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Effects of genetic mutations on left ventricular myocardial mechanics and fibrosis patterns in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Pointer meters recognition method in the wild based on innovative deep learning techniques
Stability analysis of an expansive soil slope under heavy rainfall conditions with different anchor reinforcements
Brain activity patterns reflecting security perceptions of female cyclists in virtual reality experiments
AbstractActive transportation, such as cycling, improves mobility and general health. However, statistics reveal that in low- and middle-income countries, male and female cycling participation rates differ significantly. Existing literature highlights that women’s willingness to use bicycles is significantly influenced by their perception of security. This study employs virtual reality (VR) cycling simulation and electroencephalography (EEG) analysis to investigate factors influencing female cyclists’ perceptions of security in Tehran. A total of 52 female participants took part in four scenarios within a VR bicycle simulator, which simulates various environmental settings. In this experiment, participants’ brainwave signals are gathered through an EEG device, and a questionnaire with their stated preferences is filled out. The Gaussian mixture approach is used to cluster brainwave patterns based on security perception from EEG data. Subsequently, four supervised machine learning methods, random forest, support vector machine, logistic regression, and multilayer perceptron, are utilized to classify influential factors on security perception using clustered EEG data. Consequently, the support vector machine model, with an F1 score of 0.74, appears to be the most effective technique for the classification of environmental and surveillance factors. Furthermore, the SelectKBest algorithm determines that factors such as the presence of obstacles like kiosks, cycling routes passing through tunnels and underpasses, the level of incivility in the urban cycling environment, and the presence of informal surveillance have the biggest impact on female cyclists’ security perception.
Feasibility study of hyperspectral colposcopy as a novel tool for detecting precancerous cervical lesions
Intra-individual variability in ancient plasmodium DNA recovery highlights need for enhanced sampling
Abstract Malaria has been a leading cause of death in human populations for centuries and remains a major public health challenge in African countries, especially affecting children. Among the five Plasmodium species infecting humans, Plasmodium falciparum is the most lethal. Ancient DNA research has provided key insights into the origins, evolution, and virulence of pathogens that affect humans. However, extensive screening of ancient skeletal remains for Plasmodium DNA has shown that such genomic material is rare, with no studies so far addressing potential intra-individual variability. Consequently, the pool of ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or genomic sequences for P. falciparum is extremely limited, with fewer than 20 ancient sequences available for genetic analysis, and no complete P. falciparum mtDNA from Classical antiquity published to date. To investigate intra-individual diversity and genetic origins of P. falciparum from the Roman period, we generated 39 sequencing libraries from multiple teeth and two from the femur of a Roman malaria-infected individual. The results revealed considerable variability in P. falciparum recovery across different dental samples within the individual, while the femur samples showed no preservation of Plasmodium DNA. The reconstructed 43-fold P. falciparum mtDNA genome supports the hypothesis of an Indian origin for European P. falciparum and suggests mtDNA continuity in Europe over the past 2000 years.
Enhancing the growth and essential oil components of Lavandula latifolia using Malva parviflora extract and humic acid as biostimulants in a field experiment
AbstractNatural extracts as biostimulants have the potential to enhance the productivity and growth of many medicinal and aromatic plants. This study aimed to enhance the growth, and essential oil (EO) content, as well as composition of Lavandula latifolia Medik. by using Malva parviflora L. extract (ME) as a biostimulant in combination with humic acid (HA) in a field experiment in two successive seasons of 2022 and 2023. The phenolic, flavonoid and water-soluble vitamins of the ME were analyzed using an HPLC. The protein amino acids of the ME were identified by an amino acid analyzer. The prepared concentrations of HA (0, 1, 2, and 4 g/L) were applied to the soil. While, they for ME (0, 2, 4, and 6 g/L) were added as a foliar spray. The EO compositions collected from the leaves of the treated L. latifolia plants were subjected to the hydro-distillation method and analyzed using GC-MS. The most prevalent vitamins found in ME were vitamin B12, vitamin C, and folic acid. Besides, several phenolic compounds were found in ME, such as catechol, cinnamic acid and syringic acid, while flavonoid chemicals, such as luteolin and quercetin. Also, alanine, ammonia, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, and tyrosine were the ME’s most prominent nitrogenous and amino acid components. The most effective treatments of HA and ME on the plant height, the number of branches/plant, and plant fresh weight were 4 + 6 g/L and 4 + 2 g/L for leaf area and chlorophyll content, it was 4 + 4 g/L; and for EO percentage were 4 + 0 g/L, 2 + 0 g/L, and 4 + 4 g/L, compared to the control treatment for each characteristic. The main EO compounds eucalyptol, camphor, α-pinene, β-pinene, Δ-elemene, germacrene D-4-ol, isoborneol, β-caryophyllene oxide, and tau.-cadinol identified in the leaves were found in the range of 28.74–46.19%, 15.34–30.49%, 3.39–7.16%, 0–5.08%, 0–5.18%, 0–3.20%, 0–3.31% and 0–3.40%, respectively. It can be concluded that a combination treatment of HA and ME as natural biostimulant compounds at 4 + 4 g/L could be recommended for good plant growth, and EO quantity of L. latifolia plants.
