Browse Articles

The role of ambiguous valence, origin, and activation in behavioral and eye-tracking measurements during N-back task

Hearing loss and executive functions – results from a population-based cohort study

Introduction Hearing loss is linked to cognitive decline, yet its relation to specific executive functions remains unclear. This study examines associations between planning ability, pure-tone audiometry and speech-in-noise performance. Methods Data were drawn from the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS), a large population-based cohort at the University Medical Center Mainz. Participants with complete pure-tone audiometry and planning ability data were included ( N  = 4,458; 2,314 males (51.9%), 2,144 (48.1%) females; mean age 58.0 ± 10.1 years, range 40–80). Audiologic testing included air- and bone-conduction pure-tone audiometry; hearing impairment was defined by WHO threshold. Speech-in-noise perception was measured using the German Matrix Test “Oldenburg Satztest”. Planning ability was assessed using the Freiburg version of the Tower of London. Associations were analyzed with linear and logistic regression. Results Hearing loss (HL ≥ 20 dB; both ears) revealed a significant negative association with planning ability total score (β = −0.346, p < 0.01), but not significantly with clinical executive dysfunction (<16. Percentile total TOL) (OR=1.109, p = 0.43). Higher planning ability reduced the likelihood of hearing impairment (OR=0.97, p = 0.006) and was linked to better speech-in-noise perception (lower OLSA SRT, β = −0.035, p = 0.001). Conclusion Hearing loss is linked to reduced planning ability, while higher planning ability decreases the likelihood of hearing impairment and increased speech perception in noise. These findings support models proposing that hearing loss imposes additional demands on working memory and attention. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify causal directions and the potential role of interventions.

Amphiphilic Interfacial Environment Reconfiguration Unlocks Long‐Life Zinc‐Ion Batteries With Lean Electrolytes and Ultra‐Low <i> <b>N</b> </i> / <i>P</i> Ratios

ABSTRACT Water‐induced parasitic reactions and dendrite growth severely limit the performance of aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs), particularly under practical conditions with ultra‐low negative/positive ( N / P ) ratios and electrolyte/capacity ( E / C ) ratios. Herein, a trace amount of amphiphilic carbinol (hydroxyl) terminated polydimethylsiloxane (CTP) is employed to reconfigure the interfacial charge environment at the Zn anode. The hydrophobic Si─O backbone of the CTP molecule adsorbs directionally onto the Zn surface through electrostatic forces, which facilitates compact coverage on the anode and effectively blocks the interfacial H 2 O contact to suppress parasitic reactions. Furthermore, theoretical calculations reveal that CTP exhibits high permanent and asymmetric dipole moments, serving as a highly efficient interfacial charge regulator. Upon capturing Zn 2+ by the hydrophilic hydroxyl groups, the CTP molecules effectively mediate interfacial charge distribution and electron transfer kinetics, thus promoting uniform Zn deposition. Consequently, the Zn//NH 4 V 4 O 10 battery exhibits exceptional cycling stability over 800 cycles at 0.5 A g −1 with a limited N / P ratio of 1.3 and E / C ratio of 15.84 µL mAh −1 . This work highlights the significance of constructing dipole‐mediated amphiphilic interfacial environments for advancing practical AZIBs under harsh working conditions.

Distinct absolute bandgap deformation potentials of direct and indirect gaps in bilayer WSe2

Bilayer (BL) transition metal dichalcogenides exhibit rich optoelectronic phenomena, including strong strain-induced bandgap tunability and creation of strain-induced spectrally isolated quantum-light emitters. However, two important governing parameters of strain tunability—absolute bandgap deformation potentials (DPs) and mode Grüneisen parameters—remain largely unexplored. Here, we focus on the Kc and Qc conduction-band valleys and the Kv valence-band valley of BL WSe2, and create localized biaxial strain using dielectric nanoparticle stressors. By combining spatially resolved Raman spectroscopy at room temperature and photoluminescence spectroscopy at low (4–130 K) and room temperatures with a theoretical model, we extract DPs of −6.04 eV for the Qc–Kv indirect bandgap and −8.45 eV for the Kc–Kv direct bandgap. These results indicate that approximately 0.9% biaxial tensile strain is sufficient to drive an indirect-to-direct bandgap transition in BL WSe2, in agreement with previous reports. We also measure a Grüneisen parameter of 1.55 for the E2g mode. Notably, a localized strain of only ∼0.4% renders BL WSe2 optically as bright as an unstrained monolayer. This work paves the way for advances in flexible electronics, sensors, optoelectronics, and quantum-photonic devices through precise strain engineering of BL WSe2.

