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‘Dark matter’, 'Big Bang' and ‘spin’: how physics terms can confuse researchers
Is killing animals an effective way to regulate populations?
Development of a complex multidisciplinary medication review and deprescribing intervention in primary care for older people living with frailty and polypharmacy
Introduction Reducing polypharmacy and overprescribing in older people living with frailty is challenging. Evidence suggests that this could be facilitated by structured medication review (SMR) and deprescribing processes involving the multidisciplinary team (MDT). This study aimed to develop an MDT SMR and deprescribing intervention in primary care for older people living with frailty. Methods Intervention development was informed by the Medical Research Council framework for complex intervention and behaviour change and implementation theories. Intervention planning included: 1) a realist review of 28 papers that identified 33 context-mechanism-outcome configurations for successful MDT SMR and deprescribing in primary care, 2) a qualitative study with 26 healthcare professionals (HCPs), 13 older people with polypharmacy and their informal carers. The intervention’s guiding principles were developed and intervention functions proposed, discussed and refined through an iterative process in four online co-design stakeholder workshops. Results The final version of the complex intervention consisted of five components: 1) Proactive identification of patients living with frailty and polypharmacy for targeted SMR using routinely collected primary care data; 2) HCPs’ preparation using an evidence-based deprescribing tool to identify and prioritise high-risk medications for deprescribing; 3) Preparing patients and carers using a leaflet sent prior to SMR explaining the purpose of SMR and reasons for potentially stopping or changing medications; 4) Conducting a person-centred SMR face-to-face or by phone, tailored to patient/carer needs, involving other MDT members based on their expertise; 5) Tailored follow-up plans allowing continuity of care and highlighting signs and symptoms for patients and carers to monitor, and arranging follow-up through text, phone or face-to-face appointment. Conclusion A complex MDT SMR and deprescribing intervention for older people living with frailty was developed to address multiple challenges to deprescribing. The use of rigorous methods and behaviour and implementation theories potentially maximises the intervention’s feasibility, acceptability and successful implementation.
Critical sliding surface location method for anisotropic slope based on anisotropic yield criterion and optimization algorithm
Regulatory mimicry of cyclin-dependent kinases by a conserved herpesvirus protein kinase
Herpesviruses encode conserved protein kinases (CHPKs) that target cellular cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) phosphorylation sites; thus, they are termed viral CDK-like kinases. Tyrosine 15 in the GxGxxG motifs of CDK1 and CDK2, whose phosphorylation down-regulates their catalytic activities, is conserved in the corresponding motifs of CHPKs. We found that CHPK UL13, the corresponding Tyr-162 in herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), was phosphorylated in HSV-2-infected cells. Mutational analyses of HSV-2 UL13 Tyr-162 suggested that phosphorylation of UL13 Tyr-162 reduced the phosphorylation of all UL13 substrates tested in HSV-2-infected cells. These findings suggested that HSV-2 UL13 mimicked the regulatory mechanism of CDKs and that this CHPK has regulatory and functional mimicry with CDKs. Furthermore, phosphorylation of HSV-2 UL13 Tyr-162 was suggested to be required for the downregulation of viral replication and pathogenicity, specifically in the brains of mice, and for efficient viral recurrence in guinea pigs. These findings highlight the dual impact of the regulatory mimicry of CDKs by CHPK on the fine-tuned regulation of lytic and latent HSV-2 infections in vivo.
Sequence of antihypertensive medications used in preterm infants with hypertension: A cross-sectional study
Background Hypertension in preterm infants can result in life-threatening outcomes. However, there is limited evidence to guide the pharmacologic management of hypertension in preterm infants. Without population-level studies of the pharmacologic strategies that clinicians currently employ for hypertension in preterm infants, studies investigating the benefits and risks of these strategies cannot be performed. Methods A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted at a single academic medical centerto determine the most prevalent antihypertensive medication used for first-line, second-line, and adjunctive pharmacologic management among preterm infants with hypertension. The study sample included patients with a postnatal age less than 1 year at hospital discharge, gestational age at birth less than 37 weeks, and treated with an antihypertensive medication between July 2010 and December 2022. The prevalence of each antihypertensive medication used for each stage of pharmacologic management was estimated, and prevalences were compared using prevalence ratios. Bayesian multinomial regression was used to estimate prevalence ratios and 95% credible intervals (CIs). Results Out of 751 possibly eligible patient encounters obtained, 134 encounters were identified across 120 patients that met the inclusion criteria. Second-line and adjunctive pharmacologic management were used in 6 and 12 encounters, respectively. Propranolol had the highest prevalence for each stage of pharmacologic management: 61% for first-line (95% CI: 53-69%); 40% for second-line (95% CI: 14-70%); and 47% for adjunctive pharmacologic management (95% CI: 24-72%). As a first-line pharmacologic management, propranolol was 4.8 times (95% CI: 2.9-7.7) as prevalent as the second most prevalent medication (captopril). Conclusion In a large academic hospital, propranolol was the most commonly used medication for first-line antihypertensive pharmacologic management among preterm infants. The most prevalent medication used for second-line and adjunctive pharmacologic management was inconclusive.
