both BLM and PICH undergo transient mitotic hyper-phosphorylation, but the biological significance of this remains elusive. Here, we uncover that during early mitosis, CDK1 and PLK1 constrain BTRR complex activities at centromeres. CDK1 destabilises the complex, limiting its binding to PICH at specialised chromatin underneath kinetochores. Inactivating the BLM-TOP3A interaction compromises the UFB-binding complex functions and prevents centromere destruction. Different phosphorylation on BLM affects the TRR subcomplex interaction and the mitotic activity, particularly phosphorylation at Ser144 and multiple PLK1-target sites suppresses illegitimate centromeric DNA unwinding. However, unleashing such activity after sister-chromatid cohesion inactivation facilitates the separation of entangled chromosomes. Here, we show a centromere protection pathway in human mitotic cells, heavily reliant on a tight spatiotemporal control of the BTRR complex.
Empathy and event related potentials before and after EEG based neurofeedback training in autistic adolescents
Abstract Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often characterized by deficits in emotion regulation and empathic abilities, potentially linked to alterations in prefrontal brain regions. This randomized, controlled clinical trial examines the efficacy of slow cortical potential neurofeedback training, specifically targeting these prefrontal areas, in improving emotion regulation and empathy among children and adolescents with ASD. The study involved 41 participants, with 21 undergoing slow cortical potential training and 20 receiving treatment as usual. All participants were allowed to continue usual care in progress, if it was kept stable. Emotional processing was evaluated using an adapted and extended version of the Multifaceted Empathy Test, alongside electroencephalography assessments focusing on event-related potentials, including N170, LPP, and P300 components. The main findings indicate a significant group × time interaction in P300 latency, with shorter latencies in the SCP neurofeedback group and longer latencies in controls, though post hoc tests were not significant. A trend toward reduced P300 amplitude in the experimental group suggests possible modulation of attentional processing. Additionally, changes in a late component of LPP amplitude were linked to reaction time in processing positive emotions, with increases associated with slower responses and decreases with faster responses. These results suggest slow cortical potential neurofeedback training may influence cognitive efficiency and emotional processing in autistic individuals. While promising, further research is needed to confirm these findings and optimize neurofeedback protocols for this population.
Identifying effective surveillance measures for swine pathogens using contact networks and mathematical modeling
Infectious diseases in livestock have detrimental effects on the health of animals, the livelihood of farmers, and the meat industry. Understanding the specific pathways of disease spread and evaluating the effectiveness of surveillance measures is critical to preventing large outbreaks. Direct livestock transport, transport tours—where a single truck moves livestock between multiple farms in a single journey—and contacts that livestock have with their surrounding environment have been identified as drivers of disease dissemination. The objective of this study was to assess the role of these different pathways in the transmission of several swine pathogens and to evaluate the efficacy of surveillance strategies in identifying outbreaks. To achieve this, we built contact networks for these modes of disease transmission based on empirical data from the Swiss swine production sector. We developed a stochastic, susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR) type, herd-based model to simulate the spread of multiple pathogens within farms and between farms along the networks. We parameterized the model for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virus, African Swine Fever (ASF) virus, and Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia (APP): three pathogens with distinct clinical patterns, modes of transmission, and contact transmission rates. The model provides insight into the contribution of different contact types to disease dispersion. Our findings highlight that direct truck transport and local spread are the main routes of between-farm transmission. In addition, we analyzed the ability of surveillance measures to detect outbreaks from these distinct pathogens spreading along the contact networks. Farmer-based surveillance programs were the only measures that consistently identified outbreaks of APP and PRRS, and they were able to identify ASF outbreaks almost 8 weeks or more before active slaughterhouse- and network-based surveillance. Our model outcomes give evidence of the prominent transmission pathways and surveillance measures, which could help establish programs to prevent the spread of swine infectious diseases.