DLoG – automatic disc based laplacian of gaussian operator for carotid artery boundary extraction in ultrasound images

Testing for pre- and post-copulatory inbreeding avoidance in the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum

Inbreeding depression poses a significant threat to fitness in many taxonomic groups. Studies have suggested that females may mate with multiple males to reduce inbreeding through post-copulatory discrimination against closely related males. Stored product pests are a group where inbreeding risk may arise frequently as small numbers colonies patchily distributed resources. We examined potential pre- and post-copulatory inbreeding avoidance in the red flour beetle Tribolium  castaneous using direct observation of breeding behaviour and subsequent scoring of offspring parentage using phenotypical markers . Contrary to expectations, males courted and mated with related females slightly more frequently than with unrelated females. Offspring of unrelated parents were more likely to survive to adulthood, meaning that males unrelated to their mate had a higher number of adult offspring when competing for fertilisations with a male who was a full sibling to the female. When the lower survival of inbred offspring was accounted for, there was no difference in the estimated fertilisation success of males in relation to whether or not they were related to their mate. The second male to mate initially gained the majority of fertilisations, but this declined so that by week five, first and second males had similar fertilisation success. This suggests that sperm precedence in this species includes some effects of both sperm displacement and stratification of sperm within the spermatheca. We discuss our observation of a preference for mating with siblings combined with evidence for inbreeding depression in the context of potential inclusive fitness benefits of kin mating.

Coherent phase sampling protocol for fast single-shot Rydberg electrometry in pulsed microwave sensing

Rydberg electrometry via steady-state spectral shifts is bandwidth-limited by microsecond-scale atomic relaxation. We propose a coherent phase sampling protocol that interrogates transient dynamics, overcoming this limit. In a four-level Rydberg atom, a dark state is prepared, followed by microwave-only evolution for nanosecond-scale phase accumulation, then read out via a probe transient. Our analytical and numerical results show that the resulting differential signal follows ΔI∝ sin2(Ωmτ/2), directly encoding the microwave field strength Ωm and evolution time τ. Optimal timing maximizes sensitivity. This scheme achieves a single-shot measurement time of ∼150 ns—an order of magnitude faster than the microsecond relaxation limit of conventional steady-state methods and offers competitive sensitivity. Experimental feasibility is discussed. This work shifts the paradigm from steady-state to transient readout, enabling fast single-shot Rydberg electrometry for pulsed radar and transient signal capture.

Kalman-aided uplink channel estimation for time-varying multi-user vehicular STAR-RIS systems

A multi-modal co-attention model for accurate drug-target interaction prediction

Accurate prediction of drug-target interactions (DTIs) plays a crucial role in modern drug discovery and repositioning. Despite recent advances in deep learning, existing methods often fail to effectively integrate heterogeneous data, such as molecular structures and protein sequences, into a unified representation. To address this limitation, we propose MMCA (Multi-Modal Co-Attention), a novel deep learning framework that introduces a multi-modal co-attention mechanism to dynamically align and fuse graph-based drug features with sequence-based protein embeddings. Our model leverages parallel encoding pathways to capture both structural and semantic information, followed by a context-aware fusion module that adaptively weighs cross-modal dependencies. Evaluation on three benchmark datasets—BioSNAP, BindingDB, and Human STRING—demonstrates that MMCA outperforms state-of-the-art methods in terms of AUC, AUPR, and F1-score, achieving up to 98.4% AUC. Ablation studies confirm the significance of our co-attention fusion mechanism in enhancing both accuracy and robustness. Case studies of high-confidence predictions reveal biologically plausible drug-protein interactions, supporting MMCA’s potential for prioritizing candidates for experimental validation. By enabling end-to-end multi-modal reasoning, MMCA provides a powerful framework for advancing DTI prediction systems and offers broad applicability for various bioinformatics tasks. The source code of MMCA is publicly available at https://github.com/Join-xiaobai/MMCA .

