Browse Articles

A dual-path convolutional neural network combined with an attention-based bidirectional long short-term memory network for stock price prediction

The complexities of stock price data, characterized by its nonlinearity, non-stationarity, and intricate spatiotemporal patterns, make accurate prediction a substantial challenge. To address this, we propose the DCA-BiLSTM model, which combines dual-path convolutional neural networks with an attention mechanism (DCA) and bidirectional long short-term memory networks (BiLSTM). This model captures deep information and complex dependencies within time-series data. First, wavelet packet decomposition extracts high- and low-frequency features, followed by DCA for robust deep feature extraction, and finally, BiLSTM models bidirectional dependencies. Validated on datasets from Yahoo Finance, including Apple, Google, Tesla stocks, and the Nasdaq index, the model consistently outperforms traditional approaches. The DCA-BiLSTM achieves an R2 of 0.9507 for Apple, 0.9595 for Google, 0.9077 for Tesla, and 0.9594 for the Nasdaq index, with significant reductions in error metrics across all datasets. These results demonstrate the model’s robustness and improved predictive accuracy, offering reliable insights for stock price forecasting.

Diabetic retinopathy detection based on mobile maxout network and weber local descriptor feature selection using retinal fundus image

Changes in agglomeration and productivity are poor predictors of inequality across the archaeological record

We address three basic issues regarding the long-term dynamics of inequality in society. First, we consider the interpretation of residence sizes in socioeconomic terms by comparing statistical patterns extracted from the Global Dynamics of Inequality (GINI) Project database with those from the 21st-century United States. Second, we examine the degree to which the size and productivity of human networks is systematically related to inequality. Finally, we investigate relationships between productivity and productivity growth distributions for patterns of inequality and development across preindustrial societies. We find that across preindustrial societies residence size distributions provide a reasonable proxy for the distribution of productivity (income, a flow of physical and social resources to the group) and a minimum estimator for the distribution of wealth (a stock of such resources accumulated over time); that scale and productivity affect levels of inequality but account for only a small fraction of the observed variance across societies; and that inequality growth is independent of productivity growth, on average and over time. These findings have important implications for efforts to promote more equitable economic development in the present.

Correction: Examining acculturative stress among international students in Ghana using an interpretative phenomenological approach: Unpacking the social support systems

Assessing neighborhoods, wealth differentials, and perceived inequality in preindustrial societies

Humans often live in neighborhoods, nested socio-spatial clusters within settlements of varying size and population density. In today’s cities, neighborhoods are often characterized as relatively homogenous and may exhibit segregation along various socioeconomic dimensions. However, even within neighborhoods of similar social or economic status, there is often residential disparity, which in turn impacts perceived inequality. Drawing on the Global Dynamics of Inequality (GINI) project database, we study housing inequality within a sample of neighborhoods using the Gini coefficient of residential unit area and related measures of inequality. We examine patterns of intracommunity inequality within more than 80 settlements from diverse spatiotemporal contexts including some of the earliest cities in Mesopotamia, the Roman Empire, the Classic Maya region, the Central Andes, and the Indus River Basin. Residential disparity differs within and among sectors of these settlements; some neighborhoods exhibit more similarity in residence size, resulting in lower degrees of housing inequality, while other sectors display greater variations in residence size with higher degrees of housing inequality. We observe a meaningful relationship between neighborhood inequality and population size, but not date of foundation or longevity of occupation. The macro-level structural processes associated with varying forms of governance seem to trickle down to the scale of the neighborhood. These findings may help explain why more unequal systems are not necessarily more unstable, as the inequality people experienced in their neighborhoods may generally have been less than that present in the overall settlement.

