A 50-year-old woman, diagnosed with severe rheumatic mitral stenosis, was referred for transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) study. Transesophageal echocardiogram was done to confirm suitability for percutaneous balloon valvotomy and to look for any evidence of thrombus in left atrial appendage (LAA). TEE evaluation followed by CT scan and MRI modality confirmed the patient having congenital absence of LAA – a rare occurrence with less than 25 reports in literature.

This paper aims to evaluate the scientific research productivity and scholarly impact of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Surathkal by using Bibliometric and Altmetric assessments. The sample data was obtained from the Scopus database, covering the period from 2011-2020. A total of 3991 publications comprised only journal articles with 57,917 citations appeared. The Altmetric data was retrieved using data mining techniques, like API and scraping. An in-depth analysis incorporated various bibliometric and descriptive statistical methods using MS Excel, R statistical software (Biblioshiny), and VOSviewer. The findings show that there has been a significant rise in the research activities at NIT Surathkal over the past decade. The study reveals that the primary research focuses on Single-crystal X-ray Study, Heat transfer, and Nanofluid. The USA, Europe, and some Asian countries like Malaysia and Indonesia are the most inventive regions with divergent research directions. The study conducted a detailed analysis of the research progress, social structure, intellectual structure, and conceptual structure, along with the social media attention given to the research publications.

\cite{Kawamura_2025}The Northern Annular Mode (NAM) is the dominant pattern of atmospheric circulation variability in the wintertime Northern Hemisphere extratropics. This study utilizes a large ensemble atmospheric simulation dataset to examine the seasonality of the NAM variability and its modulations under global warming. We show an enhancement of the Aleutian Low anomaly associated with the NAM in a warmer climate. This enhancement is related to the emergence of the Aleutian-Icelandic Low seesaw (AIS) from early winter, which is in contrast prominent only in late winter in the historical climate. The large ensemble reveals a significant increase in the fraction of the NAM variance explained by sea surface temperature and sea ice variability, suggesting a higher potential predictability. In particular, the eastward extension of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnection under global warming contributes to the AIS formation even in early winter and a higher NAM-ENSO correlation.

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission provides an unparalleled observation system for monitoring global surface water resources. For the Australian continent, where many rivers and wetland systems are unmonitored, SWOT data offers a new and unrivalled observation dataset, yielding constraints and knowledge for water management systems. Here, we assess which of the many SWOT data sets are able to provide information in the Australian setting and we quantify the accuracy of the estiates against a series of in situ gauge measurements. The SWOT water heights derived from the raster product are found to have a weighted root-mean-square error of ~5 cm but the product fails to sample small water bodies such as narrow rivers<$40 m wide. We found that, with careful filtering of the pixel cloud data, comparable levels of accuracy can be obtained, including on rivers ~40 m wide and reservoirs as small as ~$100x100 m.

This article attempts to explain the concept of social action as a specific type of behavior. To achieve this, we first clarified that social action is a behavior characterized by intentionality and self-awareness. We then examined the social nature of action and discussed two interpretations of this characteristic: first, that an action is social if it is learned through the process of socialization, and second, that an action is social if it is directed towards another actor. Frequentative social actions shape social relationships. Social relationships serve as conduits for performing social actions and can have their own specific agreements and contents. Subsequently, the key elements of social action are discussed: the actor's intention and the physical aspect of the action. Finally, a typology of four pure types of social actions is presented: rational value-oriented actions, rational instrumental actions, affective actions, and traditional actions.