Synthetic O‐Polysaccharide Backbone Units for a Single Antigen Vaccine Against Two Major Non‐Typhoidal <i>Salmonella</i> Serovars

ABSTRACT Salmonella infections can cause life‐threatening systemic diseases in many regions of the world. With the prevalence of antimicrobial‐resistant Salmonella , vaccines are urgently needed to prevent and reduce infections. There are no vaccines available against any non‐typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) serovars, including two of the most common ones, that are, Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis. While traditional Salmonella vaccine approaches require a construct against each serotype, a new strategy has been developed in this work targeting the shared O‐polysaccharide backbone as a potential common vaccine antigen. Tri‐, hexa‐, and nona‐saccharides corresponding to one to three repeating units of the O‐polysaccharide backbone were synthesized stereoselectively via a modular approach. These oligosaccharides were conjugated to the bacteriophage Qβ carrier, which elicited strong IgG responses against the synthetic carbohydrate antigens upon immunization of both mice and rabbits. The trisaccharide antigen was sufficient to induce protective antibodies. The post‐immune sera from Qβ‐trisaccharide immunized rabbits recognized the native O‐polysaccharides from both S . Typhimurium and S . Enteritidis, and significantly protected mice against lethal challenges by these Salmonella serotypes. The ability of a single glycan antigen to protect against infections by two different NTS serovars is a significant step forward for broad‐spectrum anti‐ Salmonella vaccine design.

Linearly tunable bipolar photoresponse in parallel-architecture all-inorganic CsPbBr3/Si photodetectors for encrypted imaging

Bipolar photodetectors have attracted considerable attention in secure communication and encrypted imaging systems owing to their strong dual-band selectivity and intrinsic bipolar coding capabilities. However, achieving well-balanced responses for both the dual optical inputs and their bipolar electrical outputs remains challenging, primarily due to the absence of effective strategies for linearly modulating photoelectric conversion performance. Here, we report a bipolar photodetector based on a Pt/CsPbBr3 microcrystalline thin film/Si heterostructure fabricated via chemical vapor deposition. Through interface characterization, band structure analysis, and comparative device structure experiments, we elucidate the unique parallel configuration comprising CsPbBr3/Si and Pt/Si junctions, along with the underlying mechanism enabling bipolar photoresponse. Leveraging this parallel architecture, we achieve linear control over the photoelectric output by tuning the Pt electrode area. Furthermore, under power-matched dual-band illumination at 520 and 785 nm wavelengths, the device enables effective encryption and decryption of dual-band images, validating its potential for secure imaging applications. This work provides a promising pathway for developing bipolar photodetectors with well-balanced optical-to-electrical conversion, advancing their practical implementation in encrypted imaging systems.

Relationship between sortilin with ApoB/ApoA ratio in military personnel with arterial hypertension

Abstract The study investigates the relationship between sortilin levels and the ApoB/ApoA ratio in military personnel with arterial hypertension. A cross-sectional analytical study involving 120 male military personnel was conducted. Biochemical, hematological, and ELISA measurements were performed. Sortilin, ApoB, ApoB/ApoA ratio, and hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in the hypertensive group and correlated with systolic blood pressure. ROC analysis confirmed their discriminatory performance. Sortilin, ApoB, and hs-CRP are associated with hypertension and may be considered potential markers related to cardiovascular risk. However, due to the cross-sectional design, causal relationships cannot be established, and further large-scale prospective studies are required.

