not-yet-known not-yet-known not-yet-known unknown The ecological effects of sediment flushings from artificial reservoirs have been widely documented, but the underlying sediment dynamics are less known. We investigated sediment dynamics associated with a long flushing event divided into two periods (2 and 1 week) in an Alpine river, each followed by a clear water release (“washing”) from the reservoir. Suspended sediment dynamics were investigated at the event and annual time scale, and at the river segment (~1000 channel widths) and reach (~100 channel widths or less) spatial scales. Analysis of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and streamflow time series from 5 in-situ calibrated optical turbidity sensors reveals a downstream decrease in the total passing sediment fluxes, a spatial trend that is paralleled by the theoretical suspended sediment transport capacity, allowing for the estimation of the deposited fine sediment volume in different reaches. Washing events result in variable effects among reaches, with some experiencing net sediment entrainment and others net deposition. Out of 16 quantified sediment fluxes, 5 were statistically significant with p<0.05, with an average uncertainty of 23\% in fine sediment flux quantification. Georeferenced analysis of colored gravel-cobble plots before and after the two flushing events revealed partial reach-scale mobility of the coarse bed surface material, particularly in the geomorphic units located at lower elevations and more exposed to higher flows (edges of side bars nearby riffles or rapids), while local fine sediment deposition was observed at less exposed units, as side channels or point bars in river bends. Grain size distributions of surface sediments taken in the same locations before and 1 month after the flushing reveal a clear shift towards a finer sediment composition, which is partially retrieved also 1 year after the event. Event-averaged SSC values during the flushing are considerably higher compared to natural flood events in such a regulated river, with SSC-streamflow relations being highly irregular and event-dependent, especially during the flushing. The work shows the relevance of multi-scale (time and space) investigation of sediment dynamics for planning and monitoring sediment flushing from artificial reservoirs.

not-yet-known not-yet-known not-yet-known unknown Abnormal activation of T cells is one of the main pathogenesis of psoriasis, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play important roles in immune regulation. To investigate the mechanism of regulation of T cell activities by miR-183-5p in psoriatic MSCs exosomes. MSCs were isolated from the skin tissues of normal people and patients with psoriasis. The exosomes of psoriatic and normal skin MSCs were extracted by ultrafast centrifuge, and then co-cultured with human Jurkat T cells. miRNA sequencing was performed and 29 different miRNAs were screened. The results showed that psoriatic MSCs exosomes can stimulate Jurkat T cells to secrete IL-17A and IL-23, while TGF-β secretion is reduced. The expression of miR-183-5p in psoriatic MSCs exosomes was significantly decreased, and the expression of FOXO1 in Jurkat T cells was significantly increased after co-culture. The exosomes from MSCs transfected with miR-183-5p-inhibitor siginificantly increased the expression of IL-17A and IL23, while decreased the expression of TGF-β in Jurkat T cells. Psoriatic MSCs regulate T cells activities through exosome-mediated miR-183-5p/FOXO1 pathway. Overexpression of miR-183-5p can inhibit T cell activities and reverse immune activation in psoriasis, suggesting utility of miR-183-5p as a potential therapeutic intervention for psoriasis.

Modern day spintronic devices require the use of strong ferromagnets and precise magnetic fields to generate and control spin-polarized current, restricting their efficiency and applications to low-temperature environments where external fields have little impact on the hamiltonian of the spin-state system. Our research objective was to investigate the use of chiral single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as an alternative method to create and manipulate spin polarized current in a routine environment using the chirality induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. We hypothesized the application of SWCNTs to act as an effective helicity filter and spin polarizer for electrons to then apply their spin transfer torque to a magnetically permeable layer. To test this, we deposited two chiralities of carbon nanotubes onto soft ferromagnetic foil. Constant current was run through the apparatus while a magnetometer was used to measure changes in the surrounding magnetic field. Compared to the control group (mean difference of 1.109 microtesla, SD of 0.746), the metallic chiral group resulted in a much larger mean difference (3.706) with similar SD (0.727). Similarly, the semiconducting chiral group of nanotubes resulted in a larger mean difference (4.160), again with similar SD (0.655). The p-values from both two-sample t-tests were less than 0.0001, indicating statistically significant results. This study showed that carbon nanotubes can act as an effective spin polarizer for current, and the CISS effect in conjunction with giant magnetoresistance allows for a universal magnetic memory storage method. Applications of this research pertain to Magnetoresistive-RAM cells in addition to the development of Spin Field Effect Transistors (SFETs) using the Rashba effect.