Impact of altitude correction on bronchopulmonary dysplasia prevalence: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) presents a significant respiratory challenge in infants born prematurely. Socioeconomic factors and environmental determinants, including altitude, play pivotal roles in shaping respiratory health outcomes among premature infants. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of BPD among preterm infants based on altitude, considering the impact of altitude correction on prevalence estimates. By examining altitude-related variations in BPD prevalence, the study sought to provide insights essential for guiding interventions aimed at preventing and managing respiratory conditions in this vulnerable population. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO, and a systematic search of five databases (PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, and Google Scholar) was conducted without any restrictions on the date of publication. Eligible studies were identified based on predefined inclusion criteria, including retrospective or prospective studies reporting BPD prevalence at different altitudes, the use of standard diagnostic criteria for BPD, and the exclusion of studies involving non-human subjects or those lacking altitude-adjusted data. The risk of bias assessment was conducted using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist. Statistical analysis included calculating pooled prevalence estimates using a random-effects model, performing subgroup analyses, and assessing heterogeneity and publication bias. The search yielded 339 records, of which ten articles met the inclusion criteria and had a low risk of bias. The altitude-unadjusted BPD prevalence was 41.35% (95% CI 28.62; 55.34%) and ranged from 19.73% (95% CI 16.44; 23.48%) to 71.02% (95% CI 68.33; 73.56%) across different altitude categories. The altitude-adjusted pooled mean BPD prevalence was 26.70% (95% CI 19.60; 35.25%). This systematic review and meta-analysis highlight altitude-related variations in BPD prevalence among preterm infants. Altitude adjustment is crucial for understanding the true prevalence of BPD and guiding tailored interventions in high-altitude regions.

The emergence and loss of cyclic peptides in <i>Nicotiana</i> illuminate dynamics and mechanisms of plant metabolic evolution

Specialized metabolism plays a central role in how plants cope with both biotic and abiotic stresses in order to survive and reproduce within dynamic and challenging environments. One recently described class of plant-specific, ribosomally synthesized, and posttranslationally modified peptides are the burpitides, which are characterized by the installation of distinct sidechain macrocycles by enzymes known as burpitide cyclases. While they are found across many plant families and exhibit diverse bioactivities, little is known about their evolution or how new variants arise. Here, we present the identification of a burpitide cyclase, resurrected from a defunct pseudogene from the model organism Nicotiana attenuata , the coyote tobacco. By repairing the pseudogene ΨNatBURP2 and expressing it heterologously in Nicotiana benthamiana , we successfully reconstituted its original enzymatic activity. As an autocatalytic peptide cyclase, it installs a unique C–C bond between the tyrosine side chain and a specific backbone α-carbon of a heptapeptide core motif, resulting in burpitides dubbed “nanamins.” Despite its pseudogenization in N. attenuata , we found that the closely related species, Nicotiana clevelandii , retains the wild-type gene and produces nanamins. Phylogenetic analyses and targeted mutagenesis experiments reveal that this chemotype must have evolved from the duplication and neofunctionalization of a more promiscuous ancestral gene. This work highlights how novel peptide chemotypes may rapidly emerge and disappear in plants, while expanding the molecular toolkit for engineering novel peptides with applications in agriculture and drug discovery.

Correction: The development and structural validity testing of the Person-centred Practice Inventory–Care (PCPI-C)

Global warming drives a threefold increase in persistence and 1 ^° C rise in intensity of marine heatwaves

Marine heatwaves are extreme climatic events consisting of persistent periods of warm ocean waters that have profound impacts on marine life. These episodes are becoming more intense, longer, and more frequent in response to anthropogenic global warming. Here, we provide a comprehensive and quantitative assessment on the role of global warming on marine heatwaves. To do so, we construct a counterfactual version of observed global sea surface temperatures since 1940, corresponding to a stationary climate without the effect of long-term increasing global temperatures, and use it to calculate the contribution of global air temperature rise on the intensity and persistence of marine heatwaves. We determine that global warming is responsible for nearly half of these extreme events and that, on a global average, it has led to a three-fold increase in the number of days per year that the oceans experience extreme surface heat conditions. We also show that global warming is responsible for an increase of 1 ° C in the maximum intensity of the events. Our findings highlight the detrimental role that human-induced global warming plays on marine heatwaves. This study supports the need for mitigation and adaptation strategies to address these threats to marine ecosystems.