Bridging the Democratic Deficit: A Structural Critique of Japan’s Electoral Representation System AbstractThis manuscript examines the ongoing disconnect between public will and political representation in the context of contemporary Japan. Japan operates under a formally democratic system, but the systemic distortions stemming from a hybrid electoral system and the dominance of party politics undermine the representation of citizen interests. This paper examines the structural features and political implications of Japan’s mixed-member electoral system while also analyzing the structural realities of party politics, such as factionalism and dynastic politics, to consider how systemic dislocation has led to a broad public apathy and disconnection from the political process. The paper draws upon empirical evidence, and theoretical reflection, to posit a larger overhaul of electoral and institutional arrangements to enable democratic accountability and rebuild public trust. IntroductionTheoretically speaking, Japan is among the world's liberal democracies: it has elections, a constitution, and formally pluralistic institutions. There is, however, an increasing amount of scholarship and public discussion that points to one glaring gap: voters express a preference but then political outcomes do not reflect their preferences. This mismatch raises serious questions about the democratic legitimacy and representative integrity of the current form of democracy in Japan. The problem is rooted in a range of structural and political systematic entrenchments: a mixed electoral system that does not proportionally reflect voter intent, a dominant party system that denies alternative avenues of political action, and a political class that is evermore distancing itself from public accountability. This paper looks at structural and political factors that lead us to conclude that Japan’s democracy —though functionally intact — does not meaningfully facilitate democracy as representational governance. The electoral reforms of the 1990s were intended to address corruption and create a more representative composition. Yet the two lines of SMDs and PR have created a new type of structural inequity. In terms of party dynamics, the party politics within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) continues to create and reproduce factional order hierarchies, and kinship-based forms of leadership that have distanced political parties from the ordinary voter.This study will explore the relationship between the electoral structures of Japan and political parties' reproduction of dwindling popular engagement in the political process with the goal of proposing structural changes toward restoring representative integrity. Literature ReviewA very large amount of political science literature has analyzed the flaws and weaknesses of Japan's electoral and party systems. The mixed representation—SMDs and PR—was meant to be a compromise between local accountability and national proportionality. As Reed (2011) argues, the model causes a number of "wasted votes", and ultimately disenfranchises a significant number of voters. Within the SMDs, only the candidate with a plurality wins, and this often distorts the number of seats in relation to the national size of the vote. Reed illustrates this disparity in the 2017 House of Representatives election, in which the LDP won 61% of the seats in parliament while only winning 33% of the national proportional vote. It suffers from a serious disparity (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 2017). This process undermines fairness in elections and favours larger parties unfairly which maintains the hold of these parties in the first place. Krauss (2000) extended this critique into the internal factions of Japanese party politics (i.e. the LDP). Party factions do not typically serve to unify or advance policy or representational responsiveness among parties, but rather they typically serve as factions or blocks in which proximity to influential members and bureaucrats are considered more significant than regular public service. Party factions entrench political dynasties (Estevez-Abe, 2006) and Estevez-Abe drew attention to political family legacies constraining leadership access and mitigated generational change. Rosenbluth and Thies (2010) further connect the failure of Japanese electoral politics with the voting behaviour of citizens. Just as citizens are disempowered, they tend to participate in less, especially younger citizens. Undermined enthusiasm for participation is indicative that citizens perceive electoral politics as unimportant (as seen in civil society reactions, to legislation such as the special secrets protection act 2013). All together these studies show a deeply flawed system where design features of electoral politics, party factionalism, and political family dynasties act collaboratively, and hinder citizen voice, and thwart representative democracy in Japan. Structural Pathologies of the Hybrid Electoral SystemJapan’s electoral structure, formally reconstituted in 1994, is based on a mixed-member majoritarian (MMM) system composed of 289 single-member districts (SMD) and 176 seats by proportional representation (PR). In principle, it offers a measure of accountability to a constituent, as well as some proportional accountability to the overall electoral outcome. However, the hybrid system as applied in practice has severely deviated from both of those principles. A major flaw is the winner-take-all nature of the SMD component of an MMM where fairly small pluralities translate into absolute legislative dominance. As Reed (2011) pointed out, the result is substantial wasted votes, disenfranchising millions of voters and making their preferences irrelevant and changing the policy biases of government to reflect the needs of a relatively small and empowered constituency. This is compounded by the built-in unfairness of enabling large parties and wealthy candidates with institutional and family connections the ability to benefit from the arrangement. While the PR component was developed to mitigate the distortion of representation, it does nothing to restore proportionality of representation. Small parties often do not exceed either election threshold, or are unable to get enough seats proportionally to matter. Additionally, voters are confused by the dual method of voting via SMD and PR as residents. According to Christensen (2018) most voters do not understand the vote-seat translation process making them reluctant to have trust in the system or the legitimacy of the outcomes of the elections.The consequence is an incongruity in the structure of the elections and the elections’ political representation leading to citizens' cynicism and disengagement. We are left with a contradiction between procedural democracy and substantive disenfranchisement—an electoral form devoid of meaning as a participatory function. Factionalism and Dynastic Continuity in Party PoliticsBeyond the obvious structural issues of the electoral system lies a more profound political pathology: the ossified nature of party politics in Japan. Since its founding in 1955, the LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY (LDP) has governed Japan almost always, because of its ability to weave together factional power struggles without competing with other political parties, but rather alongside them. Krauss (2000) characterizes this regime as one of "internal oligarchy." Political actors compete for cabinet positions and influence, based on clientalism - engaging in policy favors and using established reputational networks to gain favors. These political interactions distract formal policy responsive behavior - representing constituents - and instead operate within a socially constructed, shared experience of loyalty and patronage. Dynastic politics also compounds the problem of factional politics. As Estevez-Abe (2006) demonstrates, a significant number of Japanese legislators are second or third generation politicians who have inherited not only their constituencies, but also institutional resources and internal party patronage. This intergenerational relationship makes it difficult for candidates from outside the elite of established politicians to access competition; this is a non-diverse and closely controlled political culture, both for politicians and for citizens who perceive a closed and unresponsive political class. Thus, Japanese politics works in a way that is not oligarchic formally - it is democratically participatory - but it is oligarchic in substance. Pre-established party hierarchies - not ideological diversity or policy differentiation - were establishing limits on procedural choices during elections. Consequently, the political imagination is limited, democratic change is extinguished, and citizens feel alienated from those they elect to represent them and govern them. Public Disengagement and the Erosion of Democratic TrustThe combined impacts of electoral distortions and party oligopoly have created a widening gap between politicians and citizens. This is nowhere more apparent than in Japan’s low turnout rates and the widespread disinterest among younger citizens.According to Rosenbluth and Thies (2010), even if declining turnout is not simply an issue of generational detachment, it could very well be a rational reaction to historical and ongoing disempowerment. If elections outcomes are relatively stable regardless of public will, if coalition and factional backroom maneuvering overwhelms public policy in terms of political importance, and if laws such as the 2013 State Secrecy Law can be passed against broad popular sentiment, trust in the democratic process, in the electoral framework will erode. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (2017) reported 53.68% turnout in the general elections in 2017, and the figure was much lower for voters in their twenties, signaling a generational break from formal mechanisms of political participation. Again, it is important to note that the disengagement is not a symptom of apathy, but rather a disillusioned electorate that believes political participation, and especially voting, has little impact on shifting policy direction or ensuring accountability of their leaders. This political alienation is troubling especially considering Japan’s imminent demographic and socioeconomic challenges related to an aging population, wealth inequality, and gender issues. Together, these concerns threaten to become policy inaction or bureaucratic inertia without meaningful democratic input. Democratic Disempowerment and Policy ParalysisThe structural barriers to substantive political participation in Japan are not just functional but materially affect the ability of the country to respond to changing societal needs. In particular, policy inertia-in the areas of demographic reform, economic inequality, and gender equity-is a direct consequence of the representational failings articulated above. One salient example is Japan's reluctance to do anything meaningful about gender parity in political representation and policymaking. Despite being one of the richest countries in the world, Japan has low global rankings relating to gender equality, particularly in political and legislative leadership. The entrenchment of male political dynasties, along with the lack of party-level affirmative action structures, means that the system is impervious to change from below. A political structure that is un-responsive to diverse inputs will be unable to produce policy reflecting the complexity of the citizenry it is supposed to represent. Likewise, as fluctuating degrees of individual and social disenfranchisement correspond with declining birthrates, policy responses have been slow, incoherent, and uncoordinated. Politicians, while often too removed from younger generations lived experience, will find that fiscal conservatism or bureaucratic continuity of their respective institutions will trump their ability to condition new social investment. The incentive structure built into electoral politics makes it impossible to promote mediums or long-term policy agendas; timeframes relating to public policy must correlate directly with public safeguard situation-to-situation variation of objectives-and the necessity to tacitly assure the continuation of support from factional co-partisans. Thus, Japan's representational crisis is not simply a problem of appearance-his crisis has material consequences. Participation in the same political elite continues to reproduce privilege, as obstacles to meaningful engagement for minor parties, and prior a broader spectrum of competitiveness have created a situation where there is little incentive to pursue public policy input, and there are no long-term visions capable of eroding democratic atrophy. Toward a More Representative Democratic ArchitectureIf Japan is to renew its democracy, it has to address the inherent structural limitations of its electoral system, as well as the insular nature of its party politics. Reform efforts must be directed not only at adjusting vote-seat disparities, but at reshaping the political system to create a dynamic of genuine citizen engagement and deliberative pluralism. First, in terms of the electoral system, reforms ought to consider lowering the thresholds of a mixed-member majoritarian (MMM) system - which Japan utilizes - to a mixed-member proportional (MMP) system, where the overall proportion of seats reflects the national vote shares. This would diminish the distortions of SMDs and increase parliamentary representation for smaller parties, which can support a broader set of political discourse in the Diet. Second, the internal workings of the parties must be reformed to grapple with factional dominance and familial entrenchment. Political parties need to accommodate transparency and accountability in their candidate selection process, and create mechanisms to support non-dynastical and unrepresented candidates, including women and youth. Public funding and campaign finance legislation could also be employed to provide a more equitable environment, and decrease clientelistic reliance on dynastic ties. Third, civic education and participatory infrastructure must be a priority to begin to restore trust in the process of electing representatives. For example, voter awareness campaigns, deliberative forums, and digital participatory connectives could bridge the cognitive and affective delegitimization between citizens and their respective representatives.In the end, democracy needs to be encountered not only through successive elections, but as a rite of passage and continual civic engagement. A renewed form of Japanese democracy would polycentrically orient a citizen-based arrangement of responsive, equitable and pluralistic identifiers, which remain submerged in an entrenched political system and apathetic citizenry. ConclusionNotwithstanding its electoral frameworks of democratic governance, Japan suffers from a serious crisis of representation. The mixed electoral constitution, instead of improving democratic fidelity, has underpinned political inequity and disproportionality. Coupled with relics of factionalism, dynasty politics, and declining public participation, all of these pathologies of the political system have produced a growing disjuncture between the state and society. If Japan is to overcome the sociopolitical hurdles of the 21st century (like an aging population, economic polarization, gender inequality, and youth alienation) it is going to need a radical rethink of the political system in structural terms. Reform must happen not only procedurally, but philosophically; it must be levered on the premise that democracy is legitimate if it can hear, reflect, and act on behalf of its people. Otherwise, the prospects for democracy in Japan risk becoming tragi-comically vacuous. References・Christensen, R. (2018). Electoral reform and the electoral system in Japan. Asian Journal of Political Science, 26(3), 200–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/02185377.2018.1515623・Estevez-Abe, M. (2006). Dynastic politics in Japan: The role of family in electoral success. The Japanese Journal of Political Science, 7(1), 103–127. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1468109905002073・Krauss, E. (2000). Factionalism and leadership in Japanese politics. Political Studies Review, 12(2), 159–173. https://doi.org/10.1111/1478-9302.00020・Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. (2017). Results of the 2017 House of Representatives election. Government of Japan. Retrieved from https://www.soumu.go.jp/・Reed, S. (2011). Japan’s mixed-member electoral system: Balancing local and national representation. Electoral Studies, 30(1), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2010.06.001・Rosenbluth, F. M., & Thies, M. F. (2010). Japan transformed: Political change and economic restructuring. Princeton University Press.