Extremes on the benign-malignant tumour spectrum: Distinct transcriptomic landscapes between two common canine perianal neoplasms based on the hallmarks of cancer

The hallmarks of cancer describe stepwise changes in cellular functions and molecular pathways of tumour cells that undergo malignant progression. Although 14 hallmarks have been proposed, their manifestation at the molecular level across different tumour types remains incompletely understood. Here, we hypothesised that hallmark-associated transcriptomic signatures reflect the contrasting biological behaviours of a pair of a benign and a malignant tumour. To this end, we compared the two most common canine perianal tumours, the highly malignant apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma (AGASAC) and the benign hepatoid gland adenoma (HGA). Spontaneous primary tumours were analysed using RNA-Seq (AGASAC n = 11, HGA n = 10) and a direct mRNA hybridisation panel (AGASAC n = 28, HGA n = 12). Large transcriptomic differences were observed in both the number of differentially expressed genes and enriched pathways. Surprisingly, transcriptomic differences based on the hallmarks of cancer were less pronounced that anticipated, particularly for “activating invasion and metastasis” and “inducing or accessing vasculature”. Only the HGAs showed a significant enrichment for “deregulating cellular energetics”. However, our data point towards a contrasting immune landscape between the compared tumours and a subgrouping of AGASACs associated with the inflammatory landscape. Overall, the transcriptomes of these two benign-malignant tumour extremes on the tumour spectrum contrasted each other in select aspects of the hallmarks. Still, their malignant or benign behaviours could not generally be mirrored on the mRNA level.

Cascaded resonance-enhanced photoconductive antenna (CREPA) for THz emission

With the increasing maturity and popularity of commercial terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) systems, photoconductive antennas (PCAs) have emerged as the most widely used terahertz source, albeit being plagued by relatively low radiation power. This is partly attributed to the inefficiency of transient photocurrent radiation. However, recent research has shown that the energy carried away by modes propagating along the PCA surface is also non-negligible, and there has been a lack of a universal method to effectively harness this wasted terahertz energy. Herein, we cascade two kinds of resonant meta-atoms on the coplanar transmission lines of PCA, efficiently rescattering the surface modes into the far field, achieving a full-bandwidth enhancement of terahertz far-field power with a total energy increase of up to 17.7 times. Our work provides a reproducible and universal approach to fully exploit the potential of PCAs. Even more valuable, this cascaded resonance-enhanced PCA retains the same breakdown thresholds for bias voltage and pump power as conventional PCAs, opening quick access for direct adoption in THz-TDS instruments and advancing the practicality of terahertz techniques.

Multivariate analysis of the pomological traits, biochemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and mineral content of strawberry tree (Arbutus andrachne L.) fruits

Inhaled nitric oxide in fibrotic and advanced interstitial lung disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Purpose Interstitial lung disease (ILD) can lead to pulmonary hypertension (PH), contributing to reduced exercise capacity in patients with ILD. Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) reduces pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance and may improve exercise capacity in this population; however, the available evidence remains limited. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of iNO versus placebo in patients with ILD. Methods We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane databases, and ClinicalTrials.gov for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing iNO with placebo in patients with ILD. The primary endpoint was 6-minute walk distance (6MWD). Secondary endpoint was moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Safety endpoint was any adverse events. Continuous endpoints were reported using mean differences (MDs) or standardized mean differences (SMDs), and binary endpoints were reported using risk ratios (RRs), all with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Four RCTs, including one crossover trial, enrolling 274 patients were analyzed. Of these, 172 received iNO. The median follow-up period was 12 weeks. In the pooled analyses, iNO likely results in little to no difference in 6MWD compared with placebo (MD 1.83m; 95% CI −12.98 to 16.64; p = 0.81), and may result in little to no difference in any adverse events (RR 1.12; 95% CI 0.97 to 1.30; p = 0.12) and MVPA (SMD 0.32; 95% CI −0.93 to 1.56; p = 0.39). Conclusion INO did not demonstrate improvements in 6MWD or MVPA. These findings do not support routine use of iNO in this population.