Assessing therapeutic decisions in generalized myasthenia gravis: Study protocol

Background The therapeutic landscape in generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) has been continuously evolving in recent years, with over five products approved, each with different efficacy, safety, and administration profiles. With the availability of new targeted treatments, physicians are faced with the challenge of therapeutic decision-making tailored to traditional therapeutic goals, individual preferences, and personal experience, seeking optimal disease control with a positive safety profile. In this context of uncertainty and multiple novel choices, this study aims to provide insights into the preferred treatment choices of neurologists managing gMG and to identify demographic, professional or behavioral factors influencing the decision-making process. Methods This is a non-interventional, cross-sectional, web-based study involving 150 neurologists treating gMG patients in collaboration with the Spanish Society of Neurology. The primary endpoint will be to assess preferences for different gMG treatment attributes using a conjoint analysis to create hypothetical treatment scenarios. Therapeutic inertia, described as the lack of treatment initiation or intensification when therapeutic goals are not met, will be evaluated as a secondary endpoint through 7 case scenarios simulating real gMG clinical practice situations. Neurologists will also answer a survey composed of demographic, professional, and behavioral characteristics (user resistance behavior, care-related regret, burnout, risk attitude, empathy, work fulfilment, and personality traits) to recognize possible factors influencing decisions. Conclusions The study findings will contribute to better understanding of decision-making in gMG under a changing therapeutic landscape with multiple new targeted options, and will identify which factors have a role in affecting those decisions.

The world through infant eyes: Evidence for the early emergence of the cardinal orientation bias

The structure of the environment includes more horizontal and vertical (i.e. cardinal) orientations than oblique orientations, meaning that edges tend to be aligned with or perpendicular to the direction of gravity. This bias in the visual scene is associated with a bias in visual sensitivity in adults. Although infants must learn to function in this biased environment, their immature motor control prevents them from consistently orienting themselves, relative to gravity. This study therefore asked whether cardinal orientations dominate human visual experience from early infancy or only from later in development, as motor control improves. We analyze video clips from head-mounted cameras, showing the egocentric perspective of 75 infants (1 to 12 mo) in their home environments in two communities (Indiana, USA vs. Tamil Nadu, India). We measured the distribution of orientations in each frame of these videos and found that horizontal and vertical orientations were overrepresented in infants from both countries. A cardinal orientation bias was evident even in the egocentric view of the youngest infants (3 wk) and became more prominent during the subsequent weeks of development. The early presence of a cardinal orientation bias in infants’ visual input may serve as a consistent cue to gravity and ground planes, potentially influencing motor development and contributing to the formation of sensory, perceptual, and cognitive biases.

Correction: Geographical mapping and temporal trends of Acinetobacter baumannii carbapenem resistance: A comprehensive meta-analysis

Targeting the complement lectin pathway with a highly specific MASP-2 inhibitor protects against renal ischemia–reperfusion injury

Renal ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common complication in several clinical scenarios including kidney transplantation. Mannan-binding lectin-associated serine proteinase (MASP)-2 is essential for activation of the complement lectin pathway, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of renal IRI and therefore represents a potential therapeutic target. We developed a new, affinity-enhanced MASP-2 inhibitor, EVO24, by directed evolution of the D2 domain of human tissue factor pathway inhibitor. EVO24 was fused with a human IgG1-Fc to create the homodimer EVO24L, which potently and selectively inhibited the lectin pathway in human and mouse serum in vitro. EVO24L was tested in a mouse model of unilateral warm renal IRI. EVO24L administered before and after ischemia significantly protected against IRI, with improved renal function as well as reduced tubular injury and inflammatory cell infiltration at 24 h compared to vehicle-treated mice. Immunofluorescence analyses showed reduced deposition of complement components (C3d, C4d, and C9) and reduced expression of VCAM-1, indicating a decrease in complement activation and endothelial cell activation. Additionally, EVO24L treatment lowered plasma levels of complement C5a, hyaluronan (a marker of endothelial glycocalyx shedding), and the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α. Our findings indicate that EVO24L inhibits acute inflammatory responses in renal IRI by blocking the lectin pathway, confirming the important role of this pathway in acute ischemic kidney injury and warranting further investigation of EVO24L in clinical settings.