A document by Kamal Acharya. Click on the document to view its contents.

Background and Purpose: Platelet function during inflammation is dependent on activation by endogenous nucleotides acting on purinergic receptors. The P2Y14 receptor (P2Y14R) has been reported to be expressed on platelets and is involved in leukocyte recruitment during inflammation. However, a role for P2Y14R receptors on platelet function has not yet been determined. Experimental Approach: Platelets obtained from healthy human volunteers were incubated with the P2Y14R agonist, UDP-Glucose (UDP-G), and PPTN, a selective P2Y14R antagonist. Platelet activation was quantified using Ca2+ mobilization, aggregation, and chemotaxis assays. Cooperativity with P2Y1 receptor (P2Y1R) activation was also assessed after stimulation with UDP-G in the presence of MRS2500, a selective P2Y1R antagonist. Key Results: Ca2+ mobilization occurred in platelets after incubation with UDP-G in a concentration-dependent manner, and this was suppressed in platelets treated with PPTN. Platelets did not aggregate, or bind to fibrinogen after incubation with UDP-G. However, platelet chemotaxis towards f-MLP was dependent on P2Y14R stimulation with UDP-G and this was reduced by Rho-GTPase inhibitors. Furthermore, UDP-G induced Ca2+ mobilization and chemotaxis were also inhibited when platelets were pretreated with MRS2500. Conversely, ADP induced Ca2+ mobilization, chemotaxis and aggregation were not affected by the incubation with PPTN. Conclusion and Implications: Platelets can be activated via P2Y14R stimulation to induce chemotaxis but not aggregation. Furthermore, this was dependent on concomitant activation of P2Y1R. Activation of P2Y14Rs on platelets may therefore be relevant during inflammation, but cooperation with P2Y1R activation is required.