Self-checking principle and design of ternary Berger code
In the flow, how fluid dynamics shapes amyloid formation
Photobiomodulation therapy increases neural stem cell pool in aged 3xTg-AD mice
Presently approved Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) therapeutics are designed for targeted removal of the AD-related toxic protein aggregate amyloid-β (Aβ) and have only shown moderate efficacy at slowing disease progression. Reversal of cognitive decline requires both removal of toxic aggregates and repair of the cellular systems damaged by decades of exposure to these aggregates. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) is one such system that is known to be affected early and severely in the development of AD. Moreover, preserved AHN is associated with cognitive resilience to AD neuropathology. Therefore, targeted therapies to improve or enhance neurogenesis should be considered in addition to the removal of toxic protein aggregates. Photobiomodulation (PBM) using 670 nm LED light has been shown to induce synaptic resilience to and removal of AD-related toxic protein aggregates. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of PBM on a mouse model of advanced AD neuropathology. Transgenic 3xTg-AD mice (15- to 17-month old) were randomized to receive PBM or SHAM therapy for one month, followed by neuropathological assessments. Our results show that one month of PBM therapy reduces hyperphosphorylated tau burden and partially rescues AHN in aged 3xTg-AD mice as compared to SHAM-treated transgenic mice. These data support the notion that PBM has the potential to be an effective non-invasive therapy to help preserve AHN and reduce cognitive dysfunction in moderate to advanced AD.
A cross-sectional study of age-related changes in the position of upper and lower lips relative to the esthetic plane
Steeper social discounting after human basolateral amygdala damage
Translational research suggests that the basolateral part of the amygdala (BLA) computes some of the core processes underlying social preferences, but its precise role in prosocial choice remains unclear. We hypothesize that the human BLA is not necessary for prosocial behavior per se, but fine-tunes the degree of prosociality as a function of the social distance between actor and recipient of a prosocial act. We tested five participants with Urbach–Wiethe disease (UWD) who had isolated, bilateral damage to BLA and compared their behavior in a modified dictator game to that of 16 healthy control participants matched for (neuro-) psychological traits and cultural and socioeconomic background. In this game, participants selected eight people from their social environment and assigned them to variable social distance levels ranging from 1 (emotionally closest person) to 100 (random stranger on the street). They decided how much of a monetary endowment they would share with each person at each social distance. Compared to controls, UWD participants were less generous overall and showed steeper social discounting, that is, their willingness to share declined more sharply with increasing social distance. This difference in social discounting could not be explained by empathy, personality, or social network size. Our data suggest that BLA is critical for resolving the conflict between selfish and altruistic motives during social discounting. This finding underlines the BLA’s role in model-based social cognition, calibrating prosocial behavior based on the social-emotional distance between individuals.
Correction: Allocation of the household food budget among shopping basket items: How is it influenced by promotions?
Machine learning driven design and optimization of a compact dual Port CPW fed UWB MIMO antenna for wireless communication
Abstract In this article, a compact dual port Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) Coplanar Waveguide (CPW) fed Ultra-Wideband (UWB) antenna for the next generation wireless communication using Machine Learning (ML) optimization is presented. It is designed on an FR4 epoxy substrate of 16 × 30 mm2 with a thickness of 1.6 mm. A bandwidth of 8.7 GHz (2.78–11.48 GHz) is achieved. It is used for 5G New Radio Bands (n78/n46/n47/n77/n48/ n79/n96), Wi-Fi 5, DSRC, Wi-Fi 6, and Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I), Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V), and Vehicle to Network (V2N) in the entire operating band. The proposed antenna is optimized through the different ML algorithms Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Random Forest (RF), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), and Decision Tree (DT). The DT ML algorithms provide a higher accuracy of 99.92% compared to the remaining ML algorithms. A test and fabrication of the suggested antenna is also done. The findings showed that there was a good correlation between measurement and simulation data for several parameters, including S-parameters, radiation patterns, and MIMO parameters like diversity gain (DG), channel capacity loss (CCL), mean effective gain (MEG), envelope correlation coefficients (ECC), and total active reflection coefficients (TARC). Hence, it is suitable for next-generation wireless communication.