Correction: Practice patterns on the management of secondary hyperparathyroidism in the United States: Results from a modified Delphi panel

War both reduced and increased inequality over the past 10,000 years

Scholars are divided over the long-term effects that war has had on inequality. Some have argued that conflict grows the gap between rich and poor. Others counter that violence levels out wealth differences. The GINI Project Database is a large global sample of archaeological data on house sizes created to investigate what factors influenced economic inequality over long periods of time, including warfare. Over 39,000 individual residential units were coded as having fortifications present or absent, with about a third in fortified settlements (n = 13,372) and two-thirds in unfortified settlements (n = 25,897). We compared residential disparity (differences in residential unit sizes within a settlement) at sites around the world (n = 770) dating as far back as 10,000 y ago. We found strong support for the expectation that conflict was linked with increasing residential disparity (i.e., wealth inequality), specifically when governance was less collective and the main factor limiting agricultural production was available land. However, we also found long periods, especially in the earliest eras represented in the database, when fortified settlements had residential disparity less than or equal to unfortified settlements. These early societies tended to be more collective with available labor limiting agricultural production. We speculate that in these communities, the relative value of coalition building was higher, whereas in cases where conflict was associated with rising residential disparity, elites found a way to leverage their wealth to protect property. These contradictory models help explain why war co-occurs with increasing inequality in some cases and decreasing inequality in others.

Molecular detection of Bartonella spp. DNA in dogs with hemangiosarcoma

Introduction The potential role of pathogens, particularly vector-transmitted infectious agents, as a cofactor or cause of neoplasia has not been intensively investigated. We previously reported a potential link between Bartonella spp. bacteremia and splenic hemangiosarcoma (HSA) in dogs living in the United States. The purpose of this study was to: 1/ further determine the prevalence of Bartonella spp. DNA in dogs with splenic HSA from throughout the United States; 2/ assess the impact of sample preservation methods on Bartonella spp. DNA amplification using characterized tissue samples from dogs diagnosed with HSA. Methods In a blinded manner, we determined the presence of Bartonella spp. DNA in scrolls from biorepository formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) spleens from dogs living in three distant locations geographically transecting the United States. DNA extracted from non-lesional spleens (n = 249), nodular lymphoid hyperplasia spleens (n = 248), and splenic HSA (n = 330) were tested by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Subsequently, Bartonella PCR results from FFPE tissues and formalin-fixed tissues were compared using previously tested fresh frozen tissues from an additional 48 dogs with HSA. Results There was no significant difference in the proportion of Bartonella PCR positive FFPE tissues from dogs diagnosed with an alesional spleen, nodular lymphoid hyperplasia, and splenic HSA. Regardless of the histological diagnosis, the most common Bartonella species identified was B. henselae (32/38). Bartonella spp. DNA was detected in a significantly larger proportion of fresh frozen tissues compared to FFPE tissues, when tested by qPCR (22/48 versus 1/48; p &lt;0.0001) or ddPCR (19/48 versus 1/48; p &lt;0.0001). Using ddPCR, Bartonella DNA was more often amplified from formalin-fixed tissues compared to FFPE tissues (15/39 versus 1/39; p &lt;0.0001). The sensitivity of qPCR on FFPE samples and formalin-fixed samples, when comparing to fresh frozen samples as the reference standard, was 4.5% and 11.8%, respectively. Conclusion Due to decreased DNA amplification efficiency, FFPE scrolls should not be used for the detection of Bartonella infection in spleen samples from dogs with HSA. PCR testing of fresh frozen tissues substantially improves the detection of Bartonella spp. infection. If fresh frozen tissues are not available, formalin-fixed tissues should be tested with digital PCR to enhance Bartonella DNA detection.

Toward multiscalar measures of inequality in archaeology

The Gini coefficient is a statistical measure commonly used to characterize distributions of socioeconomic quantities. Archaeologists and social scientists have recently adopted this method to analyze ancient inequality by targeting specific proxy variables (e.g., residential unit size, burial data, etc.). Variations in the Gini are then examined in relation to key factors such as time, geography, and subsistence. Yet, Gini coefficients could be obtained across different scales of aggregation, from small neighborhoods within a larger settlement to an ensemble of multiple settlements that are part of the same polity. These different scales of aggregation represent considerable methodological and theoretical challenges, as larger scales might, for example, imply greater social and economic variation within groups and thus affect the Gini coefficients. Furthermore, these issues can also be exacerbated by the idiosyncrasies and limitations of historical and archaeological datasets. This paper discusses the potential and challenges of measuring Gini coefficients at and above the scale of individual archaeological sites, contrasting different approaches and discussing how each can reveal insights into different patterns of past wealth inequality, addressing methodological, empirical, and theoretical implications arising from the multiscalar nature of human interactions.