Understanding how geographic range limits are shaped is a central and challenging question in ecology that has become particularly critical in the context of global environmental changes. While such limits are often studied for resident or breeding species, range limits are equally important for migratory species in winter when population regulation may occur due to limited resources in the non-breeding season. A central hypothesis in several theories for range limitations is that the density, fitness and performance of individuals decrease towards the edge of the range as organisms become maladapted when approaching the limit of their environmental tolerance (‘Abundant-centre Hypothesis’). Energy is a critical resource, especially in winter when environmental conditions deteriorate, and this hypothesis predicts that high energy expenditure (low performance) at the range limit would lead to rapidly dwindling body mass and reduced fitness. We investigated this hypothesis in an Arctic-breeding seabird wintering in the North-Atlantic, the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla). From 2008 to 2019, we tracked 117 adult kittiwakes (n=176 tracks) with geolocation devices and saltwater immersion sensors to estimate the migratory strategies, time-activity budget and energy expenditure of individuals during winter, and estimated their reproductive success after their return to the colony during summer. Population density was indeed higher towards the center of the range. However, contrary to the predictions, the energy expenditure of individuals was higher at the centre of the range and decreased towards the edge. In contrast, there were no spatial differences in the reproductive success of individuals wintering at the centre versus at the edge of their range. We conclude that performance and fitness did not increase towards the centre of the wintering range, implying that although resource acquisition was likely higher at the abundant centre, energy expenditure was also higher, so that individual fitness was constant across the winter range.

The synthesis of biaryl axially chiral amides and their derivatives, which have demonstrated potential as additives or catalysts in asymmetric catalysis, currently relies on the utilization of transition metal catalysts. Herein, we report a NHC-catalyzed atropoenantioselective amidation reaction between axially prochiral biaryl dialdehydes and amides, enabling the efficient synthesis of axially chiral imides. This protocol features metal free and mild conditions, good functional group tolerance, broad substrate scope, and excellent enantioselectivities. Additionally, an extensive range of axial chiral imides, amides and derivatives can be synthesized through enantioretentive transformations, thereby providing an attractive alternative for their construction.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, and enhanced intestinal permeability is the most common pathological phenomenon in CRC patients, which leads to the translocation of the microbiota and its products into colorectal tumors and systemic circulation. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an important component of a widely studied gut gram-negative bacteria and is known to be a key step that can stimulate CRC progression, metastasis and relapse. Therefore, a better understanding of how LPS mediates CRC progression and metastasis is needed to guide their use and improvement in cancer therapy. Here, we review LPS signaling pathway, intestinal barrier permeability and LPS translocation, correlation of CRC with LPS signaling pathway, and specific mechanisms by which LPS drives CRC progression and metastasis. A comprehensive understanding of the diverse functions of LPS in CRC is important for the development of safer and more effective CRC therapies.

Abstract: Objective To study the therapeutic effect and mechanism of lanthanum chloride (LaCl3) on renal injury and tissue apoptosis induced by chronic kidney disease (CKD) in rats. In addition, its inhibitory effect on high phosphorus-induced apoptosis in human renal cortical proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2 cells) and its mechanism were investigated. Methods A total of 60 6-week-old (male) Wistar rats were selected to establish a CKD model by adenine supplementation. According to the random principle, 10 rats were selected as the blank control group, and the remaining 50 rats were modeled. HK-2 cells were induced with βGP, and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and AMPK/PGC1α signaling pathway-related proteins was detected. Resultsd. Results Lanthanum chloride can significantly reduce renal injury and tissue apoptosis in CKD rats and can effectively inhibit the apoptosis of HK-2 cells induced by β-GP. Conclusion This study confirmed that the inhibitory effect of LaCl3 on the apoptosis of HK-2 cells induced by β-GP was related to the AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway, but the specific mechanism by which La3+ affects the AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway needs further study.