Exclusive: a Nature analysis signals the beginnings of a US science brain drain
Correction to Supporting Information for Nishiguchi et al., Vortex reversal is a precursor of confined bacterial turbulence
Impacts of the quinone-functionalized biochar on anaerobic digestion: Beyond the redox property of biochar
Recent developments in biochar materials have led to renewed interest in biochar modification for environmental applications, however, much uncertainty still exists about the impact of engineered biochar on a given biotechnological process. The redox properties of biochar were considered to be the key property for enhancing the methanogenic process, and the redox activity of biochar was closely related to the type and amount of oxygen-containing functional groups, especially quinone groups. Therefore, anthraquinone-2-sulfonate (AQS) was immobilized on algal biochar (ABC) by surface doping method, and the impacts of the quinone-functionalization process on algal biochar for regulating methane production were investigated in this study. Results showed that the immobilization capacity of AQS on ABC (ABC-AQS) reached 0.289 mmol/g. The acidogenesis rate was improved by 26.3% with the addition of ABC-AQS during anaerobic digestion test. However, methane production was inhibited rather than enhanced by the ABC-AQS, which could be attributed to the strong acid treatment stage involved in the biochar modification process. pH interferences, the generation and/or dissolution of inhibitory substances, and the release of Zn2+ should be the major mechanisms of microbial inhibition by ABC-AQS. The findings of this study give us an important clue that when designing a biochar modification procedure for anaerobic digestion, attentions should be paid to the possible influences of chemical side reactions during biochar modification process on subsequent microbial metabolism, which would be valuable in designing engineered biochar for practical applications.
Microwave pre-stimulation methodology for plant growth promotion
Sex chromosome evolution in haploid plants: Microchromosomes, disappearing chromosomes, and giant chromosomes
As in many diploid organisms with genetic sex determination, haploid-dominant organisms have also evolved sex chromosomes or extensive genomic regions that lack genetic recombination. An understanding of sex chromosome evolution should explain the causes and consequences of such regions in both diploids and haploids. However, haploids have been little studied, even though differences from sex chromosomes in diploids carry implications concerning the evolution of suppressed recombination in diploid organisms, and make predictions about genome evolution in the sex-linked regions of haploids that can now be tested by approaches using genome sequences. I review these ideas, and the current empirical evidence concerning them, in more detail than recent reviews focusing on progress in understanding the mechanisms involved in sex determination. I also discuss evidence that one specific prediction, that genetic degeneration should be minor in haploids, is not upheld. I suggest that this prediction does not take account of all processes leading to gene loss from sex-linked regions and that profound degeneration may evolve if sex-linked genes become duplicated to autosomes, a process that also appears to occur in diploids. I emphasize types of data that are needed to make progress in testing several of the ideas described.
Opportunities and challenges within green spaces during COVID-19: Perspectives of visitors and managers in Maine, USA
COVID-19 impacted, and continues to impact, green spaces across the world, altering visitation patterns, and presenting novel management challenges. As COVID-19 has evolved, the long-term implications on communication, management, and conflict as diverse people interact in green spaces remains uncertain. Our work responds to calls to consider diverse perspectives of individuals whose lives intersect with green spaces. Using a qualitative case study methodology, we explored the meanings and experiences of green space managers and visitors in the State of Maine, USA, during the COVID-19 pandemic between May 2021 and July 2023. We triangulated across five research projects including: phenomenological interviews of conservation practitioners, an online questionnaire of staff from a state conservation agency, and three surveys of visitors to green spaces across Maine. Taken together, our results highlight how COVID-19 increased the number and diversity of visitors to green spaces as a result of the outdoor visitation opportunities provided perceived as “safe” during the pandemic. While managers described the benefits from increased visitation on funding and legislative support, they also identified challenges and negative impacts to local ecology as a result of new and greater use. Our results have implications for communication and management for policy makers and natural resource managers who seek to maintain support for conservation goals and address visitor safety and well-being. Managers maintained flexibility in their decision-making to remain nimble and responsive to emerging opportunities and challenges associated with the pandemic. In addition, our results highlight that the scale of change on human behavior from COVID-19 offers a glimpse into what may be possible if that same level of urgency was applied to issues like climate change.