WA-YOLO: An explosive material detection algorithm for blasting sites based on YOLOv8

Pyrotechnic detection has always been one of the critical issues in blasting safety. Due to the complex environment of blasting sites, irregular detonator wire postures, and the differences in object scales, making the detection of pyrotechnics more challenging. To address these challenges, this paper proposes an improved algorithm based on a multi-scale parallel attention mechanism and wavelet-separable convolution, called WA-YOLO. First, we integrate wavelet convolution into depthwise separable convolution and propose a novel convolutional block (WSDConv, Wavelet Separable Depthwise Convolution). This new convolutional block is added to the model’s backbone, improving feature extraction while also lowering computational parameters. Furthermore, we introduce an improved Cross Stage Partial (CSP) structure by combining multi-scale convolutions with a parallel attention mechanism, embedding it into the C2f module of the neck network to improve the model’s ability to detect objects of varying scales in complex backgrounds. To tackle the detection accuracy drop caused by the irregular shapes and varying aspect ratios of detonator wires, the model uses the Wise-IoU loss function. This enhances the model’s generalization and robustness by improving the precision of overlap calculations for bounding boxes. The experimental results show that the improved model achieved an average precision increase of 12.6% on the self-built dataset, particularly with an average precision increase of 8.3% in the detection of detonators. Additionally, the model performance also improved on the VOC2012 dataset, with a recall increase of 1.3% and an average precision increase of 1.6%. These results indicate that the proposed model exhibits strong generalization capabilities, can work effectively across different datasets, and provides an effective solution to the challenges of target detection in blasting environments.

Labor, land, and the global dynamics of economic inequality

Here, we assess the extent to which land use relating to food acquisition (farming, herding, foraging) and associated value regimes shaped past economic inequality. We consider the hypothesis that land-use systems in which production was limited by heritable material wealth (such as land) sustained higher levels of inequality than those limited by (free) human labor. We address this hypothesis using the Global Dynamics of InequalIty (GINI) project database, estimating economic inequalities based on disparities in residential unit area and storage capacity within sites in different world regions and through time. We find that inequality was significantly greater in land-limited than labor-limited regimes, whether based on residence area or storage capacity, though governance could moderate these differences. Increasing inequality with larger residence and/or site size is associated with underlying shifts from labor- to land-limited economies. Transitions from labor- to land-limited regimes also appear to underlie the development of extended political hierarchies. Increases in inequality after cultivation became common in each hemisphere similarly reflect shifts from labor- to land-limited systems. Land-limited systems in the eastern hemisphere, incorporating animal traction, exhibit an upward trend in inequality over time, while a downward trend in the western hemisphere reflects the lower persistence of land-limited regimes based solely on human labor.

Study of biological safety of camel milk after treatment with different antibiotics

The use of antibiotics in camels is generally based on the doses applied to cattle, despite the known differences in plasma pharmacokinetics between camel and cattle. The demand for camel milk increased due to the belief that traditional camel farming practices produce safe milk with health benefits. For assessing the importance of antibiotic residues in camel milk and to propose a convenient withdrawal period, a trial was conducted on 10 lactating camels (7–12 years old; 450 kg life weight (LW), 7–8 liter of milk production per day) at mid-lactation receiving an injection of 40 mL of Pen-strep® (benzylpenicillin-procaine 200,000 IU/1 ml and dihydrostreptomycin sulfate 200 mg/1 ml) and Nitox® (oxytetracycline dihydrate 200 mg/1 ml). The antibiotic residues were measured in the milk 30 min after injection then on day 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 14, 19, 24 and 56 by using HPLC-MS/MS. Results showed that penicillin’s mean residual concentration (0.3 ± 0.013 mg/kg) remained 7.5 times above the maximum residue limit (MRL) even on 56th day. In contrast, streptomycin fell below the MRL within 30 minutes and averaged 1 µg/kg by day 56. Oxytetracycline levels exceeded the MRL (0.1 mg/kg) until day 14 but dropped to a safe level of 0.018 ± 0.01 mg/kg by day 24. In conclusion, the decline in streptomycin concentration post-injection appeared rapid and efficient, the elimination of penicillin and tetracycline was slow. These preliminary results lead to considering the necessity to adapt the waiting time to the dairy camel.