Hao et al analyzed echocardiographic data from 80 patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who underwent radiofrequency ablation. Comparing the 21% of the patients who developed recurrent AF to those who did not, they found that left atrial appendage (LAA) emptying velocities (eV) of <34.5 cm/s and LAA strain (LAAS) < 11.6% were independent predictors of recurrent AF; indeed, combining these 2 values predicted AF recurrence with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.978, sensitivity of 94.1% and specificity of 93.7%. Left atrial measurements differed significantly between those with and without recurrent AF but did not independently affect the recurrence of AF. Is there something unique about the LAA that provides an insight into the cause and recurrence of AF beyond the left atrium (LA) per se?

Improper use of Hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 has been linked to 17000 preventable deaths. This content analysis study investigates the emergence of this conspiracy theory, the role of the news media in perpetuating and disseminating it, and whether coverage differed by outlet political alignment. We searched Nexis for relevant media March 17-31, 2020. 128 media pieces were coded qualitatively and thematically analysed. The news media amplified the voices of right-wing political elites and used a variety of manipulative tactics in reporting on hydroxychloroquine. Powerful ingroup/outgroup mechanisms polarised the American public and created a schism between Trump supporters and the public health apparatus that reflected the political asymmetry in reporting on hydroxychloroquine. The widespread use of optimistic framings and anecdotal evidence contributed to public misunderstandings of the evidence. Therefore, strategic and interventionist public health efforts are required to combat misinformation. This study informs discussions of how politicised media coverage catalyses conspiracism.

Purpose: The study aims to identify the profile of Medication-Related Problems (DRP) and pharmaceutical interventions in a Maternity Hospital. Methods: The research was conducted in a Maternity Hospital in Santa Cruz (RN) and adopted a retrospective observational approach. Secondary data were collected from patients hospitalized in wards with clinical pharmacy services between January and December 2021. The analysis included the identification of DRPs, recording of non-compliance rates, and evaluation pharmaceutical interventions conducted. Results: 8.355 prescriptions were confirmed and a total of 38.048 medications prescribed in 2021. Prescription error rates by sector were 15,8% in WAU, 10,5% In pediatrics and 3,7% in the NICU. 359 pharmaceutical interventions were carried out, 14,4% were in the WAU, 24,2% in pediatrics and 61.4% in the NICU. The most frequent WAU DRPs included infusion time (43,9%), speed (23,8%), and dilution (17,3%). In pediatrics, they were infusion time (45,3%), dose (20,1%) and interval (15,2%). Finally, those from the NICU included infusion time (39,4%), dose (25,3%), and dosage (19,9%). Accessibility rates for interventions were 77% in UASM, 83% in pediatrics, and 77% in the NICU. Conclusions: Our study underscores the critical role of clinical pharmacists and multidisciplinary collaboration in enhancing patient safety. The NICU’s lower error rates highlight the benefits of an integrated team, while the WAU reveals the need for better professional interaction to reduce errors and improve intervention acceptance. Implementing dedicated clinical pharmacists and effective multidisciplinary practices across all sectors is important for improving patient care quality and safety.

Note: Graphene has certain electrical properties that make it a promising candidate for future nanoelectronics. While graphene, a single-dimensional carbon layer, is a conductive material, it can be converted into a semiconductor as a nanowire. This means that it has enough energy or a band gap in which there is no electron mode - it can be turned on and off, and therefore may become a major component of nanotransistors.The role of graphene nano-plates (GA) in the construction of Nano Transistors as  an electric field generated by the gate electrode controls the current generated by the two electrodes source and drain. The drain current is modulated by changing the density of the charge carriers in the two-dimensional transmission channel. In the nanotransistor, the effect of a multi-layer Si graphene field is modulated by a three-dimensional transmission channel with a three-dimensional transmission channel thicknessn the circuit diagram of a multilayer GA graphene field effect nanotransistor, the two source and drain electrodes are connected directly to the semiconductor, while the gate electrode is capacitively connected to the semiconductor using a dielectric gate.