Background: There is limited understanding of the impact of anti-IL5 treatment on nasal polyp tissue biology in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the nasal polyp tissue cellular proteome and transcriptome in response to six months of anti-IL5 treatment with mepolizumab in CRSwNP utilising high-plex spatial profiling. Methods: GeoMx™ Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) of 80 proteins and 1,833 mRNA targets in the polyp stroma and of the whole transcriptome (18,815 mRNA targets) in polyp epithelia was undertaken on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded slides of sinonasal biopsies collected before and after 16 and 24 weeks of treatment with mepolizumab. Results: Anti-IL5 therapy with mepolizumab in patients with eosinophilic CRSwNP had significant tissue biological impact. Treatment-related changes in proteins within immune checkpoint inhibition, neutrophil degranulation and the innate immune system were key biological mechanisms identified in a protein interaction network. Transcriptionally, there were significant reductions in gene sets associated with the reactome terms innate and adaptive immune system, neutrophil degranulation and TGFβ receptor signalling in epithelial to mesenchymal transition within polyp stroma, as well as enhancing antioxidant pathways. In polyp epithelia, increases in gene sets associated with the reactome-terms cilium assembly and keratinisation and a reduction in the regulation of KIT signalling were observed with treatment. Conclusions: Spatial profiling technology demonstrates that the effects of anti-IL5 treatment within nasal polyp tissue extend well beyond simple eosinophil reduction to broader regulation of innate and adaptive immune cells and in improving the epithelial barrier biology.

Background Living systematic reviews (LSRs) should provide up-to-date evidence for priority questions where the evidence maybe uncertain and fast-moving. LSRs featured prominently during COVID-19 and formed part of Cochrane’s response to the pandemic. We conducted a mixed-methods study to describe the characteristics of Cochrane’s COVID-19 living reviews, determine the currency of the included evidence, and evaluate authors’ experiences in conducting and publishing these reviews. Methods We identified living reviews of COVID-19 from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and extracted data on the number of versions published and publication timelines. We assessed the currency of evidence by comparing studies included in the reviews against a comprehensive list of studies maintained for the Australian living guidelines for COVID-19. The qualitative component involved semi-structured interviews with review authors to identify the barriers and enablers to conducting, reporting and publishing living reviews. Findings Cochrane published 25 COVID-19 living systematic reviews. Half of these reviews had not been updated when assessed in June 2023 and only four had been updated more than once. A total of 118 studies were included in the living reviews. We estimated that an additional 119 studies were available and potentially relevant for inclusion. Interviews with six authors indicated that publication timelines were reduced by editorial delays, loss of funding, waning commitment, and the burden of screening search results. An inability to communicate the living status of reviews in the Cochrane Library was a common frustration for many authors. Although authors felt the conclusions of their reviews were still current, only one living review communicated its update status and made new evidence accessible after the review was published. Conclusions Maintaining and communicating the currency of Cochrane’s COVID-19 living systematic reviews was not feasible for many author teams because of author-side, editorial and platform barriers.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is essential for studying the surface properties of samples at the micro- and nanoscales. Traditional AFM scanning methods are time-consuming, particularly for obtaining high-resolution images. Compressive sensing (CS) has been utilized for fast AFM imaging. However, as the size and resolution requirements of the images increase, the measurement matrix for compressive sensing also becomes larger. Block compressive sensing (BCS) divides the image into blocks and reconstructs them with a small measurement matrix, but it is difficult to balance the imaging quality between regions. Therefore, we propose an innovative adaptive CS-AFM imaging scheme. A low-resolution image is obtained through fast scanning, and a high-resolution image is generated using bicubic interpolation. The Otsu and eight-connectivity methods detect the location of the target blocks, while the GRNN model adapts the sampling rate for it. Supplementary scan is performed on the target block, followed by reconstruction using the TVAL3 algorithm. Finally, the target region is replaced with the reconstructed high-quality target blocks. Compared to other schemes, the results demonstrate that our method excels in achieving fast, high-quality, and high-resolution imaging.

A document by Kamal Acharya. Click on the document to view its contents.

Metabolism fuels fundamental biological processes and commonly scales with body mass with an exponent, b, between 2/3 and 1. The Metabolic-level Boundaries Hypothesis (MLBH) predicts that increased activity steepens b. We test this hypothesis by comparing metabolic rates during flight, non-flight locomotion, and rest in winged insects (n = 344), wingless insects (n = 354), and spiders (n = 131). After accounting for phylogenetic relatedness and wing presence, we find interspecific b values vary with activity only in winged insects (resting: 0.78; non-flight: 1.03; flight: 1.06), but not in wingless insects or spiders. Although all arthropods are expected to increase b during activity, this increase occurs only in winged insects, likely due to increased body temperature from muscle energy expenditure. Spiders show a shallower metabolic scaling exponent, potentially due to slowed life history with increasing size. These differences offer new insights into the evolutionary dynamics of arthropod energetics.