CXCL8 modulates M0 macrophage proliferation and polarization to influence tumor progression in cervical cancer
Integrating ecological and recreational functions to optimize ecological security pattern in Fuzhou City
AbstractThe scientific establishment of the Ecological Security Pattern (ESP) is crucial for fostering the synergistic development of ecological and recreational functions, thereby enhancing urban ecological protection, recreational development, and sustainable growth. This study aimed to propose a novel method of constructing ESP considering both ecological and recreational functions, and to reconstruct ESP by weighing the relationship between ecological protection and recreational development. Utilizing Fuzhou City as a case study, a comprehensive application of methodologies including Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA), landscape connectivity analysis, ArcGIS spatial analysis, social network analysis (SNA), and circuit theory is employed to develop both the ESP and the Recreational Spatial Pattern (RSP). A trade-off matrix is created to facilitate the reconstruction of the ESP, delineate functional zones, and identify strategic points, followed by a thorough optimization and development strategy. The analysis revealed 36 ecological source areas (ESAs) within Fuzhou City, encompassing a total area of 5807.90 km², predominantly situated in the western and northern regions. Additionally, 98 ecological corridors (ECs) were identified, extending over 2500.55 km, alongside 100 ecological pinch points (EPPs) and 146 ecological barrier points (EBPs). The city also contains 57 recreational nodes (RNs),, which display a spatial distribution characterized by a “dense in the east, sparse in the west” pattern. Furthermore, 165 recreational corridors (RCs) were extracted, covering a distance of 3795.21 km. Based on the trade-off matrix, Fuzhou City was categorized into eight functional zones: ecological core zone, ecological important zone, eco-recreation key trade-off zone, eco-recreation secondary trade-off zone, recreational core zone, recreational important zone, recreational development zone, and elastic development zone.The study identified 95 key strategic points and 475 sub-strategic. A multifunctional and complex ESP was constructed, characterized by “one core, five districts, six corridors, and seven wedges”, and a tailored ecological and recreational planning and development strategy for Fuzhou City was proposed. This research contributes a theoretical framework for the construction and optimization of a multifunctional ESP and supports the coordinated high-quality development of ecological protection and recreational activities in urban environments.
Susceptibility map-weighted MRI can distinguish tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease from essential tremor
Oncolytic alphavirus-induced extracellular vesicles counteract the immunosuppressive effect of melanoma-derived extracellular vesicles
Single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis accurately predicts multiple impairments in hippocampal activity and memory performance in a murine model of idiopathic autism
Clinical manifestation and laboratory data of illicit drugs versus other substances intoxication in children
Delivery of Prime editing in human stem cells using pseudoviral NanoScribes particles
Hierarchically aligned heterogeneous core-sheath hydrogels
Spontaneous base flipping helps drive Nsp15’s preferences in double stranded RNA substrates
AbstractCoronaviruses evade detection by the host immune system with the help of the endoribonuclease Nsp15, which regulates levels of viral double stranded RNA by cleaving 3′ of uridine (U). While prior structural data shows that to cleave double stranded RNA, Nsp15’s target U must be flipped out of the helix, it is not yet understood whether Nsp15 initiates flipping or captures spontaneously flipped bases. We address this gap by designing fluorinated double stranded RNA substrates that allow us to directly relate a U’s sequence context to both its tendency to spontaneously flip and its susceptibility to cleavage by Nsp15. Through a combination of nuclease assays, 19F NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and single particle cryo-EM, we determine that Nsp15 acts most efficiently on unpaired Us, particularly those that are already flipped. Across sequence contexts, we find Nsp15’s cleavage efficiency to be directly related to that U’s tendency to spontaneously flip. Overall, our findings unify previous characterizations of Nsp15’s cleavage preferences, and suggest that activity of Nsp15 during infection is partially driven by bulged or otherwise relatively accessible Us that appear at strategic positions in the viral RNA.
Connecting genomic results for psychiatric disorders to human brain cell types and regions reveals convergence with functional connectivity
AbstractIdentifying cell types and brain regions critical for psychiatric disorders and brain traits is essential for targeted neurobiological research. By integrating genomic insights from genome-wide association studies with a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of the adult human brain, we prioritized specific neuronal clusters significantly enriched for the SNP-heritabilities for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder along with intelligence, education, and neuroticism. Extrapolation of cell-type results to brain regions reveals the whole-brain impact of schizophrenia genetic risk, with subregions in the hippocampus and amygdala exhibiting the most significant enrichment of SNP-heritability. Using functional MRI connectivity, we further confirmed the significance of the central and lateral amygdala, hippocampal body, and prefrontal cortex in distinguishing schizophrenia cases from controls. Our findings underscore the value of single-cell transcriptomics in understanding the polygenicity of psychiatric disorders and suggest a promising alignment of genomic, transcriptomic, and brain imaging modalities for identifying common biological targets.