Woodland creation is crucial for nature recovery and achieving net-zero goals. Although habitat creation to improve connectivity is assumed to benefit biodiversity, this has not been extensively quantified across multiple taxa and landscapes. Focusing on the UK, where woodland cover is low (13%), we analysed species occurrence records from citizen science for over 800 broadleaf woodland-associated invertebrate species from 15 taxa in relation to woodland cover and connectivity. Overall, we found that increased connectivity positively impacts the occurrence of these woodland-associated species (effect of connectivity across species, when accounting for the positive effect of woodland cover = 0.122). The benefits of connectivity varied considerably among these taxa: 49% of species showed a significant positive effect, while for 7% it was significantly negative. Our findings emphasise the biodiversity gains from increasing woodland cover and connectivity and highlight the importance of spatial targeting and landscape context in restoration efforts.

Genome scans offer a comprehensive method to explore genome-wide variation associated with traits under study. However, connecting individual genes to broader functional groupings and pathways is often challenging, yet crucial for understanding the evolutionary mechanisms underlying these traits. This task is particularly relevant for multi-trait processes such as domestication, which are influenced by complex interactions between numerous genetic and non-genetic factors, including epigenetic regulation. As various traits within the broader spectrum of domestication are selected in concert over time, this process offers an opportunity to identify broader functional overlaps and understand the integrated genetic architecture underlying these traits. In this study, we analyzed approximately 600,000 SNPs from a Pool-Seq experiment comparing eight natural-origin and 12 farmed populations of European seabass in the Mediterranean Sea region. We implemented two genome scan approaches and focused on genomic regions supported by both methods, resulting in the identification of 96 candidate genes, including nine CpG islands, highlighting potential epigenetic influences. Many of these genes and CpG islands are in linkage groups previously associated with domestication-related traits. The most significantly overrepresented molecular function was ‘oxidoreductase activity’. Furthermore, a dense network of interactions was identified, connecting 22 of the candidate genes. Within this network, the most significantly enriched pathways and central genes were involved in ‘chromatin organization’, highlighting another potential epigenetic mechanism. Altogether, our findings underscore the utility of interactome-assisted pathway analysis in elucidating the genomic architecture of polygenic traits and suggest that epigenetic regulation may play a crucial role in the domestication of European seabass.

Immediately after hatching, larvae of coral reef fish leave their natal reef environment and begin their planktonic dispersal phase, probably to avoid high predation on the reef. The time they spend in the open ocean before settlement (planktonic larval duration, PLD) varies from species to species and depends partly on developmental processes that eventually require re-settlement to a reef. The polyglutamine region (PolyQ) as part of the clock gene has been suggested as a possible candidate that could control developmental processes and potentially the time until settlement which can be determined by counting the rings of the otoliths. We studied the potential relationship between the number of glutamine repeats in 20 species of pomacentrids and their PLDs. Most pomacentrids came from similar locations, so we avoided the impact of latitudinal clines on PLD. Within the clock gene, we found two main distinguishable, variable glutamine-rich regions (PolyQ and Qrich). Considering phylogenetic relationships, PolyQ/Qrich repeat length and planktonic larval duration were significantly positively correlated. However, when analysing this relationship in a single species, the neon damselfish (Pomacentrus coelestis), we did not find a significant correlation between PolyQ length variation and PLD. Instead, we found a significant reduction of PLD in years with increased habitat availability. Our results show that glutamine-rich regions can influence the timing of colonisation on a broader scale, but that ecological factors - such as habitat availability - can also have a significant impact.