A VIS-NIR multispectral endoscopic imaging system based on computational imaging and parallel acquisition

Multispectral endoscopic imaging enables simultaneous acquisition of spatial and spectral information for functional tissue assessment. Conventional multispectral endoscopes are often limited by bulky optical architectures and restricted spectral channels. Here, we demonstrate an active single-pixel multispectral endoscopic system based on parallel spectral detection. Structured illumination generated by a digital micromirror device is efficiently coupled into the endoscopic channel, while multiple narrowband-filtered detectors integrated at the probe tip enable synchronous visible–near-infrared (VIS-NIR) acquisition. Fourier single-pixel reconstruction is employed to achieve high-quality imaging at low sampling rates. Experiments under white-light, broadband, and fluorescence conditions confirm stable parallel acquisition, minimal crosstalk, and reliable spectral discrimination from 450 to 1550 nm. The proposed architecture provides a compact and scalable approach for VIS-NIR multispectral endoscopy.

Quantitative reconstruction and sedimentary response of a Jurassic paleodrainage system

Edible agents with perceptible minds: A psychological study of human perception in human–food interaction

Investigating the psychological and cognitive mechanisms of eating living beings is important for understanding ethical judgments and decision-making in eating behaviors. For example, the meat paradox describes a conflict about harming animals for food. In addition, perceiving a mind in a target has been shown to influence ethical judgment. However, experimentally investigating such food-related ethical themes is difficult, particularly when using actual animals, due to ethical constraints. Therefore, this study proposes an experimental framework using edible agents. Previous research developed a movable edible robot and examined the psychological and cognitive effects of eating moving food. Building on this, we developed an edible agent capable of social interaction through vocalization and evaluated its psychological effects. We examined how people perceive the minds of edible agents with different vocalization types and behaviors, and how this perception influences reluctance to eat and guilt. In the experiment, participants ( N  = 1,094) viewed two videos in which edible agents exhibited different vocalizations and movements and evaluated their impressions. Factor analysis of 18 mind-perception items extracted two factors—Agency and Experience—with a cumulative contribution of 57.8% ( α = 0.941 and 0.862, respectively). Agency scores were significantly higher in Video 1 than in Video 2 ( W  = 481,686, p  &lt; .001, r  = 0.800), whereas Experience scores were higher in Video 2 ( W  = 75,619, p  &lt; .001, r  = 0.717). Reluctance to eat differed significantly ( W  = 32,018, p  &lt; .001, r  = 0.270), whereas guilt showed no significant difference ( W  = 23,369, p  = .103, r  = 0.108). However, no significant relationship was observed between mind perception and either reluctance to eat or guilt. This study provides new insights into social interactions between humans and edible artificial objects, highlighting the potential of edible agents to deepen understanding of food culture and its ethical dimensions.

Non-equilibrium growth induced symmetry breaking and valley polarization restoration in radiation-warning-symbol patterned bilayer MoS2

Atomically layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) exhibit exceptional physical properties dictated by their thickness and stacking-order-dependent symmetry. However, the controllable synthesis of multilayer TMDCs with specialized morphologies remains a significant challenge, hindering fundamental studies of their layer-dependent physics. Herein, we report the non-equilibrium growth of bilayer molybdenum disulfide featuring a unique radiation-warning-symbol (RWS) morphology. By introducing an extremely Mo-rich environment during chemical vapor deposition, we trigger a transition from thermodynamic to kinetic growth regimes, promoting secondary nucleation and out-of-plane fractal expansion. Systematic morphological evolution reveals that the RWS pattern originates from anisotropic growth rates at skeletal vertices, where the precursor supply rate is approximately 1.7 times higher than at the edges, followed by a late-stage thermodynamic-filling process. Furthermore, circularly polarized photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals a spatial restoration of valley polarization (P ≈ 32.2%) at the geometric center of the RWS flakes, contrasting with the quenched polarization in the surrounding 2H-stacked bilayer regions. This local symmetry breaking is attributed to the rapid nucleation-induced lattice strain or rotational twist at the core. This work provides a robust strategy for the morphology-controlled synthesis of hierarchical TMDC architectures and offers insights into the interplay between growth dynamics and valleytronic degrees of freedom.