We establish necessary and sufficient conditions for a weight v guaranteeing the boundedness of multilinear Riemann-Liouville operators from ∏ j = 1 m L p j to L v q .

Soil salinization and sodication represent a pervasive form of soil degradation worldwide, characterized by the deterioration of soil physical structure and a reduction in saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). This has an adverse effect on crop water uptake, which in turn results in a reduction in food production. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research on the limiting mechanisms of Ks by individual limiting factors in soils with different salinity and sodicity. The Songnen Plain in north-eastern China, the site of this research, is one of the regions with a concentration of saline sodic soils globally. In this study, structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to evaluate the influence of soil properties on soil Ks, with the objective of identifying the principal limiting factors and barrier mechanisms of soil Ks. The results showed that Ks exhibited significant spatial autocorrelation and its spatial variation depended on soil properties. Soil Ks was significantly lower in the central plains of the study area, with a notable increase observed in both the eastern and western regions. The presence of substantial quantities of exchangeable sodium on the surface of soil colloids is the root cause of the low soil Ks, which, in conjunction with total soil alkalinity, exerts a considerable direct influence on soil pH (55%). Soil sand content and bulk density are important physical factors affecting soil Ks (22% and 31%, respectively), which influences water transport in the soil by affecting soil pore structure. The three predictors of saturated hydraulic conductivity for soils with different salinity and sodicity were pH, bulk density, and water-stable aggregate content greater than 0.25 mm (WSA >0.25). A predictive model was developed using the logarithmic transformation of soil Ks and a regression equation based on the support vector mechanism model. The regression equation was K s = e 26 . 5 + 3 . 72 WSA > 0 . 25 - 4 . 15 BD - 2 . 71 pH . The findings indicate that lowering soil pH and bulk density and promoting the formation of aggregate structures are key to increasing Ks in saline sodic soils.

A document by Tewodros Tadesse. Click on the document to view its contents.

SummaryWe describe the case of an 89-year-old woman who presented with slowly progressing incomplete paraplegia caused by a thoracic intradural extramedullary meningothelial meningioma WHO grade I. At admission, the patient was not able to walk on her own and was severely impaired in her daily activities. Following surgery, the patient completely recovered from her symptoms, including regained ability to walk unassisted. This case exemplifies, that surgical resection of intradural extramedullary meningothelial meningioma might not be omitted in the very elderly, as good outcome can restore independency. We discuss these findings accordingly.

A document by Hussain Almarrawi. Click on the document to view its contents.

Primary Leiomyosarcoma of the Kidney: A Case ReportSrijana Khati1, Sagar Rana Magar2, Ankita Simkhada1, Ramesh Paudel1, Surendra Khanal2, Bishal Panthi1, Sadmarg Thakur2, Sujan Paudel2, Prajjwol Luitel21Department of Pathology, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal2Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal

[Introduction] Safe and effective adeno-associated virus vectors are essential for gene therapy. Particle heterogeneity, specifically particle DNA of varying types and sizes, significantly affects recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) performance. Previous studies have identified particle-associated DNAs; however, the specific DNA composition of these mixed populations remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the DNA composition of the isolated subpopulations of rAAV particles obtained through anion exchange (AEX) chromatography. [Methods] rAAV2-ZsGreen1 particles were fractionated on an AEX column, resulting in 12 distinct fractions. We analyzed the DNA composition of these fractions using droplet digital PCR and MiSeq to identify the incorporated DNA heterogeneity in them. [Results] Our findings illustrated a clear trend in which DNA content increasing in fractions was associated with an increased rAAV genomic DNA ratio of total particle DNA. The particle DNA content increased significantly across fractions from Peak 1 to Peak 2, showing approximately 30,000- and 5,000-fold increases for ZsGreen1 (rAAV genome) and ampR (plasmid impurity), respectively. Notably, in the empty particle subpopulations, the rate of detectable DNA molecules was lower than one DNA fragment per 100 particles, with Inverted Terminal Repeat (ITR) sequences being the most prevalent. [Conclusions] With the elucidated profile of particle DNAs, this study provides detailed information on particle heterogeneity, shedding light on empty and partial particle formation and impurity DNA incorporation.