There is a paucity of information concerning the impact of risk factors on respiratory diseases among children in the Asian region. It is important to investigate the exposures associated with these diseases to mitigate their onset and enhance pulmonary health. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed for the extraction of studies. Total of fifty-two studies from twelve Asian countries were included in the analysis. Among the three respiratory diseases examined, Allergic Rhinitis (AR) was found to be the most prevalent among Asian children. The prevalence of asthma ranged from 2% to 29.4%, wheezing from 6% to 27%, and AR from 2% to 33%. The associations may be attributed to differences in local contexts, including pollution reduction efforts and school-based interventions aimed at improving respiratory health. Approximately 40% of the studies indicated the influence of child-related and environmental factors, while 23% demonstrated the impact of maternal factors on child health. By understanding these factors, public health initiatives can be customized to reduce exposure and minimize the adverse effects on respiratory health. Early identification of these risk factors among children at risk of developing asthma can improve their health status.

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Discriminative scale space tracker (DSST) is a generic scale estimation approach with excellent performance. Nevertheless, it does not exploit the powerful discriminability of multiple kernels. This paper will enhance the DSST to the multiple kernel version, SSMT, which effectively harnesses discriminative power spectrums of different features to improve the scale estimation performance. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that SSMT obtains a significant performance improvement on image sequences with scale variation of three object tracking benchmarks: OTB-2013 (+3.7\% in AUC), OTB-2015 (+3.9\% in AUC) and UAV (+3.5\% in AUC)

not-yet-known not-yet-known not-yet-known unknown Abstract text. Recently, the rotating target detector has been widely used in remote sensing images. However, the existing methods often use a large number of preset rotating anchor to cover the target, without taking into account the interference caused by the shape change of the aerial target with high aspect ratio during the training, which is mainly reflected in the following two points: 1) missing high-quality positive samples that cover the critical information of slender targets 2) the gradient with the sharply changing causes training instability. In order to meet these challenges, we have designed a sample assignment strategy that can adapt to targets with different aspect ratios, and a training strategy that can more stably and accurately regression the bounding box with high aspect ratio. Specifically, first of all, the designed Shape Adaptive Label Assignment strategy introduces a weight function based on the IoU. Secondly, Gradient Equalization Regression Loss function is proposed to effectively alleviate the gradient instability of large aspect ratio targets during regression and make the model have better convergence. A series of experiments on DOTA and HRSC2016 datasets have confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

This work presents a novel protocol for bi-directional wireless communication with neural implants that contributes to the growing field of closed-loop brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). BCIs are an emerging technology for studying and treating neurological disorders, such as spinal cord injuries (SCI). Furthermore, BCI heavily rely on neural implants as a crucial element, because they hold the potential to restore functionality of paralyzed limbs. The proposed protocol presents an open configuration to enable neural implants to communicate wirelessly with an external reader. Because computation to extract movement intention is performed externally, computing power is nearly unlimited and the energy consumption of the implant is reduced drastically. To validate the proposed protocol, the downlink (reader to implant) was implemented on a software defined radio (SDR) running GNU-Radio toolkit with custom communication blocks. The uplink (implant to reader) was implemented on an FPGA. Finally, to validate the movement intention decoding, pre-recorded neural data was backscattered from an FPGA-based implant and the decoding was executed successfully.

not-yet-known not-yet-known not-yet-known unknown Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a particularly aggressive and complex form of breast cancer lacking targeted treatment options. Its extensive intratumoral heterogeneity drives disease progression and complicates therapeutic responses. The emergence of single-cell proteomics has revolutionized biological research, expanding beyond conventional deep sequencing and imaging techniques. Proteins, as essential cellular components, offer a more direct link to phenotype and cell behavior than other biomolecules, underscoring the importance of advancing single-cell proteomic techniques for deeper insights into fundamental biology and disease mechanisms. In recent years, combining the advancements in sample preparation techniques with the power of mass spectrometry boosted the development of single-cell proteomics research, complementing transcriptomic approaches despite inherent challenges like the inability to amplify proteins akin to transcripts. In this review, we discussed the current advancements in single-cell proteomics, covering workflow, sample preparation techniques, and recent advances in mass spectrometry-based techniques. Toward the end, we explore the challenges and future directions that the scientific community must address to advance this technology. We conclude by urging the rapid resolution of these problems, enabling single-cell proteomics to become part of a robust, high-throughput, and scalable single-cell multi-omics platform that can provide deep biological insights into the diagnosis and treatment of TNBC.

Asthma is a significant public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which are predominantly located in regions such as North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, South, Central, and East Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the Caribbean, and certain parts of Europe. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 300 million individuals globally suffer from asthma. Data from the GAN Phase I study indicates that approximately one in ten children are asthmatic, with one in twenty experiencing severe asthma. Moreover, in children, 40% in LMICs have poor asthma control, compared to 19.9% in HICs.(1) It is estimated that 90% of the global burden of asthma is borne by individuals in LMICs, where death rates due to asthma are also the highest.(2) Also, in LMICs, children make up a larger proportion of the population compared to higher-income nations, which results in a correspondingly greater burden for those countries on health services due to childhood diseases. Estimates suggest that high proportion of asthma patients reside in LMICs, its prevalence over the past two decades is only increasing or remaining high, and morbidity-mortality rates associated with the condition are disproportionately higher compared to its counterpart high-income countries (HICs). (3)

Indoor air pollution represents a major health problem in developing countries. Common sources of household contaminants in these settings include gas or wood-fired stoves and ovens, heaters, fireplaces, tobacco smoke, dust mites, pets, mold, insecticides, and cleaning products. The use of biomass fuels or coal for daily activities, such as cooking, heating and lighting, are still common practices among many Latin American countries because of cultural behaviors, geographical conditions and limited access to cleaner energy sources. Inefficient combustion of these substances results in the release of toxic products, mainly nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Additionally, tobacco consumption is frequent in the region and is a well-known cause of air pollution, while electronic cigarettes have also gained popularity worldwide and are now a new source of airborne chemicals. Exposure to all these substances has been associated with an increased risk of health issues, particularly in children, such as growth impairment, respiratory infections, asthma, reduced lung function, and development of adult lung diseases (e.g., cancer and COPD) (1).

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), a subtype of breast cancer, is challenging to detect early due to its diffuse spread, and metastasis often occurs before diagnosis. While ILC commonly metastasizes to the bone and gastrointestinal (GI) tract, gastric involvement, particularly causing gastric outlet obstruction (GOO), is rare. We present a 63-year-old Southeast Asian woman with a history of left breast ILC, who developed GOO. Diagnostic evaluations, including endoscopy and PET CT, revealed a large invasive mass in the gastric antrum, confirmed as metastatic breast cancer. A stent was placed to relieve the obstruction, and the patient started chemotherapy. This case highlights the unusual presentation of ILC metastasizing to the stomach, forming a fungating mass, which deviates from the typical linitis plastica pattern. It underscores the importance of recognizing atypical metastatic behaviors in ILC and the need for further research to improve diagnostic approaches in such rare cases.

Total protein isolation followed by quantitation, often using a colorimetric assay such as the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay, is a common laboratory technique. Protein samples are compared to a curve made with dilutions of a standard such as bovine serum albumin (BSA) to determine their concentrations. Experiments were designed to determine the most reproducible and accurate method for quantifying protein concentrations of a series of experimental samples over time. The effect of freezing on diluted standards was investigated. Standards were frozen at -20°C or -80°C and serially thawed and refrozen up to three times prior to their use in a BCA assay. Thawing and refreezing the standards had no significant effect on protein concentration and the resulting standard curves. Inter-person and intra-person variability in the preparation of standards was also investigated. Protein concentration differences due to inter-person and intra-person variability were greater than protein concentration variability resulting from freezing and thawing, regardless of the freezing temperature. The most reproducible and accurate method for determining the protein concentration of extracted samples in an experimental series over time is diluting a large batch of BSA standards and freezing them at either -20°C or -80°C. Reproducibility was maintained with up to three freeze-thaws.

The development of the gut microbiome in infancy is a vulnerable process that may be perturbed by antibiotics or supported by probiotics. While effects of these “biotics” have been well-studied through DNA sequencing, it remains unclear how the resulting compositional changes affect the microbiome’s metabolic functions. Additionally, limits in method standardization require careful quality assessment of studies reporting fecal metabolome. We conducted a systematic search in Embase and MEDLINE for studies describing fecal metabolites from term and near-term infants, together with anti-, pre-, or probiotic intervention. The search identified 680 articles, of which 60 were assessed for eligibility and 21 included. We first developed operational checklists for transparent and reproducible reporting and evaluated the quality of metabolomic methodologies. This analysis supported our aim to summarise changes in the fecal metabolome induced by biotic interventions. Despite a varying quality of metabolomic methodology, we identified similarities in the fecal metabolome profiles in response to specific biotic interventions. Among the most frequently observed metabolites, which seemed to be consistently altered after biotic interventions, were bile acids, aromatic amino acids, and short-chain fatty acids. We conclude with a discussion on appropriate experimental design, controls, and metabolomics reporting to guide future research permitting meta-analyses.

Carbon dots (CDs), characterized by their small size (approximately 10 nm) and composition of sp2/sp3 carbon nuclei with surface-modified functional groups, have attracted significant research attention due to their unique photophysical, electrochemical, and biomedical properties. This article provides a comprehensive review of the latest advancements in boron-doped carbon dots (B-CDs), a subclass of CDs that incorporate boron atoms. The review begins with an overview of B-CDs synthetic strategies, including ”top-down” and ”bottom-up” approaches, and discusses the impact of boron doping on the optical properties of CDs. It then outlines the inherent PLmechanism of CDs and delves into the diverse biological applications of these nanomaterials, including their use as fluorescent sensors, bio-imaging agents, antibacterial agents, in medical therapies, and drug delivery systems. Each application is examined in terms of its current progress and potential for future development. Furthermore, the review presents insights on emerging trends and foreseeable challenges in the field of B-CDs, serving as a valuable guide for researchers and industry professionals interested in this exciting and rapidly evolving area of nanotechnology.

This paper proposes a naïve modification of Special Relativity (SR) motivated by the properties of the mathematical continuum in Conway's nonstandard analysis of infinitesimals. The principle of indiscernibility of the nearest past and future is extracted, causing the epistemological problem of identity of the indistinguishable micro-events, where causal order cannot be effectively detected. The Planck length emerges spontaneously in Minkowski space as a halo around a lightlike point of the actual local present, induced by a hyperbolic metric. The halo generates an event horizon of the point, collapsing under observation. Unlike virtual black holes, the halo appears as a fundamental property of spacetime, regarded then as quantum foam that evaporates immediately by passing into the past. The modified SR (SRM) entails the following corollaries: (i) the relativity of extended simultaneity, (ii) Bell temporal non-separability, (iii) time vanishes at the cosmological horizon of the universe, (iv) the universe is closed from the inside.

Introduction The aim of this study is to assess the surgical and patient reported outcomes for monocanalicular and bicannalicular silicone stent insertion for patients undergoing endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) procedures for distal nasolacrimal duct obstruction.  Methods A retrospective cohort study was undertaken for all patients that underwent endoscopic DCR performed collaboratively by ENT and ophthalmology at Royal Blackburn Hospital. Patient records were examined to evaluate surgical outcomes and any complications with respect to different types of stents used.  Results A total of 60 patients were included in the study. Tubes were used in 95% of cases. 92% reported a positive outcome, 89.5% had a patent nasolacrimal system at follow up and 97% of cases with silicone stents had a visible ostium. Minor postoperative complications occurred in 30% of silicone stent cases. When further broken down into tube type, success rates were 94% for monocanalicular stents and 95.5% for bicanalicular stents however the difference was not statistically significant. In contrast, the complication rates were 22% for monocanalicular stents and 63.6% for bicanalicular stents with this difference being statistically significant. Lester Jones tubes (permanent) were used in 8 cases which were found to have proximal nasolacrimal duct obstruction of which 87.5% reporting a positive outcome despite the well-known high extrusion rate associated with this type of tube. Conclusion  Both monocanalicular and bicanalicular stents showed similar high surgical success rates. However, monocanalicular stents were better tolerated by patients and associated with fewer complications.